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I win. It sounds like a herd of seals being chased by a fox hunt.
New XT brakes.
They were fine til they got wet.
Now they howl like you wouldn't believe.
Scuffed pads with 80 grit, cleaned discs and tried different used pads and they are still bloody awful.
The old brakes were fine.
What's the next plan of attack?
Drag the brakes down a really long hill till they are really hot, then wee on them.
No idea if this works.
Sintered or organic pads?
new or old rotors?
did you sand rotors as well?
they squeal in the damp
Just put old brakes on and they squeak as well now.
Must be something on the discs. I've scuffed them with 80 grit and used disc /clutch cleanser.
Is there anything else I can do?
Ear plugs.
You may have a pad & rotor mismatch. I know it sounds nonsensical but it can happen. So if sintered swap for organic & see if the issue goes away, or vice verse.
I'd go with Shimano pads. The sintered xt pads are impressive (bite, longevity & quiet in my experience).
If still noisy get new Shimano rotors.
If still noisy buy a new bike the noise must be beaten!
BMX u-brake, clear pads. I am embarrassed to brake it's so bad.
As for the op, clean, sand (two directions) check for alignment, check for anything loose, ear plugs.
My Elixirs use to squeal like a bastard when they got hot. I fixed this by purchasing some Hopes!
HTH.
Put different rotors on and it seems to be fixed.
When I fitted the brakes I used the marshy method to bleed them.
I must have left some fluid on the calipers and it contaminated the discs.
You may have a pad & rotor mismatch. I know it sounds nonsensical but it can happen.
It took me a while to realise this is what I had on my commuter - the noise is shocking! I'm not changing, though as it works very well for waking up sleepy people who step into the road without looking.
I had a set of Hope C2's, mis-matched with Clarkes rotors. Mounted using DIY Al brackets filed to shape in my shed. When they were dry they squealed like a stuck pig. When they were wet they turned me into a riding god- because they were so loud that I was embarrassed to use them. The Pont Scethin descent back towards Tal y Bont got ridden in double quick time:-)
XTs on my BFe squeal like a piggy at the slightest hint of any moisture or contamination. Sand the pads and disks every so often to temporarily abate the racket...
A little copper slip on the back of the pad.
My brakes howl a bit when cold.
Luckily I live at the top of a hill, so by the time I get to the bottom, after waking the neighbours up, they quiet down significantly.
Unluckily I've got to ride back up the bloody hill when coming home.
The formula C1 brakes on my old stumpy evo were terrible, so bad the rotors were changed under warranty for hope floating ones. They also ate pads - on the Alps the back brake would do a set a day.
In the dry.
The day we did the Passportes I did 2 sets of pads on the back wheel while doing banshee impressions every time I touched the brakes
Had a few chuckles to myself whilst reading this thread. 😃
I win. It sounds like a herd of seals being chased by a fox hunt.
No, I win. I have an old Cannondale hardtail at the back of the shed with XT parallel push rim brakes. Sounds like a pig being raped by an elephant. Nothing else comes close if you want slow moving pedestrians to clear a path.
Rick...Britain.?
Bedded my brakes in this morning doing crash stops and rinsing with water.
Howling like a wolf with his tail caught in the door.
How many people have used copper slip and lived?
Does it actually work?
My Deores are suddenly like feedback at a Spinal Tap gig... Youngest_oab drew a complaint from neighbour last night while riding the bike in our street.
I sanded rotor and discs last week - peace lasted one half ride. Standard shimano rotors, Shimano sintered pads, brakes are 10mths old.
I'm genuinely getting fed up of Shimano brakes, and now saving for some MT4's.
Toxteth O' Grady, USA?
Just went out for a daddy daughter potter and my Deores have changed from decent if a little bitey to squishy, howling and down on power.
Had then just over a year but they won't of done a massive amount of miles either.
Howling disks seems a pretty universal problem.
It's woeful on my mtb. Embarrassed to use the brakes barely states the case even when there's no one else around.
If my drum brakes were a bit lighter, I'd ditch the disks altogether.
I wonder how much it has to do with the wheel fixing (eg QR) and flex of the mounting points.
Do people with through axle wheels have the same problems? - I'm presuming a thicker axle minimises the flex.
My Marin is 15mm and 12mm bolt through axles, still squeal like a stuck pig in sight of a canoe and banjo's.
A little copper slip on the back of the pad.
Works for me.
The breaks on my quad bike have been making so much noise I have been using them to herd the sheep. Works better than a barking dog! I knew they were about worn out and finally got round to changing them today. I reckon I may have had my moneys' worth from this set. And yes, that is at least 1-2mm of the metal part of the pad gone, not just the friction material 🙂 Discs are fine.
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