wrote in message . ..
I bought a cheap bike at WalMart today. It was about $60.
Not being much of an enthusiast, I don't intend to spend
much (if any) more for one, but figured a cheap bike would
get me some excercise and provide the basics that a person
would want from a bicycle. In most respects is seems to do
well enough, but the breaks are ***loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!***!!!!!!. Not
only are they the loudest breaks I've ever heard on a bike,
but they are the loudest breaks I've ever heard on anything!
They are so loud that I won't keep the thing unless they can
be made to shut up. They don't just squeal, they scream with
a whole bunch of different tones going on...to me they sound
like a flock of geese, only a whole lot louder than any geese
could be. If I stopped the bike while going past a house, I feel
sure the people inside would be able to hear it very easily
even if all the doors and windows were closed. Is there a way
to make them shut up?

Probably not . Some brake blocks just seem to shriek. You might
want to have a bike mechanic see if they are properly toed in but you
may have to spend 5-10 dollars and replace the blocks. I had a much
more expensive bike with the same problem and that was the only
solution.

Happy cycling.

John Kane
Perth ON