Loud brakes Giant Trance X 29er Need help!

Hi, I'm a happy owner of a new Giant trance X 29ER 1. It came equipped with Avid Elixer 3's. They work great and all but as many of you already know they are very noisy! What can I do to change this? Different brake pads? I don't plan on changing out my entire brake kit just yet Help please !

 

Do yourself a favor and throw on shimano slx or xt brakes

 

Like I said, I don't plan on upgrading yet. Will different brake pads help?

 

I made the switch to shimano brakes. you can TRY some automotive anti-squeal on the back of the pads, let it dry and reinstall pads. It has worked for me in the passed when I had brake issues. I HAVE a ton of it if you need some, PM me. otherwise, any autoparts store will have it.

 

thanks kevin, I appreciate the offer but I guess i'll just go to my local vato zone and try some out. But here's another question, does the type or model of pad make the noise? Or is it the caliper etc...?

 

you can try resin pads but dont think it will solve your problem, those brakes are horrible

 

Honestly, they both can. All the anti squeal does is cause a buffer between the pad and the piston. it stops the high frequency harmonic vibrations that we hear as a squeal. You might also have glazed pads, but for a few dollars, the anti squeal is a cheap place to start. I still use it on my new shimano brakes just out of habit. Also, check the search engine... there was a few people in here that had the issue and it was resolved by using a ziptie to secure the rear brake line to the frame, again preventing harmonic vibrations.

 

I would try some organic pads. Worked for me.

 

Thanks for all the help fellas! I will try both.

 

Cory at OC Bike Garage, Laguna Hills has some of this stuff and says it works http://squealout.com/

 

Try this first...Make sure that the brake cables are securely attached to the frame. Use tape if you need to eliminate any slop/wiggle.

 

those brakes really arent that bad. Yeah they will get air in them after a while, and need to be bled more than shimano, but they work so you can keep em. I used elixer 1 for half a year and Im 250lb and they held. I remeber when they were knew they made noise but eventually it went away after some breaking in. Also when do they make noise. Ive noticed Ill get some squeaking when it get misty or the rotors get wet?sick bike though

 

Noisy disc brakes have nothing to do with a type or brand of brakes, per se. The first thing to consider is exactly what you're hearing when your brakes make that terrible SQUEEEEAAAL sound. What you're hearing is the pad biting and stopping on the rotor, the releasing, many many many times per second. In other words, the pad ends up sticking and then releasing, thereby sort of skipping on the surface of the rotor. When the frequency of that vibration (the skipping) matches the natural resonance of the rotor, it feeds back on itself, and the result is the squeal that you hear. It's really the same principle as when you wet your finger and rub it along the rim of a wine glass. If you haven't done that, wet your finger and rub it along the top edge of a wine glass. You'll eventually get a similar sound as what you hear when your brakes squeel. It's the same mechanics.

All brakes (on a bicycle) will make some noise at some point. Different atmospheric conditions can cause it. If it's happening all the time, I'd do the following, in this order, eliminating one at a time, and stopping when something fixes the problem;

1. Make sure that all of the bolts holding the rotors and capipers in place are tightened to spec
2. Use acetone to THOROUGHLY clean both sides of the rotor. (I'm assuming the bike is too new to have any glazing on the surface.)
2. Change to a different brand of pads.
3. Swap to a different rotor.

 

I like free solutions first. I was chatting with a friend about how my front pads were contaminated and a Salsa employee at the last Path demo day told me to soak the pads overnight in a solution of water and dishwasher detergent and then scrub them with a wire brush. I was pretty surprised how much stuff was sitting on the top of the pad the next morning. I've only run the bike once and it seems to have solved my problem. I still get a few squeaks being on organic pads, but the Formula guide says it's normal. I told my other friend about my success and she told me a similar solution that involves windex.

There was a guy that fixed some Avid noise that was probably related to some specific resonance frequencies here.

I've also run Avid brakes before and found the Jagwire Redzone to be quieter than the factory sintered pad. I also noticed bleeding the brakes helped, but get the professional bleed kit if you're going to do it.

Formula put out a guide to squeaky brakes that goes through all the possible causes. I can't seem to find the original anymore but someone made a copy on another website.

Disc Brake Noise

Safety Information

Disc brakes are an important safety-related component of your bicycle. Improper installation, set-up, or use of brakes may result in reduced braking power, loss of control of the bicycle, which ultimately could lead to serious injury or even death. Formula strongly recommends that you avoid installing or repairing brakes yourself and that you have a reputable, qualified bicycle mechanic perform the installation/repair for you. If you decide to work on your own brakes, please remember you do so at your own risk. Never touch a brake rotor immediately following use as it can be hot. Wait until the rotor has cooled before adjusting brakes.

This document addresses some of the misconceptions and questions surrounding disc brake noise and discusses its causes and solutions. It is important to note that some noise in any disc brake system is not abnormal. This document will describe some of the more common issues that can cause disc brake noise and detail their potential solutions.

First off, we strongly recommend that you take your bike to a reputable bike shop for brake installation and service with a copy of this information sheet. It is critical for safety and proper function that your Formula Brakes are installed and maintained correctly. Please reference the installation instructions that came with your brakes for proper setup and maintenance information. Some noise, like contaminated pad howl, is easily diagnosed, other noise may be more complicated and require a systematic approach to solve.

1. Rotor rub

Sounds Like: a rhythmic squeak or rubbing noise.
(Note: Some intermittent rotor noise is normal, especially with larger rotors. Rotors rub while cornering or while the frame is under side load due to flex in the frame.)

