vibrating, humming, squealing brakes - Hayes Nine

[Elisheva]

Can I tap into the website's bike knowlege? I'm desperate!

I have Hayes Nine brakes and noticed the squealing on descents and some vibration. Went in to my local and had a brake adjustment. Mechanic lightly sanded rotor and pads. Rode bike and more squealing and vibration that went through the frame up to the seat post and saddle that drove me nuts! (Worse after brake adjustment.)

Is there any help from this awful problem without dumping more money? I am becoming a regular at my bike shop with no answer in sight. I am not a happy camper right now and need my bike to ride tonight.

[DBD]

Did the squealing/vibration just start or has it been there for some time and it is now getting worse?

[Elisheva]

Originally Posted by DBD

Did the squealing/vibration just start or has it been there for some time and it is now getting worse?

Been there for some time (long descents) and more recently louder and increased vibration (after brake adjustment)

[cjwally]

I don't know about sanding the rotors. I would only use alcohol to clean the rotors off. I have heard of lightly sanding the pads though. That and aligning the calipers has made a worlds of difference for me in the past....after that the squealing stopped.

[Elisheva]

Originally Posted by cjwally

I don't know about sanding the rotors. I would only use alcohol to clean the rotors off. I have heard of lightly sanding the pads though. That and aligning the calipers has made a worlds of difference for me in the past....after that the squealing stopped.

Did it get worse and worse before you did it? Or consistent same noise level?

[BoingBoing]

Not that this is your problem, but I had a warped rotor that made an awful racket (what with the howling and the vibrations). Anyway, I found that if I braked a little softer the sound wasn't so bad. And if I braked a little harder, ditto.

Not that you should put comfort ahead of safety, but you might play around with your braking pressure until you get the real fix.

My howl seemed to be perfectly dialed in to my braking habits. I think Murphy has a Law about that.

[DBD]

Since it has been there for a while ...

The mounts might need facing, could have a slightly warped rotor if the caliper was not aligned properly or you over heated it on a loooong descent, some bolts on the rotor may be loose, etc etc etc...

Did you/have you tried new pads?

If so was it the same type of pad or did you change compounds?

Did it make a difference?

As for the vibration, that could be from the brakes, the hub, the head set, the stem/bar.
If the vibration is getting worse that would be my first concern and leave the squealing until you fix the vibration. They may be caused by the same problem or not.

Really hard to say over the net.

[Elisheva]

Thanks. Yep. Hard to diagnose over the net but helps me consider other things to suggest to the mechanic. As far as the vibration goes, it's ONLY when I'm braking significantly on downhill; coming to a complete stop. I will mention these things tonight to the shop guy and hopefully get to the Loop by 6:30PM.

You rode Sunday AM? I think you in line behind me on the pavement in one section. Lee was popping a wheelie in front of me.

Originally Posted by DBD

Since it has been there for a while ...

The mounts might need facing, could have a slightly warped rotor if the caliper was not aligned properly or you over heated it on a loooong descent, some bolts on the rotor may be loose, etc etc etc...

Did you/have you tried new pads?

If so was it the same type of pad or did you change compounds?

Did it make a difference?

As for the vibration, that could be from the brakes, the hub, the head set, the stem/bar.
If the vibration is getting worse that would be my first concern and leave the squealing until you fix the vibration. They may be caused by the same problem or not.

Really hard to say over the net.

[Red Hot Sloth]

I'm thinking the same as DBD stated. Are the disc tabs faced, is the rotor warped? Also, what size rotor are you using in the back, I had a frame a few years ago that would do this when I ran 8" rotors on the rear, but as soon as I put a 6" back on there it went away.

[cjwally]

Originally Posted by Elisheva

Did it get worse and worse before you did it? Or consistent same noise level?

As far as I remember, it was consistant. It just happened one day...then I fixed it by doing the above rec.

Good luck!

[Shu]

Originally Posted by Elisheva

Can I tap into the website's bike knowlege? I'm desperate!

I have Hayes Nine brakes and noticed the squealing on descents and some vibration. Went in to my local and had a brake adjustment. Mechanic lightly sanded rotor and pads. Rode bike and more squealing and vibration that went through the frame up to the seat post and saddle that drove me nuts! (Worse after brake adjustment.)

Is there any help from this awful problem without dumping more money? I am becoming a regular at my bike shop with no answer in sight. I am not a happy camper right now and need my bike to ride tonight.

Tooo'
Many
Jokes

I just changed my rotors(apparently I installed one backwards) and am having the same problem...

1st check alignment(check for warped rotor too)
2nd lightly sands pads and rotors
3rd ride(neighborhood) and apply brakes softly and frequently to resaet pads to rotor
4th apply more force....

this worked on mine..it actually took some time...

[guero]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Sloth

I'm thinking the same as DBD stated. Are the disc tabs faced, i....

very good point! my marzocchi tabs were waaaay off and once turnerob faced them on my old z1, and then my am1 the braking performance dramatically changed for the better!

every great once in awhile i have experienced that nasty vibration with my hayes nines, but it is once in a blue moon, so i don't sweat it.

