Screeching disk brakes

[Stupeo]

I have a Boardman MTB with hydraulic Avid Elixr disc brakes.

Since going out on it when it started snowing last week, my brakes are screeching really badly.

I bought some Muc-Off Disc brake cleaner last night, but its not made a difference?

How can I stop the noise? I am supposed to be doing an Evan's Ride IT this weekend and don't want to sound and look like a right tit!

Thanks.

[Rolls]

Still got plenty of meat on the pads themselves?

[R32]

Grit stuck inbetween the pads? You sometimes get a similar problem with car brakes in this weather too.

[mat777]

Take the pads or and sand a thou or two off the surface. Clean the brake disc and allow it to fully evaporate off for 24 hours. Reassemble and find a really big hill on which you can brake hard for multiple long periods of time during the descent. This will bed the pads back in and hopefully will have cured your squealing

[Stupeo]

mat777 said:

Take the pads or and sand a thou or two off the surface. Clean the brake disc and allow it to fully evaporate off for 24 hours. Reassemble and find a really big hill on which you can brake hard for multiple long periods of time during the descent. This will bed the pads back in and hopefully will have cured your squealing

What sort of sandpaper should I use for the pads, fine?

M

[AndrewEH1]

Stupeo said:

What sort of sandpaper should I use for the pads, fine?

M

A fine/medium grit, all you want to do is take a little bit off.


Or, just pour oil all over the disc and pads - should stop and screeching, might not stop you though..

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Thursday 24th January 15:48

[AndrewEH1]

mat777 said:

Take the pads or and sand a thou or two off the surface. Clean the brake disc and allow it to fully evaporate off for 24 hours. Reassemble and find a really big hill on which you can brake hard for multiple long periods of time during the descent. This will bed the pads back in and hopefully will have cured your squealing

Also, I agree with this - but - before you go down the big hill pour CLEAN water all over the caliper and disc.

I'm sure people do it different ways but this works for me whenever I bed new pads in.

[TedMaul]

AndrewEH1 said:

Stupeo said:

What sort of sandpaper should I use for the pads, fine?

M

A fine/medium grit, all you want to do is take a little bit off.


Or, just pour oil all over the disc and pads - should stop and screeching, might not stop you though..

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Thursday 24th January 15:48

I was advised to use a metal file and make criss/cross passes i.e. not just grinding in one direction, that did seem to help. I found brake cleaner did naff all to help the situation, if anything made it worse. Once you get a bit of dirt in there is will grind itself down a bit and be fine. Mine are juicy 7s, so similar iirc

[Gren]

Wet pads/discs can often sound like this. Couple of of hard stops to warm them up and dry them out should stop it.

If not then the solutions above should sort it - clean the discs, sand the pads and if all else fails replace the pads. They are cheap enough anyway.

[Stupeo]

Cheers all. I am going to take a look at it tonight.

Matt

[teeCup]

They all do that sir!

I believe the technical term is "Avid turkey gobble"!

[Gren]

My Formulas (Rx) had a louder gobble than my Avids (X0). But, yes, they all do it to a greater or lesser degree after a while.

[zax]

Gren pretty much sums up my squeal situation. Now it's winter and I don't brake much, plus when I do it's gentle. On very cold, dry snow days they're fine. On wet snow days they're very noisy. Not enough braking action to heat them up and clear the dampness...

[Watchman]

I've got Elixir 3 on one of my bikes. They squeal whereas my Tektro brakes (on my other bike) don't. They're very annoying.

[Jimbo.]

IME part of the blame lays with Avids Tri-Align mouting setup, assuming they still use it. Everything has to be perfectly clean and torqued down: the slightest bit of dirt anywhere in amongst the washers, bolts spacers etc, or a bolt not tightened up properly, and you'll have noise. Lots of noise.


That, and Avids are st.