Noisy brakes & rough front rim

[RolliePollie]

Silver - I'm having the same sound...not squealing but more like a grating sound. It's really not a nice sound. And not nice knowing that I'm wearing down my rims every time I brake! Luckily, living in a rural area, I don't have intersections and such where I have to come to a complete stop very often. I do have hills though...but usually the downhills are followed by uphills so I don't want to brake and lose my momentum.

I'll look at my brake pads tomorrow to see if they're toeing in or out. That concept makes so much sense! For a new rider like me who is only averaging about 75 miles a week right now, a little extra brake pad maintenance is ok. I think I can put up with this and stay safe through this season. Sounds like maybe upgrading the wheels and brake pads would be a good idea for next season.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

For a new rider like me who is only averaging about 75 miles a week right now...

Hey whaddya talkin'?!! 75 miles a week is not an "only"!!

[RolliePollie]

Hey whaddya talkin'?!! 75 miles a week is not an "only"!!

I want to do closer to 100 a week! But unfortunately, that darned job of mine makes it hard to ride as often as I'd like. And also unfortuntately, the 75 is usually one flat 35-40 mile ride and two 18-20 mile rides. I'd much rather be doing 5-6 days of shorter rides. Uh oh, am I doing that thread drift thing?

Back to the brakes...why the heck did Trek put this combination of rims and pads together if they don't get along well? I am learning a lot about how much money you can easily spend upgrading even an entry level bike. But it's worth it so I'm really not complaining. I'll just have to add "really good wheels" to my wish list for a new bike that I'll be purchasing SOMEDAY!!! In the meantime, I'll become an expert at removing those tiny shards of metal. And I'll go look for the Kool Stop pads too.

[RolliePollie]

I bought some Kool Stop pads today...got the black ones for dry conditions because it won't be wet around here again until October or November. Plus that's all they had at REI

Are these pads something I can put on the bike myself or do I need to take it to the LBS? I'm kind of afraid I'll do it wrong and I don't want to end up with brakes that don't work. If it's easy and relatively fool-proof, I'll do it. As usual, here I am, a big newbie looking for more advice!

[DebW]

Are these pads something I can put on the bike myself or do I need to take it to the LBS? I'm kind of afraid I'll do it wrong and I don't want to end up with brakes that don't work. If it's easy and relatively fool-proof, I'll do it. As usual, here I am, a big newbie looking for more advice!

Pretty easy and almost foolproof. I'll assume you have standard road brakes rather than cantilevers or V-brakes (those pads attach a bit differently). The pads should attach to the brake caliper arms with a single allen bolt. If so, loosen the allen bolt on your current pads. Hold the pad so it won't turn while you loosen. If the pad is close to the rim, you'll need to make room to remove it either by opening the brake's quick release or removing the wheel. After you've removed one of the old pads, putting in the new ones should be obvious. KoolStop pads are designed to have the wedge shapes on the pad pointing backwards, so make sure you know which end to point forwards (it may be inscribed on the side of the pad or on the package). Position the new pad so that it contacts solidly against the full width of the rim and hits the rim flat or slightly toe-in (ie. front end first) if that is possible. Position the pad in the caliper, tighten it lightly, then squeeze the brake to see where it hits the rim. Reposition if necessary. When you're happy with the pad position, tighten it down very tightly. Often the pad will want to turn as you tighten, so hold it to counteract that turning force.

If your old pads were very worn and the brakes had been recently adjusted, you may find these pads too close to the rim or possibly even rubbing it. If so, you'll need to loosen the cable anchor bolt to readjust the pad spacing. If you loosen the cable, be sure to tighten the anchor bold very tightly.

[Zen]

I haven't looked at the brake pads yet but I definitely have the same scraping sounds. Looks like time for the Kool - Stops, I can't afford to wear out my rims.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

[RolliePollie]

Thanks, DebW! Wow, you are a great resource!!! Sounds like this is something I should be able to do.

I can't wait to ride with the new KS pads. I think I'm getting into a bad habit of trying to use my rear brakes more because I don't want to hear that front brake noise and know that my rims are getting eaten up. My rear brakes are nearly silent...I hope my front brakes will be the same!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Pretty easy and almost foolproof. I'll assume you have standard road brakes rather than cantilevers or V-brakes (those pads attach a bit differently).

I have side pull brakes on my Rivendell and we had to buy new brake shoes along with the KoolStop pads because they wouldn't fit on my existing brake shoes. So we got the set- the shoes with the KS pads.

[DebW]

I should have mentioned the one thing you can do wrong when replacing brake pads. Sometimes the shoe (metal part that holds the pad) has one open end so that the rubber pad can be easily replaced. The open end must point towards the back of the bike. Otherwise you may squeeze your brakes and have the pad fly out, leaving a bare metal shoe to contact your rim. I don't believe KoolStop pads are like this, but there is still a front and back.