I am often asked, why didn't I just skip all the earlier steps and go right to end and replace the pads. Because often, one of those earlier steps will solve the problem. (Read through the comments where people commented that the earlier steps worked) In this case they didn't. And in this case, if one of those earlier steps had actually solved the problem, then it would have made a terrible video. Because if there are bunch of problem solving steps to go through, and I only show the first few, then that would help some people, but most people would have been left hanging. Why replace your pads if simply cleaning them would have fixed the noise? But if you want to skip to the last step, go ahead. It's your money to waste. And what do you do if the pads are new and squeal?
The thing about cleaning the rim had me wondering... Can we expect the rim to be clean much of the time when we're actually riding? I'd hope that good pads and adjustment wouldn't squeal at all on dirty rims. So i was kinda skeptical of that tip...
Cleaned and sanded my brake-pads, worked like charm. In the last week I almost died two times because I was too embarrassed to use my "sounds like an animal's dying a painful death" brakes in traffic so you, sir, might have literally saved my life. Cheers.
This video is amazing! I can't believe people wrote "hurr just buy new brakes" The creator of the video obviously just showed us all the possibilities to try, he showed it ON PURPOSE, he did it OOON PURPOSE! Because he's a cool guy
Gabriel Faria it was a good video, but personally I’d rather spend 7 bucks and just replace them then waste my time... I can replace money, but I can’t replace the hours lost especially if I know that replacing them would be the quickest and almost guaranteed way to solve the problem. But that’s just me 🤷🏽♂️ ...Context is important
The alcohol didn't work so I sanded the pads with heavy and the wheel rim with lighter paper and BOOM! squeak gone. Many thanks for taking the time to do the video. Ignore the haters, YT is full of armchair critics with no life.
I was about to buy new pads but I figured Id give it one last shot and sand the rim like you recommend. Mine are pretty worn. I wonder if they make them like car brake pads where they squeal when they Are worn too much.
8 years late to the party, but I really like how you show all the steps to try first and how it may fail. Really helps us to know what to do next in case the first step fails. And honestly, I enjoyed laughing every time it didn't work and telling myself "Lucky I haven't done that yet"
Han Sykes Most times you don't need to buy new pads. But if you want to automatically replace the parts without trying to fix them in other ways, go right ahead.
Took my son's bike it to be fixed, they replaced the brake pads and still it shrieked. They blamed a painted rim. Saw your video, tried the penny tip and fixed! Thank you!
I am often asked, why didn't I just skip all the earlier steps and go right to end and replace the pads. Because often, one of those earlier steps will solve the problem. In this case they didn't. And in this case, if one of those earlier steps had actually solved the problem, then it would have made a terrible video. Because if there are bunch of problem solving steps to go through, and I only show the first few, then that would help some people, but most people would have been left hanging. Why replace your pads if simply cleaning them would have fixed the noise? But if you want to skip to the last step, go ahead.
Is it possible that a brand new bike needs new pads already? This worked for my back brakes just fine but for the front left pad it just doesn't seem to stop squeaking.
I see loads of people giving you shit for buying new breaks at the end, but I was able to solve the same problem with the first step he showed, which saved me money. Thanks RJ.
The 1st step is to get your breaks and rim dirty. If that doesn't solve it, the 2nd step is to make your breaks as smooth as possible. If that doesn't solve it, the 3rd step is to adjust the break pads so they will slightly toe out. If that doesn't solve it, the 4th step is to buy old break pads.
RJ approaches every bike fix like a scientist. He records all the possibilities to arrive at the solution. One of my favorite moments watching his fix is all the struggles he goes through. I sometimes wonder if it´s done on purpose or not but it is the reason I watch his vids. The guy is like super relatable.
Any of these steps can fix the problem. I was lucky that one of the earlier steps didn't fix this particular problem, because then the video would have been incomplete. If the first thing had fixed it and I presented it as THE solution, it wouldn't have worked for most people.
OMG, thought I'd never get rid of terrible front and rear V-brake squealing. Then I found your video. Started at the beginning and worked my way through the excellent methodology. One wheel was resolved without pad replacement, the other was not. Thanks RJ for bailing me out again!
Love it how you show all the failed attempts as well! When people stare at me angry at the brake squeal, I just say to them "I must oil those brakes sometime." The looks I get are priceless. Some take me seriously and try to argue against it !
i like my brake squeal, because people hear me coming, its like a safety feature when you are biking and people just move out of the way, but if i do get tired of the noise i know how to fix it , thanks for showing how many ways to stop the squeal!!
Thanks for the video. I tried all your suggestions at once instead of doing trial and error like you did. I Cleaned the brake bads and the whell with alchool, sanded the brake pads, I even lightly sanded the wheels with 400 sandpaper then put back the brake pads with a slight angle. It fixed the problem without having to change the brake pads.
Thank you so much! My bike lately has been screeching incredibly loudly and it makes everyone around me, as well as myself, cringe. I am looking foreword to fixing the problem, so thank you a lot! I am suggesting your channel to my family. We have a lot of people, which means a lot of bikes, and a lot of broken bikes too. I'm glad that now we can fix some of these problems ourselves.
