Squeal with CSS rim and V brakes in front tire

[crazytraveler]

One of our Nomads make a loud and annoying squeal when braking with the front brakes. I cleaned the rim with water and a rag, and put a new pair of pads (Swissstop blue) and it still does the same squeal.

On top of that, when pressing the rear break it makes a quiet squeal as well, but not from the pad/rim, but from the brake lever.

How to fix both squeals?

[Danneaux]

In the Nomad brochure, Andy Blance suggests coating the rim/pads with a slurry of dirt or mud to aid in reducing the CSS/SwissStop squeal.

Best,

Dan.

[crazytraveler]

In the Nomad brochure, Andy Blance suggests coating the rim/pads with a slurry of dirt or mud to aid in reducing the CSS/SwissStop squeal.

Best,

Dan.

It is my girlfriend's bicycle, she is not going to like this solution... 

I will let you know if it works. ;-)

[jags]

did you toe in the pads.try lubing the brake leaver i never heard of this one before.and also few drops of oil (tri flow) on the inside of outer cables .

[Andre Jute]

In the Nomad brochure, Andy Blance suggests coating the rim/pads with a slurry of dirt or mud to aid in reducing the CSS/SwissStop squeal.

Slurry, a technical term in agriculture, is liquidized manure pumped over fields as fertilizer.

Those of us who ride in farms lanes don't suffer from brake squeal! We may smell, but we smell silently.

[Danneaux]

Slurry, known stateside as referring to concrete in its liquid form or a suspension of minerals in water, rather than manure. Slurry, my term and not AndyB's.

His take on it: "A paste of sandy mud, applied to the brake surfaces And some steep hills, will hasten the return to harmony". -- Thorn Raven Nomad brochure, Issue 30, Winter 2013-14, Pg. 6.

All the best,

Dan. (...who thinks the solution is not as bad as it sounds)

[crazytraveler]

did you toe in the pads.try lubing the brake leaver i never heard of this one before.and also few drops of oil (tri flow) on the inside of outer cables .

"Toe in" meaning the right inclination? The front part a bit more inside than the rear one? I think so, I just did it by eye.

Which lube should I put there? I have grease, WD40 and chain oil. But, where?

[crazytraveler]

Slurry, known stateside as referring to concrete in its liquid form or a suspension of minerals in water, rather than manure. Slurry, my term and not AndyB's.

His take on it: "A paste of sandy mud, applied to the brake surfaces And some steep hills, will hasten the return to harmony". -- Thorn Raven Nomad brochure, Issue 30, Winter 2013-14, Pg. 6.

All the best,

Dan. (...who thinks the solution is not as bad as it sounds)

We will do it tomorrow, lot of mud in Slovenia with last week rain. ;-)

[Peejay]

I know this will be controversial.....but.....

Toeing the pads OUT slightly works a treat on my Raven and Sherpa, both fitted with the same SwissStop blue pads. Brakes still work spot on with absolutely no noise.

I've tried toeing in and running them parallel, putting mud on and grinding in - all with no success - they always squeal really loud.

Check your V-brake arms are secure to the bosses with no play - never come across squealing from/through the brake lever.

Pete.

[Andre Jute]

Slurry, known stateside as referring to concrete in its liquid form or a suspension of minerals in water, rather than manure. Slurry, my term and not AndyB's.

His take on it: "A paste of sandy mud, applied to the brake surfaces And some steep hills, will hasten the return to harmony". -- Thorn Raven Nomad brochure, Issue 30, Winter 2013-14, Pg. 6.

All the best,

Dan. (...who thinks the solution is not as bad as it sounds)

Right, I thought it was a linguistic misunderstanding, the English language dividing rather than uniting across the chasm of the Atlantic. Slurry, this side of the Atlantic, would be a grease rather than an abrasive, not quite what you want on your brakes. (Speaking from painful experience!)

[Danneaux]

 

All the best, Andre!

Dan.

[jags]

if you can get TRI FLOW oil its brilliant any moving parts in leavers  and inside of outer cables .
when i had my sherpa the koolstol salmon squeeled like a pig when ever i cleaned rims and blocks.i used to drive the guys in the group nuts, man how i loves those spins made my day  .
never used ceramic rims or pads guess they just need more miles on them.
jags.

[Daniel Beckham]

You may not be able to stop the harmonic squeal you are experiencing as the rim and brake block constantly evolve as they wear and harden. So you could keep chasing it i would have thought. 

I would first try cleaning both surfaces and perhaps take some emery cloth to the block to clean up and slightly roughen the surface as this will have the same effect of using the grit as all ready suggested. You could also use a course cutting compound to try to achieve the same result. Also you may find a different V brake may help this as they will all vibrate at different frequencies. A friend of mine changed his up market V brake (cant remember what he had) to a lead in cheap Shimano one and the problem disappeared.

[anniesboy]

Im think of replacing the worn rims of my tandem with CSS rims.

I have noted this comment on Thorn site regarding these rims.

CSS
stands for carbide super sonic;
tungsten carbide is (apparently) fired at the
rim, in a plasma jet at 5 times the speed of
sound! At this speed of impact, it fuses with
the aluminium. The brake surface is ground
smooth and the rim is ready for a really
long and hard life. There is only one
downside, apart from the extra cost; these
rims, particularly the front, can make the
brakes squeal loudly.
In a short time, this
will diminish and then disappear,
provided you continue to use the
brakes!
I tell you this now, so that you
can decide for yourself whether or not, you
can cope with this noise. Not all the rims
squeal but it is best to assume that yours
will. A paste of sandy mud, applied to the
brake surfaces and some steep hills, will
hasten the return of harmony

[mickeg]

To set toe in, I usually start with the pads flat on the rim.  If they squeal, I then put something thin, perhaps something like a couple business calling cards under the pad at the back and reset the pad.  If it still squeals, I use a couple more business cards, if it still squeals, add a few more cards and reset, etc.  I usually live with a small amount of squeal.  I find that they seem to squeal more on humid or foggy days.

In the Nomad brochure, Andy Blance suggests coating the rim/pads with a slurry of dirt or mud to aid in reducing the CSS/SwissStop squeal.

Best,

Dan.

It is my girlfriend's bicycle, she is not going to like this solution... 

I will let you know if it works. ;-)

It is a Nomad.  Looks best dirty, and faster too, and lighter uphill, ...