noisy disk brakes

[kathryninid]

Is there any way to reduce the squealing of disk brakes? Is there a good way to clean them or something? I swear, people must be able to hear me a mile away when going down a steep downhill. It's driving me crazy. At least there won't be any wildlife on the trail in front of me.

[Cdalekat]

As far as I am aware, there are two probable causes. Cause one - dirt and oil. Cause two - misalignment and vibration.

For dirt and oil, start by cleaning your rotors with alcohol (and never touch them with your fingers least you get more oil on them). It may also require removing the pads and lightly sanding them with extremely fine grit sandpaper to break any visible sheen (and take off the layer of oil and dirt that's probably on them). There's always the option of completely replacing your pads too.

For misalignment and vibration, the bike simply needs to be checked out. Is everything functioning properly, are your wheels true, are the break pads the correct distance from the rotor, etc, etc.