SRAM Brake Scream !

Zimmerframe

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Probably been done 1000* already .. but I've never read anything conclusive which actually works..

Shimano ... no scream ..

SRAM .. SCREEAAAAAAAAAAAM ...

In my case .. when wet.

They were bedded in correctly, have tried cleaning and re-bedding. New pads .. always the same SCREEEEEEAAMMM .. As it's just constantly raining here at the moment I have to ride around with my brakes on constantly, otherwise it's SCREEEEAMMM from the brakes and then SCREAM from me as there's no brakes. (Kenevo).

Is this some kind of resonance when they don't bite because if the moisture ?

Does it stop if you change the disks to something else ?

Are certain pads SRAM scream compatible ?

The main way to fix this seems to be change to none SRAM brakes, that just seems a bit extreme. I can't believe they all do it all of the time - they surely wouldn't sell any !
 

Deltakilo

New Member
Oct 9, 2019
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Turbo Levo Comp here with SRAM cr*p brakes my Ibis Ripley with Shimano Icetech rotors no squeal wet or dry condx in 5 years of ownership. Turbo Levo with SRAM Cr*p brakes after long descents the brakes squeal, and howl VERY annoying hate to do it, but i'm thinking of switching out the brake sometime in the future to Shimano. When I purchased the bike I cringed knowing I just purchased a bike with SRAM components, I've owned several bikes with SRAM components I always switch the Cr*p SRAM to Shimano.
 

Mikerb

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May 16, 2019
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Its the ckntact between the pad and rotor so nothing to do SRAM v Shimano. It can be made worse by poor caliper alignment/ rotor contamination/ cheap pads/contaminated pads. Mine are Guide RE....no squeal.
 

GrandPaBrogan

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Oct 5, 2019
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Probably been done 1000* already .. but I've never read anything conclusive which actually works..

Shimano ... no scream ..

SRAM .. SCREEAAAAAAAAAAAM ...

In my case .. when wet.

They were bedded in correctly, have tried cleaning and re-bedding. New pads .. always the same SCREEEEEEAAMMM ..
Could be the pads. Find out what type they are (organic resin or sintered metallic) and buy the opposite type, even if it’s a no name brand replacement equivalent.


If that doesn’t work dust the rotor with flour. If it still screams pour milk on it. If that fails rub the rotors with butter. With any luck with the right amount of rain and heat you could end up with pancakes for breakfast.
 

Peko

Well-known member
Sep 23, 2018
141
144
Germany
Since i'm using the Trickstuff power pads (organic) with the dächle disk, screaming is almost completely disappeared. This combo used together with the MT7 is nearly perfect for me. Maybe the pads alone might be worth a try.
 

Gary

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Mar 29, 2018
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Sweeping generalisation:
Most SRAM come with Sintered (Zimms hasn't specified what brake he's moaning about)
Most Shimano come with Organic

Organic do tend to be quieter... the downside to that quietness is shite wet weather durability/longevety and poorer heat management.
 

Master_G

Member
Oct 13, 2019
82
48
Gloucester
Mine squeal. Only when wet - I agree it's so annoying.

On my old Orange Alpine 6 I got so fed up with the screaming so put some Zee's on.
 

outerlimits

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Feb 3, 2018
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Mine squeeled but I trued the rotors to within a micron and no problems since ?‍♂️
This is the WTAF device I used

23BA088A-14E6-4F27-9E6B-748E78EA90C6.jpeg
 

GrandPaBrogan

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Oct 5, 2019
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New Zealand
The only thing that’s worse than rotor scream or squeal is rotor HONK. Not duck honk but like big mother goose honk. It reverberates through the pine forest so everyone knows it’s me coming.

I actually can’t remember how I got rid of it. I think I sanded the rotor with 80 grit wet sandpaper crosswise. Some of the DH boys used to run their rotors super hot on purpose until they’ve gone purple-blue then douse them with water - but I wasn’t game enough to try that.
 

StuR

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I put some sintered pads on my Levo by mistake , howled like a banshee
Put organic ones straight back on , quiet as a church mouse apart from very occasional squeal when brakes first applied in foul conditions.

Organics wear quicker but the peace is worth it
 

Zimmerframe

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So the simplest option to try first : Organic pads.

The next option if we lived in a logical easy world would be to swap the calipers out .. An MT520 with resin is about €34 or metal €38.

The code R levers have the dropper post and gear selector attached to them.. I'm guessing in the usual world of compatibility that they won't mount to the mt501 levers so I'm going to have a mish mash of brackets and crap.

Would I be mad to think I could keep the SRAM levers - as they just squish hydraulic fluid down a pipe.. and change to Shimano calipers .. I know .. I'm being mad .. couldn't possibly use the same pipe could they .
 

GrandPaBrogan

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Oct 5, 2019
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Sorry, I wasn't very helpful there was I .. I have the SRAM Code R's ...

I'd keep the master cylinders and callipers matched.

Rotor sound is vibration induced by resonance. If swapping your pads don't help, try swapping the rotors. They're pretty cheap these days... I saw a 6-hole Shimano 203mm for about NZ$30-ish the other day it's not even on special.

The hole patterns and how far apart they are from each other - OR even the number and shape of the spokes should change the resonance frequency of those ninja discs.

I wonder if even simply painting the spokes with rubberised "Plasti-dip" paint might be enough to stop the rotors from speaking to the dogs. :unsure:
 

Zimmerframe

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Rotor sound is vibration induced by resonance. If swapping your pads don't help, try swapping the rotors. They're pretty cheap these days... I saw a 6-hole Shimano 203mm for about NZ$30-ish the other day it's not even on special.

