V-Brakes squeak

[Targan]

I've been searching around an no luck on what seems to be a simple thing. My V-brakes work (and work well), but they squeak so loud! I've tried adjusting them and even going as far as lubricating the tire's rim slightly (yeah bad idea lol). I'm still very new to this bike world and could use some help

 

[xseler]

You need to 'toe-in' the front of the pads towards the wheel just slightly....../^\.....the arrow being the rotation direction.

Good luck!!

 

[Targan]

Ah! Makes perfect sense! My brakes are literally doing the exact opposite from when I adjusted them for being too close to the rim when I got my bike. Thanks for the fast reply!

 

[bigbutterbean]

Also if you've got hard pads you may want to think about switching to softer ones. Hard pads will slip in wet conditions and when dry will scratch the rim's surface and generate much more friction and heat than soft pads will. Too much heat can actually blow a tire. Hard pads should only be used on a rim with a ceramic outer coating. Porcelain actually dissipates the heat and generates less friction. If your pads feel like rubber, they are probably soft enough. If they feel like hard plastic, they're too hard unless you've got a ceramic coated rim.

 

[dodge dude94]

They may also need to be sanded and cleaned with alcohol too. My mtn bike used to do that for miles after mudding. I cleaned 'em up and they were fine.

 

[Targan]

I toed-in my front brakes and that squeaking stopped, but my back brakes still squeak. They do feel really hard but not as hard as plastic. Like almost frozen rubber. I think I just need to clean them cause I've been riding through dirt a lot recently. Unfortunately today my drive chain snapped and I figured out my back wheel wobbles slightly... so many issues with these bikes!!! But somehow i still love them...

 

[dodge dude94]

Get you some 150 grit sand paper and a smooth flat surface and sand them a bit. They might be glazed over. Considering this is a gasbike, I don't doubt they are. lol

As for your back wheel, check the cone adjustment. Worst cast scenario, to need to pull the sprocket and have the rim trued.

Well, that's not worst case, but it's still annoying.

 

[Targan]

Ok thanks for the info! I looked up cone adjustment and it looks... well... scary for someone like me lol. I'm not mechanically inclined and do not own many tools. HOPEFULLY the wheel just isn't aligned right in the frame, i'll have to investigate it tomorrow.

 

[bigbutterbean]

http://motorbicycling.com/showthread.php?t=48437
This is for coaster brakes, but ignoring the disassembly/reassembly instructions referring to the coaster brake components, the procedure is basically the same. Disassemble the hub, paying attention to how and what order things come out in so that you can put them back together in exact reverse of how you took them apart (take notes or draw a diagram if you need to, clean the bearings and re-grease with hi-temp grease. Reassemble hub in the correct order, and tighten the cones to finger tight only. I have never had a problem in two years adjusting my cones this way. I may even have found this procedure somewhere online or heard it from an experienced bicycle mechanic. Hard to say for sure, but either way this procedure has always worked for me. I even plan to service my new wheel with Shimano hub this way when it gets here.