Not everyone is made to fix stuff. Clearly RJ did a great job of showing that the steps to resolve a really common issue are very very simple. Wiping with rubbing alcohol, loosening a single bolt ... if that is 'too much' then just know you will be giving lots of good money to a bike mechanic if you plan on riding. I would say if you tinker with your bike just a bit ... they really are easy to work on (with a bit of patience of course!)
Hi RJ you had some really good tips to stop loud squealing screeching bike brakes but none of your tips helped stop the front pads of squealing, and considering my bike was brand new it didn't make sense I would have to replace the pads. So as a last resort I swapped out the pads, putting the left onto the right side, and the right onto the left, and voila no more squealing. Now I'm a happy cyclist. Take RJ
Just put on headphones. The city will hear it but at least you don’t. What’s worse? Embarrassing squeaking pads or crashing into a pole/person/car/train/tree.
Actually today I had a minor crash because of the embarrassing squeaking front brakes so I had to hit the back brakes on a wet road... the annoying part is that these front brakes are brand new and I had cleaned the rim surface with alcohol
Thanks for this great video! My husband and I just bought new bikes and his brakes squeaked horribly when we unloaded them from our car. Didn’t even have to apply brakes. I’m still a do it yourselfer, even though I’m pushing 60, so we set about making it stop. We got it to stop when just rolling but found that it still had brake squeak. The Owner’s manual on his bike was horrible, but on my Schwen it was pretty good. It let me know the brakes needed the toe in. I have no experience with brakes, so the book was not enough. I searched You Tube and yours was the first in line. I watched until the toe in part came up, followed each step and was thrilled when the squeak was gone!
Hi RJ - Hubbinator and I just saved ourselves a major headache of having to bring bike to the bike store by using STEP ONE of your advice. A simple clean with alcohol of the sides of the wheels did the trick. Thank you SO MUCH for posting this video. I can't even tell you how much I appreciate it.
This guys needs an award. I go on a bit my self... and its torture for people! I loved this video, detailed and given solution. Keep up the good work, many thanks.
bro thank you so much. the coin trick was the one that stopped the squealing sound for me. after like 1 1/2 years of squealing brakes the torture has finally stopped. I can’t thank you enough
Alex Ferraro, that's like saying if your car is making a noise, buy a new car. Any of those steps might fix the problem. If it doesn't, you try the next thing.
Dude - after watching loads of crappy videos explaining just the first couple of steps, and having my daughter whining about her squeaking brakes, your video saved me! Thanks RJ!
Thanks! This worked perfect for me. I didn't replace my brakes, i have an old bike so what i did was lightly sanded down the rim and then sand down the brakes until there was no shine, i then cleaned both rim and brakes and while adding back the brakes i made sure to toe in the brakes, and boom! No more noise! I used to had noise on both back and front wheels and i couldnt get them to stop making noise until I watch your video. It was very helpful.
Thanks a lot. I got it to stop at Step one! I didnt use rubbing alcohol, i just used a wash&wax, sprayed the rim and cleaned it with a micofibre rag and the sound was gone!. I still did the toe procedure with the penny just for back up.
Thanks for the video! Instead of sanding the brakes, I used a rough file to remove the top brake layer. I still did the alcohol rubbing too and readjusted using the penny method. No more squeaks!
Mine was remedied after riding a few miles under heavy rain; however, I missed having people & cars getting out of the way without ringing bell. So, I hope next time he covers how one can get the squealing back!
Toe-out and having the front hit high (outside of rim) and the back hit low (inside of rim) is what cured my Spark electric assist bike. So try any different angle and see what works. In my case, toeing-in made it go from terrible to horrendous!
Going to try this when I get home. Was able to use my last break pads until They were all they were worn all the way down. Thanks for working through them all!
@@jamalsyed7386 I needed to adjust the brakes. The trick he did with the penny (no pennies in Canada, so I use a nickel) was perfect. It gave me the best spacing. Then, VOILA! No more screeching. I am so glad that I didn't just buy new break pads... that would have been necessary and a waste of money.
This video is brilliant. A few weeks ago, I went to a workshop on brakes so know that mine are fine and in good condition (fairly new bike). Earlier today my brakes started squeaking and I knew it couldn’t be that they were worn so I watched your video and cleaned the rim (I really did not want to take off the wheel to get to the brakes unless I really had too). Just cleaning the rim solved the problem! And in the brake workshop I learnt how to change the brakes but nothing was said about cleaning the rim and brakes. Really happy with this video!!!
