Another noisy disc brake thread

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Slick

Guru
I decided to go down the Lbs route. I just picked it up yesterday and the weather was really poor this morning so I have yet to put their repair to the test but the guy just replaced my pads with sintered pads (whatever that means) as mine were worn on one side only but also heavily contaminated with oil. Hopefully this is enough for me and @glasgowcyclist is enough for your repair as that squeal really gets on your nerves very quickly.
 
Sand the disc with garnet paper until it has a satin criss-cross pattern.

@Yellow Saddle, couple of questions about this, do you have to use garnet sanding paper, or will aluminium oxide paper do in a pinch? Also, what grit do you recommend, presumably a medium-fine grit?
 
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Drago

Legendary Member
Sintered mean the pads are made from powdered metal, which are moulded with just enough pressure and heat to make them stick together in the shape of a pad, but not enough to turn it into a genuinely solid item.

Organic pads use all sorts or weird stuff, including sometimes walnut shells. Clever stuff. YS will know far more about the specifics than me.
 

Slick

Guru
Well my sintered pads stayed silent on the dry commute to work this morning but squeal came back on a drenched commute home tonight. I am hoping that it was just a one off in the rain and normal silent service will resume next dry day. Whenever that will be.
 
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glasgowcyclist

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
If you've got leaky calipers I would have thought you'd soon know. It takes very little for the levers to start to feel spongy or low. I would once again put my faith in the Superstars which you're going to order anyway so why not try them first and then if they don't work and you do go down the new calipers route, you will, as you say, have pads come with them anyway. that's before we get into fitting new calipers and how easy it is to spill fluid when you fit and bleed them (presuming using old lines here unless you mean calipers and levers).

I've already bought the calipers, on the basis of getting them at a good price whilst still available, and I can return them free of charge (within 12 months) if I don't use them. The superstar pads are out of stock and have been since mid April. I've emailed them to ask if they're likely to get some in soon, otherwise I'll need to look for an alternative.

I did bleed the brakes during all this as the lever for the rear brake was going right back to the handlebar and the front was spongy too. Fluid from the rear hose was black/grey in colour, while the front was still pink but had a few bubbles. Both returned to full power after bleeding but have begun to deteriorate again. I'm assuming that if air's getting in, fluid's getting out. No sign of any breaks in the hoses but there's much of the rear I can't see as it is routed inside the frame.

My Ice-Tech RT81 discs (6 months old) now have a highly polished, mirror-like finish on the braking surface. Even after sanding them thoroughly, and properly burning in new pads on them, they quickly return to this state. This is why I'm considering fitting new calipers, pads and rotors all at the same time.
 

GuyBoden

Guru
Location
Warrington
I fixed my squealing brakes thanks to this thread a few months ago,

1.) Sand discs
2.) Renew pads
3.)Break-in the pads properly
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Uber Race Matrix pads are very good. No complaints here. Contamination is very easy and once oil gets on the pads, it's new pads time and a thorough de-grease of the rotors. I need to invest in some disc cleaner for a quick lazy de-grease
 
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glasgowcyclist

glasgowcyclist

Charming but somewhat feckless
Location
Scotland
Hi @glasgowcyclist I see this is an old thread but I'm in the same boat...have you gone deaf from the noise or did you find a solution?!

Sorry, been away on holiday.

I never did get rid of the noise and I have tried every type of pad going, as well as buying a variety of replacement Shimano discs. The noise goes away for about 7-10 days then creeps back.

I'm currently rebuilding my old Trek 850 to go back to and will probably sell the Raleigh on. It's a pity because the Raleigh is otherwise a fantastic bike but the noise (and expense) is driving me crazy.
 

Dan Ferris

Über Member
Sorry, been away on holiday.

I never did get rid of the noise and I have tried every type of pad going, as well as buying a variety of replacement Shimano discs. The noise goes away for about 7-10 days then creeps back.

I'm currently rebuilding my old Trek 850 to go back to and will probably sell the Raleigh on. It's a pity because the Raleigh is otherwise a fantastic bike but the noise (and expense) is driving me crazy.

Thanks for the response, sorry to hear the fact that you've now moved to a position where you need to sell.
 

busdennis

Veteran
this thread is an interesting read. ive upgraded my CX bike to disc brake and have built a few sets of wheels for spares and tyre combinations. Am i looking at buying a new set of pads to bed in each rotor after sandpapering and degreasing?
 

Widow-maker

New Member
I had disc brakes that wouldn't stop squeaking turned out to be leaking hydraulic fluid from the pistons so small you couldn't see it but enough to make it make a horrendous noise by contaminating the pads with oil
 
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