Squealing brakes - wonky wheel?

SparklingJules

I have had so much trouble with my front brakes (Tektro V-brakes on a Trek 7.1 FX) and I just cannot get them to stop squealing.
I have tried everthing tip I can find on the 'net and in the end I gave up and took it to a shop so they could have a go at it. They worked fine for a while after they'd put new pads on but two weeks down the road they have started squealing again.

One thing I did notice when I was fiddling with the brakes myself was that the front wheel does not sit centrally between the forks. I don't know if this could be a problem with the quick release system? Although I also noticed that the brake arms had been set wonky to compensate for this, i.e. one positioned upright when the brake is *not* on and the other slightly outwards. They must have been set this way by the shop I bought it from so I believe the wheel has never been centred.

Both my wheels probably also need truing and I asked about this when I took it for the service and they said they'd have a look; they still wobble and that really can't be helping.

So is there anything I can do or is my bike screwed?

davis

Your wheel should be central within the forks. Sort that first.
If you want to do a proper job (and you do) then:

Take the tyre and brake arms off, clean the dropouts, hubs, and quick release. Check that the axle doesn't move in the hub,

Measure between the fork and the wheel rim on each side. Spin the wheel and see if it's slightly out of true. Turn the wheel round (as in take it out and rotate it so that the right side is now the left side) and repeat the measuring process. I usually hunt round for a block of wood or something which I stick between the forks and the rim because I struggle to get a consistent measurement with a ruler.

That should be the info you need to determine if your wheel is bent or off-centre.

SparklingJules

Ok, I haven't had a chance to take it completely apart as I need to find the tools, but I did have a quick go at turning the wheel round and it was still off to the same side. Am I right in thinking that it was anything wrong with the wheel it should have swapped sides when I flipped it? If not, then I can go back and take it apart properly.

kurako

The bike shop you took it to doesn't sound very helpful. You should think about taking it somewhere else.

In the meantime make sure the rim and brake pads are clean. Give everything a scrub with warm soapy water. Best to use one of those sponge scourers for the dishes to make sure you loosen all the grime. Don't worry about rubbing hard. The brakes do loads more. When you're done dry everything with kitchen towel.

Make sure the wheel is pushed right into the dropouts. If not it'll definitely sit squint. Check whether the wheel wobbles as it spins. That'd probably be a problem with the wheel. If it seems fairly straight and stays off centre then maybe your forks are bent :?:

davis

First, I second the assessment of your bike shop. This doesn't sound like something you're confident of sorting yourself, so you should probably at least try somewhere else. As a rule, not Evans or Halfords; some of them can be very good indeed, but it's a total lottery as to the staff you get.

Anyway, back to your problem. It's odd, and I'm guessing a bit here. You are measuring between the forks and the wheel rims, correct? You have checked your wheel for trueness, as well?
It sounds like the problem stays with the bike, or at least the forks, rather than the wheel. Make really, really sure that the dropouts are clean and that you're putting the wheel in firmly, and the quick release is tight.
Check the following things are straight: axle (if possible), quick release, and your forks. Check the dropouts are straight/parallel and generally everything's straight and true. If any part looks like it's bent then don't ride it - get it to a bike shop or at least get a picture up here so that the hive mind can give opinions.

phy2sll2

I have the same problem and I think it has more to do with the forks (and stays - I have this problem at both ends!) than the wheel itself as I don't notice any wobble as it spins.

My workaround for the moment is to set the brakes correctly (i.e. both arms same angle and pads at same point on the arms) and then adjust the position of the axle in the drop-outs to get the wheel running right between them (as opposed to dropping them all of the way in as you would probably do intuitively). Tighten up the nuts half a turn at a time making sure the wheel continues to run right and then you should be in business.

More knowledgeable people than I may be able to comment further on the safety of this approach!

Ultimate solution is to avoid getting left hooked by vans and people carriers I suppose!

Vivica

Kurako wrote:

The bike shop you took it to doesn't sound very helpful. You should think about taking it somewhere else.

I find this is increasingly the case - i refuse to go to my local bike shops now unless i can absolutely avoid it.


To the OP - Follow what everybody else has said, give your wheels a Really good clean and see if it makes any difference.