THANKS! I have a cheap Giant sport hybrid bike that I got a few years ago after having not ridden for almost 20 years, and it's an okay bike but from the day I got it the front brake has done nothing but squeal. Just like yours did in the video. And I raised hell at the bike shop and I'm sure the last thing they wanted to deal with was some ranting/raving guy who bought a $350 bike and then wanted Rolls Royce service afterwards. So they agreed to swap in some better pads and I was on my way. Then I got a Cannondale aluminum bike, then a carbon fiber bike, and pretty much forgot about the Giant sport hybrid. Until yesterday, when I rode it and damn if that squealing wasn't back. I had had it and figured I'd just get new V brakes and be done with it. But I saw your video and thought maybe I only needed new pads, not new brakes. So I went out to see what kind of pads were on the bike. It turns out they are threaded with no backing, and they're Kool Stop pads. So just for the heck of it I got out some degreaser/cleaner, a rag, and some sand paper, and cleaned the rims and sanded the pads. I put the wheel back on, and whaddayaknow. NO MORE SQUEALING! So thanks a lot! You saved me time and money. I appreciate your video.
Excellent video! I have newer brakes, but bike was unused except for trainer rack for too long. It took all the suggestions until sanding the pads - and success! Now I need a bell to announce my presence!😁
If I were going through these attempts, each test fail would be followed by "Son of a b----!" Great information, though -- I'm going to give each of these a shot. Thanks for posting!
Thank you so much for this video, it really helped me today! My brakes have squeaking really badly lately; I tried your cleaning trick first to no avail, but the sanding worked a treat! Thanks again!
RJ The Bike Guy In UK there's no such thing as alcohol for first aid. They use some stupid mixed sprays... You can't buy this stuff in Pharmacy (H&S regulations!!!) However, you can buy white spirit in DiY stores.
Nikolai Siurdyna Not sure what white spirit is. I did a search and found that rubbing alcohol is called "surgical spirit" in the UK. I don't know what the availability is, but it sounds like some people were able to find it in stores.
all those are legit methods,kinda.(they are the most official but lifehacks have taught us that that doesnt make it the best).cleaning and sanding are time consuming,and doesnt always work.towing the pads requires your rims to be perfectly true in order to get a decent squeeze without the lever hitting the the handlebar before starting to break,and it doesnt always work.the fastest,easiest and most effective method is to ride the bike while squeezing the brake tight enough to where its making contact(only the brake thats squeeking) but u can still move if u pedal hard and just power thru it.i ussually only have to ride about 50 feet before it works but it almost always works.(im a pro bike mechanic btw and i endorse this cheat)
You fricken rock! I had a new rim put on and the back brakes squealed like a stuck pig, brought it back to bike shop twice and they said nothing they could do about it. I used a penny like you suggested and now no squeal. Thank you so much.
floopy312 Lmao - pretty sure everybody had this thought at the end of the video. Good points though to try some easy solutions to fix the brake pads yourself.
Many times one of the earlier steps will solve the problem. If I had shot a video and only got a step or two in and solved the problem, it would have been a lousy and incomplete video.
Had a brand new bike, and was lubing up parts and couldn’t get rid of the squeak. Even with cleaning using alcohol! But the penny method worked, and makes complete sense! Thanks!
it's all about trial and error. in the end, the problem was the pads themselves. But for many other people that watched this video the steps before that fixed their problem (as shown by the comments) so they didn't have to buy new pads.
+kalok Dong Because often new brake pads aren't needed. Why spend money on new pads when adjusting them will fix the problem? Do you like wasting money?
Sometimes cleaning the pads fixes the problem. Often I can adjust the pads and fix the squealing. But not always. If in this video, cleaning or adjusting had fixed the problem like they often do, how useful would the video have been to people when those steps don't fix the problem?
Thank you! I had a brand new bike with front brakes that squealed horribly. Step #1 did the trick. I have no idea what I actually wiped off since my rims were new and gleaming, but it worked!
Thanks for all the different steps. I will try at least the first one tomorrow and hope it works. At least in isolation I finally have time to figure stuff like this out. Ordinarily I bring my bike to the shop for this kind of thing.
Thank you for showing a few steps we can take. I have a bike that I just finished putting together, and everything is perfect except for the shrieking brakes, especially on the front. I tried everything including multiple sets of pads, and I think the painted wheels are ultimately to blame. They look hella cool and the thing has incredible stopping power, but that sound is beyond passable haha. I will not be painting wheels again unless I can fully mask off the side surface. Really wish I'd thought about that when doing this project.
Thanks for the video - the adjustment with the penny worked! That's great. I had to go up and down the hill on my bike just for the thrill of hearing nothing.
My daughter's bike was making the same terrible noise. I followed the steps, clean the wheel, sand the pads, adjusted the angle with a penny - NO MORE SQUEAK! Thanks! :)
Thanks Bike Guy, I will give these steps a try. Odd that it had never occurred to me to clean off the wheel rim or the pads themselves. One thing I would add to this video is an expletive every time you hear the squeal.
Thank you so much! Did the cleaning, didn't work. Did the sanding, didn't work. Toed the brake pads in, Bingo! Presto! Work like a charm. Thanks again.
This video is helpful. Although the first 2 steps didn't help in my case, the third step did fix my problem. I think if the first step doesn't help you, go right to the third step as the second step is more work. But great video! Thank you.
