??? about incredibly loud breaks

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?

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?

It might cost more than the $60 you paid for the bike to put quality brakes
and brake pads on it (assuming it's a mountain bike type), adjustment might
help but there's a reason the bike cost $60.

The two main ways of getting rid of brake noise are
getting rid of free play in the brakes and adjusting them
so that the edge of the brake shoe closest to the front
of the bike contacts the rim first.

Grab a brake shoe and try to move it front to back, is
the brake tight, or is it sloppy? Getting rid of that
slop is the first step, but it may not be possible
with a two dollar brake on a sixty dollar bike.

Mitch.

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:45:16 GMT, wrote in message
:

I bought a cheap bike at WalMart today. It was about $60.

I think I can see the source of the problem here...

For comparison, the brakes on my bike retail at $170. Each.

A set of Kool-Stop Salmon brake pads (a cheap and common solution to
squealing and underperforming brakes) is half the entire price you
paid for your bike.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

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."

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:45:16 GMT, wrote:

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?

One of the reasons -not- to get a Wal-bike is that often they don't have
competent folks assembling them. I'm sure if you took the bike back and
exchanged it, the replacement would have a good chance of having that
particular part installed correctly just by mere coincidence.

Of course don't be surprised if something else 'brakes'! ;-D

You might want to consider this a warning, though, that the fates are
telling you to 'get thee to a real bike shop' and buy something that will
last, typically, with the end of the year sales, at around $200-300 bucks.

-B

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

This is a cross-post reply, so I don't know if anyone has
brought this up in the other replies, but brakes will squeal even on
the best brakes and even when toed-in if they are literally squeaky
clean. As pads break in, they pick up particles of silica from dirt,
and that quiets them down. you can speed up the process by smearing a
little clay-rich (not sandy) mud on their faces. Pottery clay would
probably be ideal, if you can get hold of a little. Some people use
cleanser to get the same effect.


You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.

- Yogi Berra

Badger_South wrote:

On Sat, 09 Oct 2004 06:45:16 GMT, wrote:

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?

One of the reasons -not- to get a Wal-bike is that often they don't have
competent folks assembling them. I'm sure if you took the bike back and
exchanged it, the replacement would have a good chance of having that
particular part installed correctly just by mere coincidence.

Hear! Hear!

A friend bought one last year and about a week later the chain caught
a little in the front der. and wrapped it around the frame. I bust
out laughing when I looked at it - the assembler had padded it with a
piece of cardboard. Apparently this was so it wouldnt scartch the
paint job, but maybe to take up some slack, but it kept the der. from
holding tight.

The repair was 2/3rds the original price - you pays your money and you
takes your chances.


Of course don't be surprised if something else 'brakes'! ;-D

You might want to consider this a warning, though, that the fates are
telling you to 'get thee to a real bike shop' and buy something that will
last, typically, with the end of the year sales, at around $200-300 bucks.

-B

wrote:

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.

Skipping over the OTHER things that might be wrong with it ranging
from the merely annoying to making it a death trap, repairs for things
like this are going to run you more than the price of the bike in the
first year or two (unless you dont ride it).

If you still have the receipt, try to take it back and get a low end
bike from a LBS (Local Bike Shop). Aside from the quality issue,
there is usually a warranty and many (at least in my area) will adjust
it as needed for free. In the long run you /will/ save money.