[Shu]

Originally Posted by Red Hot Sloth

I'm thinking the same as DBD stated. Are the disc tabs faced, is the rotor warped? Also, what size rotor are you using in the back, I had a frame a few years ago that would do this when I ran 8" rotors on the rear, but as soon as I put a 6" back on there it went away.

Motts is having this problem w/ his wheels...wheel manfacturer is telling him it's a harmonic balance thing that size rotor has w/ his wheeelset....BUT only on the rear...front doesn't squeal

[new2mtb]

What kind of vibration ? if it is only on hard braking, and it sounds and feels like an ABS of your car (pulsating) then its because your pad is hitting the inner spoke of your rotor. and this is caused by either a mis-aligned caliper, warped rotor or brake pads too soft. If all is good u can try and sand the edge of your pads so the 90 deg part of it won't get stuck on the spokes of the disc, you can make it smoother instead of a sharp angle. Kinda hard to explain but i think you understand what i mean =).

[bighit8]

Have them put a Run out dial on the rotor (they should have one)to check for warpage.Take the caliper of and put a straight edge/level across the mounts to see if they are off.Hope this helps

Originally Posted by new2mtb

What kind of vibration ? if it is only on hard braking, and it sounds and feels like an ABS of your car (pulsating) then its because your pad is hitting the inner spoke of your rotor. and this is caused by either a mis-aligned caliper, warped rotor or brake pads too soft. If all is good u can try and sand the edge of your pads so the 90 deg part of it won't get stuck on the spokes of the disc, you can make it smoother instead of a sharp angle. Kinda hard to explain but i think you understand what i mean =).

I think you mean put a chamfer on the edges of the pad

[Elisheva]

Hey, what can a girl say? Trust me, that much vibration was NOT enjoyable......

PS: I figured one of you males would hit on this opportunity, but I had to describe my problem to get it fixed!

OK. Let's move on and not stay here.....

Originally Posted by Shu

Tooo'
Many
Jokes

I just changed my rotors(apparently I installed one backwards) and am having the same problem...

1st check alignment(check for warped rotor too)
2nd lightly sands pads and rotors
3rd ride(neighborhood) and apply brakes softly and frequently to resaet pads to rotor
4th apply more force....

this worked on mine..it actually took some time...

Originally Posted by bighit8

Have them put a Run out dial on the rotor (they should have one)to check for warpage.Take the caliper of and put a straight edge/level across the mounts to see if they are off.Hope this helps



I think you mean put a chamfer and the edges off the
pad

Thanks Danny!

[G-Ride]

It sounds like a loose or misaligned caliper, or you could even need to bleed it, since you might not have enough pad clearance. Also, have you checked to make sure the rotor is bolted tight? A loose rotor would definitely vibrate. I had a similar problem, and it turned out one pad was dragging on the rotor while the other had no contact, and I couldn't align it after trying several times. Finally, I just bled out all of the fluid and spread the calipers apart before putting more fluid in, then realigned it, and no problem, plenty of clearance. Also did you or the mechanic pump the brakes without the caliper being seated over the rotor? The pads wont retract fully if that happens, which means you might not have enough clearance and may have to bleed them. Have you tried swapping pads/rotor? Brake dust can also cause squealing if not cleaned properly after sanding.

[Elisheva]

Thanks, GRide,

I will mention this, too. I hope the mechanic will still like me when I come with my notes from everyone's suggestions!~.

Originally Posted by G-Ride

It sounds like a loose or misaligned caliper, or you could even need to bleed it, since you might not have enough pad clearance. Also, have you checked to make sure the rotor is bolted tight? A loose rotor would definitely vibrate. I had a similar problem, and it turned out one pad was dragging on the rotor while the other had no contact, and I couldn't align it after trying several times. Finally, I just bled out all of the fluid and spread the calipers apart before putting more fluid in, then realigned it, and no problem, plenty of clearance. Also did you or the mechanic pump the brakes without the caliper being seated over the rotor? The pads wont retract fully if that happens, which means you might not have enough clearance and may have to bleed them. Have you tried swapping pads/rotor? Brake dust can also cause squealing if not cleaned properly after sanding.

[DBD]

Originally Posted by Elisheva

...As far as the vibration goes, it's ONLY when I'm braking significantly on downhill; coming to a complete stop. I...

I would hope yer using both front and rear brakes at these times?

If that is the case your vibration could possibly be coming from the rear and not the front so check both claipers/rotors including the torque on pivot bolts and bushings in the suspension linkage.

As I said, the vibration is what would concern me, hell I have ridden with brakes that sounded like and SantaFe locomotive coming to a sudden stop, great attention getter. Better to stop loudly then not at all

Stuff like this is solved pretty quickly in person and I know yer mech will love you if you ask him to check ALL this stuff. Better walk in with a 6pack for good measure