I am often asked, why didn't I just skip all the earlier steps and go right to end and replace the pads. Because often, one of those earlier steps will solve the problem. (Read through the comments where people commented that the earlier steps worked) In this case they didn't. And in this case, if one of those earlier steps had actually solved the problem, then it would have made a terrible video. Because if there are bunch of problem solving steps to go through, and I only show the first few, then that would help some people, but most people would have been left hanging. Why replace your pads if simply cleaning them would have fixed the noise? But if you want to skip to the last step, go ahead. It's your money to waste. And what do you do if the pads are new and squeal?
The video is perfect like that with the first steps.
Thank you man!
The thing about cleaning the rim had me wondering... Can we expect the rim to be clean much of the time when we're actually riding? I'd hope that good pads and adjustment wouldn't squeal at all on dirty rims. So i was kinda skeptical of that tip...
My brother does too
The video was perfect. Your approach to problem solving is obviously more logical than those other people. Thanks!
thanks! my bike doesnt screech now
I use my squealing brakes as a horn to get people out of the way. It works...
Me too!
Im in tears 😂😂
Same
Bro you are same
@Nomore Illegals please ur right.... Same here...
I had the same problem and solved it by wearing earplugs.
haha
if you have a neighbor you hate just go like 30 past their house and then brake really hard
lol
hahaha
LOLOLOL
Cleaned and sanded my brake-pads, worked like charm. In the last week I almost died two times because I was too embarrassed to use my "sounds like an animal's dying a painful death" brakes in traffic so you, sir, might have literally saved my life. Cheers.
Damn bro did you die
I do break, but I can just feel everybody's eyes on me 😂
The anxiety is insane haha.
@@TrueNomadSkies lmaoo yes but it gets them out the way
I cant tell you how much i can relate
I cringe everytime my brakes make this sound
I love it lol
Yeah i say "Shut up will you"
@@noonehere4332 i hate i feel like the whole neighborhood just starts looking at my bike and especially on late night rides
@@aal7268 smar man I hate it so much it's embarrassing
My bike breaks are sooo fucking loud i got stopped by a cop cause they thought i ran over a dog.
+Alex M How do I make my brakes loud like that?????
+JoJo Rodriguez run over dogs
+Alex M lmao ok ig 😂
+Salim Al-Jabry lel'd
+Alex M HA!
This video is amazing! I can't believe people wrote "hurr just buy new brakes"
The creator of the video obviously just showed us all the possibilities to try, he showed it ON PURPOSE, he did it OOON PURPOSE! Because he's a cool guy
Gabriel Faria it was a good video, but personally
I’d rather spend 7 bucks and just replace them then waste my time... I can replace money, but I can’t replace the hours lost especially if I know that replacing them would be the quickest and almost guaranteed way to solve the problem.
But that’s just me 🤷🏽♂️
...Context is important
Agreed, this video helped me solve the problem!
Exactly because hes trying to save people money
@@raoulbsantiago80 even new brakes squeak if you don’t adjust them with the toe in.
@@raoulbsantiago80 hours? Bro you good?
Cleaning the rims with alcohol and a rag worked right away!! Gave me an ego boost to do it myself and saved me money too. Thx so much.🌻😁👍
Haha
The alcohol didn't work so I sanded the pads with heavy and the wheel rim with lighter paper and BOOM! squeak gone. Many thanks for taking the time to do the video. Ignore the haters, YT is full of armchair critics with no life.
I was about to buy new pads but I figured Id give it one last shot and sand the rim like you recommend. Mine are pretty worn. I wonder if they make them like car brake pads where they squeal when they Are worn too much.
@@EVO1087R No. Car pads may squeal even when new.
8 years late to the party, but I really like how you show all the steps to try first and how it may fail. Really helps us to know what to do next in case the first step fails. And honestly, I enjoyed laughing every time it didn't work and telling myself "Lucky I haven't done that yet"
Ya gotta respect a guy who doesn't give up! Thanks for the video. I see these steps in my future. My best to you.
If there still squeaking... "go ahead and install new brake pads!" 😂😂😂
Only if the other steps fail.
Of course, it was just really funny when you said that. Gotta do it to my wife's brand new Schwinn beach cruiser... 😢
@@RJTheBikeGuy I bought new shimano brake pads today hopping for the better .... and is the same . I try tomorrow the trick with the coin .
I was thinking the same thing
Damn I guess I need new breaks
Really liked that you showed all the steps that we can do before buying new brake pads, very informative!
Han Sykes Most times you don't need to buy new pads. But if you want to automatically replace the parts without trying to fix them in other ways, go right ahead.
Took my son's bike it to be fixed, they replaced the brake pads and still it shrieked. They blamed a painted rim. Saw your video, tried the penny tip and fixed! Thank you!