The hole patterns and how far apart they are from each other - OR even the number and shape of the spokes should change the resonance frequency of those ninja discs.

I wonder if even simply painting the spokes with rubberised "Plasti-dip" paint might be enough to stop the rotors from speaking to the dogs. :unsure:

Your HONK sounds pretty close .. Was chatting to a friend at the weekend who'd been about 500m away from my last SCREAM/HONK, before I turned back up hill . He wanted to know if a large lorry had crashed ..

Pads sounds like a sensible place to start .. hell, it's a brake caliper .. it's just a tiny hydraulic jack (or clamp in this case) - it seems mad to change the whole thing because of resonance.

So the next question ..

Organic.
Carbon Organic
Carbon Metallic (which say they're "sequel-free braking in all terrain and condition" - but I'm hoping that's squeal free .. sequel free suggests that you'll only use them once and it's game over)

40km's of riding rivers today so no one needed GPS to track where I was.
 

Dirtnvert

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 25, 2018
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My code r's squeal. I put sintered pads in right away but i think its the alignment. I aligned the brakes but theyve since gone out of alignment. Im going to check the adapter and caliper to see if theres a burr or something. It doesnt feel smooth or a flatcsurface when im holding it in alignment and tightening the bolts. Maybe the conical washers? Something feels off but i think they were quite after i aligned them that one time. Ill procrastinate for a bit and if i work on them before the snow hits ill update
 

Zimmerframe

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My code r's squeal. I put sintered pads in right away but i think its the alignment. I aligned the brakes but theyve since gone out of alignment. Im going to check the adapter and caliper to see if theres a burr or something. It doesnt feel smooth or a flatcsurface when im holding it in alignment and tightening the bolts. Maybe the conical washers? Something feels off but i think they were quite after i aligned them that one time. Ill procrastinate for a bit and if i work on them before the snow hits ill update

Sadly no snow here or due .. just rain .. so they've been re-aligned repeatedly at home and out on rides.

If I use wd40 or gt85 on the disks that solves it :unsure:
 

GrandPaBrogan

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Sadly no snow here or due .. just rain .. so they've been re-aligned repeatedly at home and out on rides.

If I use wd40 or gt85 on the disks that solves it :unsure:
Olive oil is more respectable...

If you're real desperate, try sanding it with 80 grit wet sandpaper but sand it in a radial direction but wipe it first before you do with Fuelite or automotive grease remover or isopropyl alcohol. You want to mimic a brand new rotor surface. The coarse scratches does two things... it removes the 'surface glaze' which may have oil and other contaminants heat-infused and embedded into it. It will also scrape the brake pad surface which may also have been contaminated. The first few rides will produce black dust so wipe that off with paper towel and oil free solvent.

It works like a mild scrape over the pad surfaces - it's just like the facial skin micro-dermabrasion you regularly have done at your salon. Just don't put cucumbers on the rotors afterwards, you'll be fine.
 

Zimmerframe

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Just don't put cucumbers on the rotors afterwards,

No cucumbers in the omelettes or @Christian gets upset - check ..

If you're real desperate, try sanding it with 80 grit wet sandpaper but sand it in a radial direction but wipe it first before you do with Fuelite or automotive grease remover or denatured alcohol.

Was this meant for me, or were you part way though helping @outerlimits with one of his man part issues ?
 

GrandPaBrogan

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Oct 5, 2019
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New Zealand
Was this meant for me, or were you part way though helping @outerlimits with one of his man part issues ?
To make sure you scratch your rotor perfectly flat, wrap the sandpaper over a block of hard wood and rub it radially over both sides of your rotor while wetting it with water occasionally.


:unsure::oops:
No wait... with you around... I really didn't think through that statement well enough!
 

Dirtnvert

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Sep 25, 2018
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Sadly no snow here or due .. just rain .. so they've been re-aligned repeatedly at home and out on rides.

If I use wd40 or gt85 on the disks that solves it :unsure:
Haa i wouldnt go that far. I save the wd40 for my arthiritic wrists.
Ive just realigned them a couple times but thats maybe 30 rides. More adjustment then im used to with my saints. Just felt like added friction between the adapter/caliper/conical washers somewhere. Just spitballing, looks like my front brake is staying put now and my rear is rubbing. Maybe the latest squeal is coming from the rear now. Could be still in the initial adjustment phase. Im going to set the rear now and see if that solves it. The brakes work well aside from that squeal.
Unfortunately i wont be playing in the snow. I plow the highway beside where this train pic is so if i dont ride tomorrow itll be atleast a week

4e937e3e74f9c3c0b2d9e43aba10e96c.jpg
 

Zimmerframe

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Haa i wouldnt go that far. I save the wd40 for my arthiritic wrists.
Ive just realigned them a couple times but thats maybe 30 rides. More adjustment then im used to with my saints. Just felt like added friction between the adapter/caliper/conical washers somewhere. Just spitballing, looks like my front brake is staying put now and my rear is rubbing. Maybe the latest squeal is coming from the rear now. Could be still in the initial adjustment phase. Im going to set the rear now and see if that solves it. The brakes work well aside from that squeal.
Unfortunately i wont be playing in the snow. I plow the highway beside where this train pic is so if i dont ride tomorrow itll be atleast a week

View attachment 21005

Amazing train photo ! Clever idea for the winter using a 4m deep hard packed groove to direct the train where you want it to go instead of using rails o_O;)

And just because : the inside of a Code R.

code R.jpg
 

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