Causes & Solutions:

Bent rotor – get your rotor checked for straightness/trueness.

Incorrect Wheel Installation – have your mechanic verify that your wheel is seated fully in the dropouts, the QR is tightened to the spec called out by its manufacturer, and that there are no burrs or indentation marks causing the wheel to sit crookedly.

Caliper Alignment – have your mechanic check to see if the caliper is properly adjusted. Be sure to have this performed this after ensuring that the wheel is fully seated in the drop-outs and having the mounting tabs faced for alignment.

2. Contamination

Sounds Like: Honking, loud howl (contaminated pads also cause a loss of braking power in some cases)

Causes:

Grease purging from the hub bearing assembly.

Caliper leaking DOT fluid, (Missing bleed port o-ring).

Fork purging fluid that drips onto either the caliper or rotor.

Touching your rotor with greasy or dirty hands.

Overspray from chain lube application.

Solutions:

If you believe your brakes are contaminated, have your rotor cleaned thoroughly with alcohol or brake cleaner spray. Have the brake pads replaced.
There are many “tricks” to decontaminating your brake pads, in our experience none of them work.

3. Intermittent noise with organic pads

Sounds Like: short honk or a short squeal or chirp

Causes:

Intermittent noise can occur as the system changes temperature during use. The organic pad compound can glaze over due to excessive heat; the glaze is worn off during rotor contact once the pads have cooled. As the glaze is worn thru, the brakes may generate some noise.

Can be exacerbated by the several factors that affect the resonance frequency of your bike (i.e. fork, wheel/hub, and frame choice)

Environmental factors can also play a role (i.e. dust/dirt compound,moisture, and air temperature)

Solutions:

Switch to Formula sintered pads that have can withstand additional temperature.

Move to a larger rotor size.

Note: This noise is considered normal for disc brakes using organic pads.

4. Extreme heat conditions with sintered pads

Sounds Like: loud howl-only under high heat conditions.

Causes:

Under the most extreme heat conditions it is possible to glaze over pads and create a loud howl.

Exceeding the heat capabilities of the pads.

Solutions:

Use larger rotors.

Pump brakes frequently on descents as you would in a car. This is considered good braking procedure and will prevent overheating.

5. Shuddering/chattering

Sounds Like: Different sounds, oscillating turkey gobble is most common.

Causes:

Specific groupings of components

Specific resonance frequencies

Can be exacerbated by bearing looseness and fork/shock bushing play

Solutions:

Have your disc brake tabs faced. A build up of paint on your frame can provide an uneven clamping surface for your disc adaptor.

Have your bike technician ensure all fasteners have been torqued to spec using a properly calibrated torque wrench. Torque specs can be found in the tech section of www.formulabrakeusa.com

If the bolt on the caliper that attaches the banjo was loosened at some point to redirect the direction of the hose, it must be tightened back to the specified torque (12nm). This bolt also holds the caliper halves together and is a critical part of the caliper functioning correctly.

Have your bike technician make sure that your hubs and headset are adjusted properly and that your wheels are properly tensioned.

Adjustments in theses area can have profound effects on the resonance frequencies of your bike.

Have your pivot and bushing torque checked on your full-suspension bike as per manufacturer’s specifications.

 

I have the same brand of brakes too. These brakes make lots of noise when they got hot!!! So I change the the brake pad and made a different now. Go organic

 

I've also taken rotors and lightly sanded with 220 grit, then did the same with the pads. Also make sure you braking techniques are good. Don't just drag your brakes. Pulse them on and off. Thats my $.02

 

I've owned Hayes Stroker Trail and Shimano SLX brakes, and my Elixir 5's are the best brake I've ever owned thus far! Outstanding performance, and zero squeal (using stock pads even)!

Here's what I did: 1. Properly align calipers and torque them to spec. 2. Lightly sand pad surfaces and clean rotors well. 3. Do some hard braking to bed-in the pads properly. 4. Replace the removable plastic brake cable mount near the caliper with a zip tie (tight) and use some electrical tape to attach it to the seatstay if needed.

 

Nice looking bike, XD. You should be able to quiet down the brakes without too much effort. I've been running Avid's for years, and have fixed noise problems on a handful of bikes.

The easiest way to decrease the noise is to go to organic pads. I currently run Kool-Stop pads, which run about $15 a pair from Amazon.

Alligator Wind Cutter rotors also reduce noise. There might be other rotors that do the same, but I like the look of the Wind Cutters. I've found that I can run metallic pads with the Wind Cutter rotors without experiencing excessive noise. They run between $13 and $22 from Pricepoint. I hate to throw in another variable for you to think about, but before throwing down cash on new rotors, you might want to consider whether you'll be happy with that 160mm in the front, over the long term. I would counsel you to go with a 203mm, but that would end up costing you another ten bucks for the adapter.

Your most economical option would be to get the organic pads, clean your existing rotors with alcohol, and see how that works out.

 

Thanks everyone! This forum is great! Lots of solutions mentioned and all are great! I think this will be my course of action:

New organic brake pads
Anti seize on the back of the pads
Try to get my brake lines as close to the frame as possible. Gonna be a little hard though cause the majority of the brake lines run through the frame.

Thanks again! This was more information that I asked for! cheers.

 

I would be interested in going with a bigger rotor, any performance gains with that? And can you provide me a link to that adapter you mentioned?