For me, they also blamed the rim (haven't tried any of the steps to see if they were right)
I am often asked, why didn't I just skip all the earlier steps and go right to end and replace the pads. Because often, one of those earlier steps will solve the problem. In this case they didn't. And in this case, if one of those earlier steps had actually solved the problem, then it would have made a terrible video. Because if there are bunch of problem solving steps to go through, and I only show the first few, then that would help some people, but most people would have been left hanging. Why replace your pads if simply cleaning them would have fixed the noise? But if you want to skip to the last step, go ahead.
el verdugo Pr How did you put the cloth on it?
Is it possible that a brand new bike needs new pads already? This worked for my back brakes just fine but for the front left pad it just doesn't seem to stop squeaking.
Why did the old pads squeal? What was it about the new ones that didn't cause them to squeal? Just cheap quality?
Thats the thing i was going to tell
Well said keep up the good work THANK-YOU!!!
I see loads of people giving you shit for buying new breaks at the end, but I was able to solve the same problem with the first step he showed, which saved me money. Thanks RJ.
It’s BRAKES BRAKES BRAKES. not breaks. PLEASE😀
Is there any tutorial on how to make your brakes squeal louder???
Use a pig as a brake pad
The 1st step is to get your breaks and rim dirty.
If that doesn't solve it, the 2nd step is to make your breaks as smooth as possible.
If that doesn't solve it, the 3rd step is to adjust the break pads so they will slightly toe out.
If that doesn't solve it, the 4th step is to buy old break pads.
@@ramon_rcg 5th step "but why?"
Yes. Pour cola on it and let it dry. You'll also have ants all over it
RJ approaches every bike fix like a scientist. He records all the possibilities to arrive at the solution. One of my favorite moments watching his fix is all the struggles he goes through. I sometimes wonder if it´s done on purpose or not but it is the reason I watch his vids. The guy is like super relatable.
Any of these steps can fix the problem. I was lucky that one of the earlier steps didn't fix this particular problem, because then the video would have been incomplete. If the first thing had fixed it and I presented it as THE solution, it wouldn't have worked for most people.
OMG, thought I'd never get rid of terrible front and rear V-brake squealing. Then I found your video. Started at the beginning and worked my way through the excellent methodology. One wheel was resolved without pad replacement, the other was not. Thanks RJ for bailing me out again!
And if that doesn't work buy new wheels. And if that doesn't work buy a new bike, and give the bike to someone you don't like.
or just buy disc brakes
😄😄👍
@@eur0is discs squeal too lol
@@Lunarpollo5622 lol
Thanks Eminem
Love it how you show all the failed attempts as well!
When people stare at me angry at the brake squeal, I just say to them "I must oil those brakes sometime."
The looks I get are priceless. Some take me seriously and try to argue against it !
The above said, I just cleaned the rims with a dilute solution of dishwashing liquid and it totally worked !
I showed the various fixes. Any of them may work. Or not.
Excellent lesson. Just tried it myself- turns out cleaning the tire rim and brake pads stopped the squealing noise. Thanks very much!
I use a dime instead of a penny to adjust the brakes cause I'm a big spender.
BTW great video.
Jaiven nice
i like my brake squeal, because people hear me coming, its like a safety feature when you are biking and people just move out of the way, but if i do get tired of the noise i know how to fix it , thanks for showing how many ways to stop the squeal!!
I feel like a train
Thanks for the video. I tried all your suggestions at once instead of doing trial and error like you did. I Cleaned the brake bads and the whell with alchool, sanded the brake pads, I even lightly sanded the wheels with 400 sandpaper then put back the brake pads with a slight angle.
It fixed the problem without having to change the brake pads.
Thank you so much! My bike lately has been screeching incredibly loudly and it makes everyone around me, as well as myself, cringe. I am looking foreword to fixing the problem, so thank you a lot! I am suggesting your channel to my family. We have a lot of people, which means a lot of bikes, and a lot of broken bikes too. I'm glad that now we can fix some of these problems ourselves.
Why am I watching this? I have an important teast tommorow and my bike is functioning properly.
Is your test spelling if so you'll fail
It's in dutch.
Is your test punctuation? If so, you'll win.
Sim0ndutch toast*
Sim0ndutch did you pass
I lost all hope by step 2
@@abellawarda2458 how
Just find and use the right tools
Just get new brake pads only like 7 bucks
Not everyone is made to fix stuff. Clearly RJ did a great job of showing that the steps to resolve a really common issue are very very simple. Wiping with rubbing alcohol, loosening a single bolt ... if that is 'too much' then just know you will be giving lots of good money to a bike mechanic if you plan on riding. I would say if you tinker with your bike just a bit ... they really are easy to work on (with a bit of patience of course!)
