Squeek Squeak

[JohnInStockie]

Hi Guys

Just thought I'd ask a brake question.

Yesterday on my way home, I was really motoring in top gear on my 18T pro-connect with a reasonable cadence, say 80 (I'd guess about 20 - 22mph - no comp yet), when a young lady deep in conversation with her friend decided to trust the eyes in the back of her head and step out into the road to cross, about 10 feet in front of me.

Upon applying the brakes and simultaeously uttering a cry of my surprise, my emergency stop was quick although seeing my rear wheel in front of my front one just before I performed a triple salko wasnt expected. Unfortunately my landing was poor and generally very painful (I now have a very stiff left shoulder, a bit of water on my left elbow, and an extremely sore left foot heel where it slammed against the road). Luckily, despite my intention to wear less in the warm weather, I had stuck to my Altura Leggings and my eVent Jacket which did the job of protecting the skin from scrapes, lucky.

The young lady was extremely apologetic, insisting it, 'was her fault' a couple of times, I think she and her suddenly struck dumb friend were in a bit of shock. Thankfully I wasnt in as much shock, so I managed to feel myself from the tarmac and recover the bike to the side of the road with out assistance from my new 'shocked' friends. After another 'it was my fault you know' I decided to concede the point by simply asking the young lady,'can you be a bit more careful next time please?', which for some reason lost me my new friends, and turned her very pale.

Most importantly though, the bike was fine

Anyway, the question I have is that since this, there is a sqeek coming from the front brake, but only when I go over any bump in the road. Its very high pitched, only lasts for a fraction of a second and is very irritating. It sounds like something wobbling but I cant find anything. Could it be the brakes settling in?

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks

John

 

[Lloyd_50cycles]

Hi John,
Sorry to hear about your mishap. If it's any consolation it's happened to me also. Pedestrians just seem to think that only cars use the road. Right as for your squeak it could be a number of things. First thing to check is that the knock hasn't moved the front wheel in the fork drop out slightly. Undo the quick release skewer and check that the wheel is central in the forks. Put a little weight on the front of the bike to ensure it's seated properly with the skewer undone, then tighten it back up. Another possibility is that the brakes have been knocked on impact and the pads need slight re-adjustment. To eliminate break squeal the pads are "toe'd in". This means they are adjusted so that the front of the pad is 1mm nearer the rim than the rear of the pad. This makes sure the braking force applied is progressive and eliminates the pad juddering which causes the dreadful squeal you get sometimes. You can do this by using a credit card in between the pad and the rim AT THE FRONT ONLY, when adjusting. Other possible causes are mudguards rubbing on the tyre or fork(again losen and re-adjust). It is worth getting a local shop to just give it a quick safety check after a crash(or we'd happily do it here), as there may be some damage not immediately visable. Turn the bike upside down and spin the wheel, check the rim sidewalls, make sure they aren't dented or split atall. If you try all this and they still squeak let me know and I'll get my thinking cap on. You say it only squeaks when you go over a bump, is that with the brakes on or off? Let me know how you get on.
All the best
Lloyd

 

[JohnInStockie]

Thanks Lloyd, I'll try all of those things. It only make a little 'squeak squeak' when I go over a bump without any brake pressure, when everything is free.

I'll let you know if I find anything at all from your tips.

John

 

[musicbooks]

Thanks Lloyd, I'll try all of those things. It only make a little 'squeak squeak' when I go over a bump without any brake pressure, when everything is free.

I'll let you know if I find anything at all from your tips.

John

Hi John,
My left brake handle squeaks (Agattu) a little when I go over bumps. At first I thought it was the bell but it is the lever rattling in its casing. Could it be this?

BW
musicbooks

 

[Rod Tibbs]

Squeek squeek

A quick shot of WD40 around the brake levers and pivots maybe?

Rod

 

[JohnInStockie]

Thanks, I'll try those as well