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?

If you are new to bicycle maintenance, one web site you definitely should
check out is Sheldon Brown's.

You probably need to "toe in" the brakes, and this is covered on this page:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ta-o.html
Part of this entry is below:

"Good practice in installing brake shoes is to "toe them in", so that the
front part of the shoe hits the rim first. As the brake arm flexes under
real braking, it will permit the whole surface of the brake shoe to engage
the rim.

"Toeing in of brake shoes can also reduce the annoying squeal some brakes
make when in use."