Imagine if the brakes squealed even after installing new pads 😂
Time to throw the bike
That is possible if the new pads are defective, but it would still be worth a few laughs LOL
This happens to me everytime omg it's so annoying
LMAO.. Ya.. Then time to buy a new freaking RIM. Sanding the rim with a lighter grade sandpaper is supposed to help to
Adjust the toe in ....front of pad should be closer to rim than the back side he mentions it in the video
Hi RJ you had some really good tips to stop loud squealing screeching bike brakes but none of your tips helped stop the front pads of squealing, and considering my bike was brand new it didn't make sense I would have to replace the pads. So as a last resort I swapped out the pads, putting the left onto the right side, and the right onto the left, and voila no more squealing. Now I'm a happy cyclist. Take RJ
Just put on headphones. The city will hear it but at least you don’t. What’s worse? Embarrassing squeaking pads or crashing into a pole/person/car/train/tree.
Actually today I had a minor crash because of the embarrassing squeaking front brakes so I had to hit the back brakes on a wet road... the annoying part is that these front brakes are brand new and I had cleaned the rim surface with alcohol
How you gonna hear a car if you’re wearing headphones
@@alroyp10 i do it all the time just be aware of your surroundings really
Thanks for this great video! My husband and I just bought new bikes and his brakes squeaked horribly when we unloaded them from our car. Didn’t even have to apply brakes. I’m still a do it yourselfer, even though I’m pushing 60, so we set about making it stop. We got it to stop when just rolling but found that it still had brake squeak. The Owner’s manual on his bike was horrible, but on my Schwen it was pretty good. It let me know the brakes needed the toe in. I have no experience with brakes, so the book was not enough. I searched You Tube and yours was the first in line. I watched until the toe in part came up, followed each step and was thrilled when the squeak was gone!
You sir, are a saint for going through all the problems that could be causing the squeal.
I had to go so far as to rough up the pads with sandpaper to fix my squeal. You saved me a trip to Walmart for brake pads I didn't need; thanks!
Hi RJ - Hubbinator and I just saved ourselves a major headache of having to bring bike to the bike store by using STEP ONE of your advice. A simple clean with alcohol of the sides of the wheels did the trick.
Thank you SO MUCH for posting this video.
I can't even tell you how much I appreciate it.
EXCELLENT...I like the fact that you continued trying even though it didn't work at first...
I cleaned the rims and did the penny adjustment and the terrible noise was gone.
Thanks for the video. 👍
Thanks for this - was about to go and buy some new pads, but gave the rims a clean after seeing this vid, squealing cured.Legend.
This guys needs an award. I go on a bit my self... and its torture for people! I loved this video, detailed and given solution. Keep up the good work, many thanks.
bro thank you so much. the coin trick was the one that stopped the squealing sound for me. after like 1 1/2 years of squealing brakes the torture has finally stopped. I can’t thank you enough
Very helpful -- thanks! (Though by 4:10, I was half-expecting to hear, "Oh heck -- turns out it was my rear brakes, all along!") ;-)
Alex Ferraro, that's like saying if your car is making a noise, buy a new car. Any of those steps might fix the problem. If it doesn't, you try the next thing.
Well thx man the penny fixed it I'm so happy
Can you use hot soapy water on the bike rim too
Can't hurt to try.
RJ The Bike Guy buying a new bike also fixes the squeaking lol
Omg it was a joke XD
Dude - after watching loads of crappy videos explaining just the first couple of steps, and having my daughter whining about her squeaking brakes, your video saved me! Thanks RJ!
Thanks! This worked perfect for me. I didn't replace my brakes, i have an old bike so what i did was lightly sanded down the rim and then sand down the brakes until there was no shine, i then cleaned both rim and brakes and while adding back the brakes i made sure to toe in the brakes, and boom! No more noise! I used to had noise on both back and front wheels and i couldnt get them to stop making noise until I watch your video. It was very helpful.
Thanks a lot. I got it to stop at Step one! I didnt use rubbing alcohol, i just used a wash&wax, sprayed the rim and cleaned it with a micofibre rag and the sound was gone!. I still did the toe procedure with the penny just for back up.
I was going to try to fix my squealing brakes. But I realize they are a really good safety feature. People hear me coming!
I call mine "brake-horns"
Learned three different solutions in the first three minutes! I subscribed right away! Keep up the good work RJ The Bike Guy! Gotham needs you!
Thanks for the video! Instead of sanding the brakes, I used a rough file to remove the top brake layer. I still did the alcohol rubbing too and readjusted using the penny method. No more squeaks!
I’m so happy I wasn’t the only one...😭 UA-cam and google really does have almost everything you need 😭😂
Mine was remedied after riding a few miles under heavy rain; however, I missed having people & cars getting out of the way without ringing bell. So, I hope next time he covers how one can get the squealing back!
Hahaa... guess the rain cleaned everything off. Nice. Maybe I'll spray my kid with the hose while he drives by a bunch of times. 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you so much. This proves how simple solutions can be , no matter how tough the problems are. Worked like a charm. Thanks a lot!
Just bought a bike for cheap and haven't ridden in 18 years! Thanks for the simple, to the point video!
Toe-out and having the front hit high (outside of rim) and the back hit low (inside of rim) is what cured my Spark electric assist bike. So try any different angle and see what works. In my case, toeing-in made it go from terrible to horrendous!
