Squeaking V brake help

[02gf74]

what brand is the bike? I image a small child's bike is 't going to be tricked out with xtr but built to a budget so it maybe a inherent problem with the brakes/rim.

Are the rims steel perchance?

re: toe-in place 5p coin between rim and rear of pad then tighten up.

 

[ishaw]

It's not exactly a budget kids bike, rrp was around £400 i believe, but as you say, it's not exactly tricked out. Rims are alloy, brakes tektro.

 

[02gf74]

hmmm, dunno then - check toe-in is all I can suggest.

 

[ishaw]

I've set the toe in using a thin bit of metal I've used countless times before, it's why this one is baffling me. I'll try without the spring tomorrow and see how that goes.

Cheers for the help thus far.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

V-BRAKES are designed not to have toe in, it part of the long pads.

What do you mean by 'soft' brakes.

Soft feel brakes are the more powerful, easier to use brakes if setup properly. That is for my understanding of what people call soft.

Just give it all a clean and tidy up.

 

[ishaw]

Re: Re:

V-BRAKES are designed not to have toe in, it part of the long pads.

What do you mean by 'soft' brakes.

Soft feel brakes are the more powerful, easier to use brakes if setup properly. That is for my understanding of what people call soft.

Just give it all a clean and tidy up.

Agreed, I don't normally add any toe in on v brakes but after having tried everything else I could think if, I thought it was worth a shot here to see if it helped.

Soft brakes. By this I mean that even when the lever is fully pulled in (after setting up the cables etc), the brakes will not lock the wheel. This is due to the spring inside the noodle compressing when pulling the lever, then uncompressing whilst the lever is still pulled.

I have given it all a very good clean, water with added detergent, bike specific citrus degreaser, new pads, old pads, sanded old and new pads etc. Nothing left in the locker now aside from removing the spring and seeing if that is the cause of all the problems (I suspect it will be having a similar effect as having sloppy linkages, as there will always be a bit of movement at the pads as you can't truly pull the brakes and keep them on if you see what I mean.

 

[ishaw]

Re:

So recleaning everything, removing and refitting, removing the spring thing in the noodle and even sanding the rim have not solved the squeal. There is a little play in the arms so perhaps this is the cause?

I guess I'll be looking for some cheap but good V brake arms. Any suggestions on a good value for money set. It's for a kids bike but they are full size. Annoyingly i recently sold some avids cheaply, always the way.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I've never had any issues with the Shimano Deore V-brake sets that I have on two bikes. I imagine the slightly cheaper Alivio would be fine too.

 

[Minifreak]

Got a set of XT's if any use, £35 posted

 

[ishaw]

Re:

Cheers for the offers, I've plenty of nice V brakes, just overkill for a kids bike, i could fit so.e lovely onza ho V brakes but that would be silly!

Deore might do actually, or something along those lines, need to be black though.