Squeaky brakes

Matt631

Hey I'm after some advice regarding my new cube ltd race. It's currently fitted with Shimano BR-M505 hydr. discbrake(180/160mm) and upon reciving the bike the front brake disc squeaks when the brake lever is pulled. Is this normal for new brakes. The back brake works fine and doesn't make a sound. I've only had the bike 4 days and it's only been ridden very litghy indoors to date but the bike has had this problem since day 1. I've called the bike shop and they said that I might have got some grease on the discs, when I explained that it had only been ridden indoors and is in mint condition they said I should take it outside and get some dirt on it and wear them down alittle. Does this sound right?

I'm worried that next time I call back after trying the above they'll blame it on me and the dirt for the squeaky brakes.

What should i do? Does there advice sound correct? I'm fairly handy but this is my first expensive bike so I don't really want to take it apart unless I feel confident I'm not going to damage it or have a pile of pieces I don't know how to put back together.

As a side note the bike shop changed the tyres on this bike for me before I collected the bike and there was quite abit of stray grease lying around on the frame which I cleaned off when i got it home.

Thanks in advance
Matt

Twelly

Brakes squeak sometimes, usually in the wet, but sometimes for no apparent reason! (well, mine do anyway). Unless you feel a drop in actual performance I wouldn't worry about it.

Your LBS was right - you will need to 'bed in' your brake pads. Do this by getting some speed up and brake hard (but smoothly) a few times to get some heat into the brakes. You may find the squeak goes away while you are doing this and the braking should gradually feel tighter and more responsive.

If there is a serious lack in brake performance ie. you can barely stop or you are struggling to lock up the back wheel, you may have contaminated pads, in which case, it's probably best to bin them and get some more (I would charge this to the bike store though as they should supply you with pads in working condition).

And you must have a big house to have been 'riding' it indoors for the last 4 days!

386ka

I think you haven't even bedded in the pads yet. The shop is right, you should use it outdoors, it takes time for the pads to bed in properly. After that, I would not expect any brake squeal.

Also, dirt and water don't affect disc brakes like v-brakes, but don't try to get them dirty on purpose. If the rotors were greased, it would cause this problem.

nicklouse

Have. Read of the squeaky brakes topics in the FAQS.