Rubbing alcohol on the rim surface worked for me! Thank you, sir :D
Going to try this when I get home. Was able to use my last break pads until
They were all they were worn all the way down. Thanks for working through them all!
Thank you my friend. This problem has been driving me up the wall and I am now looking forward to a quiet ride.
During the pandemic I really wanted to keep in shape and ride my bike. The squeaking was unbearable. Thanks for your help! My bike works well now.
So which step solved your noisy brake problem ?
@@jamalsyed7386 I needed to adjust the brakes. The trick he did with the penny (no pennies in Canada, so I use a nickel) was perfect. It gave me the best spacing. Then, VOILA! No more screeching. I am so glad that I didn't just buy new break pads... that would have been necessary and a waste of money.
Great !! I'm done with steps 1 and 2. Cleaning the rim and brake pads. Definite improvement but still noisy. I'll try the penny step now.
Done, done, on to the next step, done and I'm done and I'm on to the next!
Waaait dont let it go to waste
@@roni6135 Incidentally I'm just getting back into bikes at the moment, rollers to be precise.
This video is brilliant. A few weeks ago, I went to a workshop on brakes so know that mine are fine and in good condition (fairly new bike). Earlier today my brakes started squeaking and I knew it couldn’t be that they were worn so I watched your video and cleaned the rim (I really did not want to take off the wheel to get to the brakes unless I really had too). Just cleaning the rim solved the problem! And in the brake workshop I learnt how to change the brakes but nothing was said about cleaning the rim and brakes. Really happy with this video!!!
I loved the thoroughness of this video. I found that the PENNY toe in adjustment fixed my brake squealing.
THANKS! I have a cheap Giant sport hybrid bike that I got a few years ago after having not ridden for almost 20 years, and it's an okay bike but from the day I got it the front brake has done nothing but squeal. Just like yours did in the video. And I raised hell at the bike shop and I'm sure the last thing they wanted to deal with was some ranting/raving guy who bought a $350 bike and then wanted Rolls Royce service afterwards. So they agreed to swap in some better pads and I was on my way.
Then I got a Cannondale aluminum bike, then a carbon fiber bike, and pretty much forgot about the Giant sport hybrid. Until yesterday, when I rode it and damn if that squealing wasn't back. I had had it and figured I'd just get new V brakes and be done with it. But I saw your video and thought maybe I only needed new pads, not new brakes. So I went out to see what kind of pads were on the bike. It turns out they are threaded with no backing, and they're Kool Stop pads.
So just for the heck of it I got out some degreaser/cleaner, a rag, and some sand paper, and cleaned the rims and sanded the pads. I put the wheel back on, and whaddayaknow. NO MORE SQUEALING! So thanks a lot! You saved me time and money. I appreciate your video.
You had to mention your other bikes didn't you. Nobody cares
My break is the same thing it even louder I usually ride in the muddy trail it makes no noise it works trust me
I tried the alcohol method and OMG though I did not expect it to work, it totally did! Easy and fuss free! Thank you
Excellent video! I have newer brakes, but bike was unused except for trainer rack for too long. It took all the suggestions until sanding the pads - and success! Now I need a bell to announce my presence!😁
If I were going through these attempts, each test fail would be followed by "Son of a b----!" Great information, though -- I'm going to give each of these a shot. Thanks for posting!
If it's a new bike you have just keep using them to wear them down a little
Thanks
I have this problem with my new bike how much time do you think this would take
@@lilchwana5236 same, i would like to know also
how long will it take?
Thank you so much for this video, it really helped me today! My brakes have squeaking really badly lately; I tried your cleaning trick first to no avail, but the sanding worked a treat! Thanks again!
Thank you! Did all the steps to clean my front and back breaks. Didn't take long and no more squeaks.
we don't have Alcohol in Saudi Arabia
any other suggestions ?
You don't have alcohol for first aid stuff? That is what this is. Maybe a little paint thinner? Though that is a lot stronger.
RJ The Bike Guy In UK there's no such thing as alcohol for first aid.
They use some stupid mixed sprays...
You can't buy this stuff in Pharmacy (H&S regulations!!!)
However, you can buy white spirit in DiY stores.
Nikolai Siurdyna Not sure what white spirit is. I did a search and found that rubbing alcohol is called "surgical spirit" in the UK. I don't know what the availability is, but it sounds like some people were able to find it in stores.
Thanks, I'll do some "over the counter" research.
next guy will be like: "we don't have roads in antarctic"
all those are legit methods,kinda.(they are the most official but lifehacks have taught us that that doesnt make it the best).cleaning and sanding are time consuming,and doesnt always work.towing the pads requires your rims to be perfectly true in order to get a decent squeeze without the lever hitting the the handlebar before starting to break,and it doesnt always work.the fastest,easiest and most effective method is to ride the bike while squeezing the brake tight enough to where its making contact(only the brake thats squeeking) but u can still move if u pedal hard and just power thru it.i ussually only have to ride about 50 feet before it works but it almost always works.(im a pro bike mechanic btw and i endorse this cheat)
So how do you think your method solves the problem exactly?
