Disc brakes are superb when they perform as they should. Quietly. But sometimes, if they get contaminated, that dreaded brake squeal happens and they can be the most annoying things on your bike.
There are a variety of things that can cause your brakes to start making noises however it is usually because the braking surfaces have become contaminated most commonly when you get some form of oil or lubricant onto your disc or pads when working on your bike.
Things that will contaminate your disc brakes are:
Avoiding contamination is best. Prevention rather than cure but it is not always easy to avoid overspray settling onto your discs. Cleaning your bike should be hassle free so you could invest in some Muc-Off Disc Brake Covers. These will allow you to clean, protect and lube your bike with aerosols while preventing overspray.
If your brakes have been contaminated and are making noise, don't worry! You can clean most contaminations off your discs and pads with a good disc brake cleaner. We recommend Muc-Off Disc Brake Cleaner
If pads are particularly badly contaminated it may be necessary to remove your pads and lightly sand the surface of the pad to restore its colour then repeat the process above
After cleaning you will need to ‘bed in’ your discs and pads, to do this simply apply your brakes gently down a hill. You will find that the braking power will gradually increase and any noise should fade as you do this, leaving your brakes powerful and noise free!
Unfortunately, some pads are beyond saving, if they are too contaminated then the best option is to replace your pads. However when doing this it is very important to clean the disc thoroughly so that it does not contaminate your new pads.!
If your noise is not caused by contamination it may be your disc rotor is catching your pads as it spins. This is identified as a metallic scraping sound when the disc spins slowly. To resolve this the rotor may need to be straightened (often called trued) using a specialist tool and or your caliper/pads may need to be re-centred. We recommend this is undertaken by a qualified technician.
