New disc brakes now rubbing on rotors

Coolnick

Until Saturday my new disc brakes were working fine, but then I had a collision with another biker, came off bike and since then one of the rear disc brake pads appears to be rubbing on rotor making a squeaking noise. I guess the pads have mis-aligned due to accident, is this a quick fix or a visit to LBS?

CitizenLee

Is your rear wheel correctly aligned after your collision?

After a little street session the other day my rear wheel was knocked squint which in turn caused the pads to rub the rotor. I got home, lined the wheel up correctly and the brakes were fine again.

Another thing to check is if your rotor itself is straight. Perhaps the collision may have bent it slightly? Take it off and lay it flat on a table to check. It may only be a slight bend, but that could still cause the squeal.

If your wheel is still straight and your rotor isnt bent then maybe your pads are misaligned as you thought.

What brakes do you use?

You should be able to find a service manual on the manufacturers website which will give you an idea if it's a DIY fix or a trip to the LBS. It's not too hard to adjust the pads on most systems though, so I reckon it will be something you can fix at home + it's always good to learn these things yourself anyway.

Coolnick

v helpful advice thanks. I guess it maybe possible that the wheel has moved slightly out of dropout on frame or rotor bent. hopefully not the latter as have to buy a new one. Cheers

CitizenLee

No problem at all. I hope you get it sorted with minimal fuss and cost!

Let us know how you get on.

Lee

marin-east-peak

Could anyone tell me how difficult and how much it would cost me to change from V brakes to disc brakes - both back and front please?

crud_munch

well it depends whether your frame and wheels have disc mounts. the frame normally will do. but wheels will have a section on the left hand of the hub 6 little holes for a rotor attachment. if you havnt got these then disc wheels will need to be bought and then the discs themselves. if you have got these mounts then id recommend a pair of hydraulic discs eg hayes hfx 9 or halfords bikehuts own brand are often some the cheapest but will stilll cost around 100 to 120 pounds to buy.

fitting you can do at home as it is fairly easy once you have connected the rotor to the wheel and the lever to the bars you must connect the caliper to the frame making sure it is aligned very well with the rotor (this is the hardest part) but just be patient and keep trying!

dave_s

In the answer to the first question, sounds like a slight ding/bent rotor.
You could sort it yourself with some practise and an adjustable spanner, but it takes a while to do with small adjustments bending the rotor straight as poss.
Or you could take it to your LBS and see if they can sort it.

For the second one about V-brakes to Disc, if your bike is fairly recent it will probably have disc mounts on the frame. Shimano do ok hydros for around the £100 mark too or if you can stretch to it Avid Juicy 5s would be a good option

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=13512

Mechanical disc brakes are cheaper and would be better than V's now that they've improved the design alot but it's well worth the extra braking power of hydraulic brakes