You fricken rock! I had a new rim put on and the back brakes squealed like a stuck pig, brought it back to bike shop twice and they said nothing they could do about it. I used a penny like you suggested and now no squeal. Thank you so much.
Toes-in adjustment for brake pads on a new bike worked great! No more loud squeaking noise... Thank you !
so basically buy a new pair of brakes
floopy312 so basically you want to throw your money away if all they need is cleaned or adjusted.
floopy312 Lmao - pretty sure everybody had this thought at the end of the video. Good points though to try some easy solutions to fix the brake pads yourself.
Many times one of the earlier steps will solve the problem. If I had shot a video and only got a step or two in and solved the problem, it would have been a lousy and incomplete video.
floopy312 No. This doesn't make sense. For example, in my case, I should buy a new pair of brakes when my bike is BRAND NEW? No way. I'll go clean it.
Yeah my fairly new bike started to do this squeal and I will be damned if Im gonna buy new brake pads before trying everything else.
Basically change your brakes cause once your brakes start squealing there's nothing you can do
Wrong! Read through the comments.
Loved how you shared tests in between each step. Such suspense
Had a brand new bike, and was lubing up parts and couldn’t get rid of the squeak. Even with cleaning using alcohol! But the penny method worked, and makes complete sense! Thanks!
I have brand new cheap break pads and they still squeel.
Buy better pads.
on to the next thing...buy a new bike
***** already done that
Rubber hardens over time, so if u had the brake pads for a long time, it's no wonder that they are squeeling
Thanks so much! The first solution worked. Fixed my daughter's bike and she was pleasantly surprised!
I followed the steps and my shrieking rear brakes went silent. Most excellent video.
But you didn't fix them, you just installed brand new brakes
it's all about trial and error. in the end, the problem was the pads themselves. But for many other people that watched this video the steps before that fixed their problem (as shown by the comments) so they didn't have to buy new pads.
you should learn the concept of comprehensive.
right but he is showing people different methods that are known to work
or you could have said at first buy new brakes
+kalok Dong Because often new brake pads aren't needed. Why spend money on new pads when adjusting them will fix the problem? Do you like wasting money?
+RJ The Bike Guy idk
Sometimes cleaning the pads fixes the problem. Often I can adjust the pads and fix the squealing. But not always. If in this video, cleaning or adjusting had fixed the problem like they often do, how useful would the video have been to people when those steps don't fix the problem?
+RJ The Bike Guy I gotta get my back wheel fixed
+RJ The Bike Guy it won't work
Fantastic video! I tried this on my new bike today washed the wheels and then used sandpaper and it's perfect now thanks so much!
Thank You for taking the time to make this excellent and informed video. God Bless You.
I went through each step and got to the one where you toe the brake pads in. It solved the squeak problem. Thanks.
Thank you! I had a brand new bike with front brakes that squealed horribly. Step #1 did the trick. I have no idea what I actually wiped off since my rims were new and gleaming, but it worked!
Alcohol and sanding worked for me! Thanks for showing all the steps!!
Thanks for all the different steps. I will try at least the first one tomorrow and hope it works. At least in isolation I finally have time to figure stuff like this out. Ordinarily I bring my bike to the shop for this kind of thing.
Thank you for showing a few steps we can take. I have a bike that I just finished putting together, and everything is perfect except for the shrieking brakes, especially on the front. I tried everything including multiple sets of pads, and I think the painted wheels are ultimately to blame. They look hella cool and the thing has incredible stopping power, but that sound is beyond passable haha.
I will not be painting wheels again unless I can fully mask off the side surface. Really wish I'd thought about that when doing this project.
Thanks for the video - the adjustment with the penny worked! That's great. I had to go up and down the hill on my bike just for the thrill of hearing nothing.
My daughter's bike was making the same terrible noise. I followed the steps, clean the wheel, sand the pads, adjusted the angle with a penny - NO MORE SQUEAK! Thanks! :)
awesome tutorial, I appreciate it! definitely going to have to try this out on my mountain bike in the same order as you did! thanks again
Thanks Bike Guy, I will give these steps a try. Odd that it had never occurred to me to clean off the wheel rim or the pads themselves.
One thing I would add to this video is an expletive every time you hear the squeal.
Thanks for the video. My brakes have been screeching for the past two days. I will try all your solutions once I get home. I hope it works.
I did all but the last step and mine squeak but very quietly. Much more tolerable, thank you!
Awesome video. That sandpaper bit did the trick for my rig. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Much respect to you my man......the sheer step by step actions was amazing
Thank you so much! Did the cleaning, didn't work. Did the sanding, didn't work. Toed the brake pads in, Bingo! Presto! Work like a charm. Thanks again.
Good video as it covers all the different aspects of the issue including replacement if nothing else works.
This video is helpful. Although the first 2 steps didn't help in my case, the third step did fix my problem. I think if the first step doesn't help you, go right to the third step as the second step is more work. But great video! Thank you.