The MTB THREAD .....*Spring has Sprung, dust production March*

[coiler]

Stick all things mountain biking in here, Strava laps, pics, new purchases, rides, post ride recovery food


3 weeks of riding, stamina improving with each outing...






New chain fitted today, the beautiful Wipperman Connex 900, best quick link in the land





Storm brewing on the trails







Post ride calorie replacement, the chedder deluxe is highly endorsed









Silicone Polish








This is a half mile segment i do each ride, shows how much you can improve in 3 weeks, after 6 months of no cardio

[danroyle]

The mountain bike thread...

Very nice bike mate. Am between bikes at the minute am having a big save in the hope that next year I can get myself a lapierre zesty EI 314

[Chaz]

Ill get a pick of my humble custom hardrock and post back soon ish

[cruciate]

Re: The mountain bike thread...

Any hints on how to stop my Avid disc brakes from squeaking? I've realigned them a few times, but after a while they stop releasing fully and end up providing a bit of fiction and an annoying squeak.

[danroyle]

The mountain bike thread...

Any hints on how to stop my Avid disc brakes from squeaking? I've realigned them a few times, but after a while they stop releasing fully and end up providing a bit of fiction and an annoying squeak.

What pads are you using with them ?

[cruciate]

Re: The mountain bike thread...

At the moment they are the standard pads that came with them. I think they're organic, but can't be certain.

I have spares, superstar kevlar pads, which are supposed to be organic with kevlar threads giving you organic softness with sintered longevity. Probably marketing nonsense, but I bought into it.

Whenever I remove my pads to check them they have plenty of pad still left, so I keep putting them back in.

[luke22]

combine those and you have mine, looking to get some 26/1.5 inch tyres next.

[coiler]

Any hints on how to stop my Avid disc brakes from squeaking? I've realigned them a few times, but after a while they stop releasing fully and end up providing a bit of fiction and an annoying squeak.

you've probably glazed them with a contaminant, oil, grease, etc

Take the wheel out, and use some fine grit sandpaper on the pads to remove the glaze, do the same lightly on the rotors, and also use some isopropyl alcohol spray (great for cleaning cpu's too) to really get the rotors clean again. You'll need to rebed the brakes in again with some hard stops for 20-30 times, but should remove all squeak. If it doesnt work, repeat the above steps but fit new pads, as the old ones may be too contaminated.

Try and shield the brakes when you're oiling chain, or spraying lube around the bike etc.

[msparsons]

The mountain bike thread...

Are they squeaking or screeching? Checked for grit embedded in the pad?

[luke22]

did you use copper grease to fit them?

[coiler]

did you use copper grease to fit them?

I hope not LOL

[cruciate]

Re: The mountain bike thread...

I clean with isopropyl every few weeks and have tried the sanding down.
It *seems* like the calipers are not moving apart fully when I release the lever. It's only a mild squeak, and if I spin the wheels by hand they will freely spin for 2 or 3 turns but with a faint squeal. If I remove the pads the wheel spins for much longer. This makes me sad, as I realise I am wasting effort through friction.
I figure either the calipers are stiff and not opening properly, or the pad spring is under powered and not pushing the calipers back open.
Either that or disc brakes just always provide a little friction and I need to man up and grow a pair.

[luke22]

do yours have one side which can be adjusted by a screw?

only it could be that pad which needs moving away slightly?

@coiler my bike had copper grease on everything after halfords built it xD

i still needed to refit the front derailleur

[cruciate]

Re: The mountain bike thread...

I will go and check. I'm pretty sure I've adjusted most things that can be adjusted.
I've loosened the mounting, gripped the brake lever and re tightened, to try to realign everything.

My next thoughts are, remove the pads and sparingly copper grease the caliper itself.
Change the pad spring.
Change the pads.
Change the whole lot for a non avid set as I remember coiler saying once that avid brakes were a real horror to get aligned properly

[Cypher]

When I fitted the Avid Code's on my DH bike I had the same thing, I'm sure there was one side that could be adjusted manually (the side that was rubbing) so I just backed it off a bit and hey presto. Very important to have evenly adjusted brakes as the discs get bloody hot doing DH, don't want one side of the disc getting substantially hotter than the other or you could warp them like I did on my car discs when my caliper seized

EDIT: AVID brakes are by far the easiest I have ever set up, although mine had the 'tri-align' system, where the caliper is mounted on a dome shaped washer, so you just loosen the the caliper bolts, squeeze the brake lever to square the pads up to the disc and then do the bolts up. That way it's perfectly square every time, and always worked on by bike even though it took an absolute hammering down Aston Hill every weekend.

Added after 2 minutes:

And I know you all love pictures so here is the bike in question...