Cyclamatic front brakes - improvement needed

[electric_avenue]

I know quite a few people have these bikes, and I'm pretty sure the front brake situation is universal and not just my bike. Its loud, and vibraty.
What has anyone done that's fixed it. I'm thinking of changing the assembly completely but I'm not sure what would fit (and work

 

[neptune]

I am assuming you have Vee brakes? Perhaps it needs something as simple as a set of better quality pads. Installation has to be done right, but there are several guides on Youtube. The arms that carry the pads must move freely on there pivots, and have no play. If this is the case there is little to be gained by changing the whole assembly.

 

[NRG]

Try in this order:

New blocks
Better cable
Brake Booster
Avid Single digit 5

Did this on my Alien GSII and it made a heck of a difference.

 

[Scimitar]

Common cause of racket with cantilever or V-brakes is muck on the rim and blocks. A sticky gunge which builds up and causes the blocks to jump and chatter at high frequencies, sounding like screeching. If you take a nylon scouring pad to the rims with a bit of dish soap and just scrub them clean (and do the blocks) it will likely go away. Also check if the blocks are toe-in in properly. They should be set so the trailing edge (nearest the front ) touches the rim first.

 

[Scimitar]

Try in this order:

New blocks
Better cable
Brake Booster
Avid Single digit 5

Did this on my Alien GSII and it made a heck of a difference.

That's exactly what I did with my fronts - the Avids nearly had me over the bars at first, they were so good. I left the rears as cantis, but screeching has become a pita, so I'm thinking of putting a set of Avids on there, too.

 

[jcubbin]

Hi Electric Avenue,

I had exactly the same problem with squeeling from the front brake on the Cyclamatic. I ended up replacing it with a shimano assembly which included pads for only £8, i'm pretty sure it was the one listed below and it works out at not too much more than the cost of a new set of pads alone.

Shimano Acera Mountain Bike V Brake Front SILVER BRM422 | eBay

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Just changing the pads to a different type should be enough. If you want to spend any more money than that, you'd be better off fitting a decent set of forks and a disk brake. These forks'll be miles more comfortable than the clattery standard ones:
Rockshox Dart 3 100mm suspension fork | eBay
tektro auriga comp hydraulic disk brake set ready to go! | eBay

 

[electric_avenue]

Thanks for all your answers. Its not dirt, its done it since it was new out of the box! I'm going to start off by trying the shimano set that jcubbin suggests, and see where we go from there

 

[Scimitar]

Thanks for all your answers. Its not dirt, its done it since it was new out of the box! I'm going to start off by trying the shimano set that jcubbin suggests, and see where we go from there

In that case, and if it's fairly common on that model, it's likely the brakes themselves (or the mounts) aren't robust enough and are flexing a bit, causing run-out and chatter.
Not a new problem, either. It wasn't unusual to hear squealing brakes when I was a lad and thinking back it was likely caused by crap components.

 

[electric_avenue]

Well, I fitted the shimano breaks and its a great improvement. No wailing and much better braking. Thanks all.