Mountain Bike Disc Brake Squeal
My front disk brake on my mountain bike squeals and i don’t know how to fix it?
I bought a new mountain bike a few days ago and it has a great performance but lately the front brake being both wheels have mechanical disk brakes the front wheel starts to squeal each time I pedal or brake or just when I push the bike a long I cleaned the rotor with an old cloth and the noise stopped but lately it started again I’ve token it back from where I got it they took a look at it and it hasn’t really made a difference, why does it make that noise?
Here’s the link to the bike I have more details in it: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_770953_langId_-1_categoryId_165499#dtab
Brakes squeak due to vibration of the brake pads on the braking surface which is the rotor in your case. You did the first thing already that I would recommend which is to clean off the disk. If you have lubricated something, you may need more than just a cloth to get the grease or oil off your disk but this is the front so it is not that likely.
While riding the top of the wheel is rotating towards the front of the bike. Therefore the toe-in of the pads might need to be adjusted. First of all the pads need to fully engage the rotor (disk) and not be slightly above or below (not the problem most likely). The brake pads should be slightly wider towards the back of the bike than the front. If they are narrower towards to back of the rotor, only a small area of the pads will contact the rotor and that may cause vibration.
Loosen up the pads with a small hex key, usually 4mm but may vary. Bikes always use metric hex keys. Put a small piece of cardboard under just the rear of the brake pads. Squeeze the brake lever (may need a friend to help you). Make sure the pads are aligned correctly. Then tighten up the bolt holding the pads. Make sure you tighten it firmly so the pads don’t slip under hard braking.
While you are at it, may as well clean the pads quickly. Just run something rough over the braking surface to clean them off, remove any sand, pebble that may have lodged in the pad.
Good luck, I hate unwanted noises from my bikes.
MTB Brake Pads
