# Disc brakes make tons of noise and get glazed



## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

I took some sandpaper to the rotors and pads to get the glaze off and the brakes ran good for maybe 10 miles and then I looked at them later and they were all shinny and glazed again making tons of noise and vibrated like hell on the way back from a trail.

How do you guys keep the disc brakes runnin good and how do you keep them from getting all shinny and glazed??

I have AVID Elixir CR's so they're not crappy brakes just they make a ton of noise.

The guys at the bike shop said I didnt break them in properly and I should take sandpaper to the rotors/pads again.

Also what kind of grit sandpaper do you guys use? I could barely do a thing to the pads with the 300 grit paper I had... :skep:


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Use 180 grit , try cleaning your rotors with denatured alchol .


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## Dremer03 (Jun 19, 2009)

I always hear good things about people solving there squealing issues on there disc brakes by changing the pads to Organic Pads. I believe they are about 20 dollars a set, so you would need to by a set for front and back.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Use 180 grit , try cleaning your rotors with denatured alchol .


so 180 grit and then clean the crap out of them with denatured alcohol??


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

Dremer03 said:


> I always hear good things about people solving there squealing issues on there disc brakes by changing the pads to Organic Pads. I believe they are about 20 dollars a set, so you would need to by a set for front and back.


kinda steep considering i have brand new brakes and pads...

Also where do I get organic pads that fit the AVID Elixir CR's?

I wish there was an easier way to deal with this, I never had problems like this on my road bike.


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## Dremer03 (Jun 19, 2009)

OVOleg said:


> kinda steep considering i have brand new brakes and pads...
> 
> Also where do I get organic pads that fit the AVID Elixir CR's?
> 
> I wish there was an easier way to deal with this, I never had problems like this on my road bike.


You can get them online at your favorite retailer. Avid Elixers also have the same pads as Avid BB7's just for your reference.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

OVOleg said:


> so 180 grit and then clean the crap out of them with denatured alcohol??


Sand the pads , clean the rotor with alcohol . Do not clean the pads , just sand them . Clean the rotor without sanding it first . If it doesnt clean up with the alcohol you can sand it and clean it again . Put it back together and break them in . If you break them in you should not have any further problems . I have crs and they dont make noise once there broken in . :thumbsup:


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

If you got any contamination on the pads then you won't solve your squeal problem with sanding. You can try burning the contaminate out, but it doesn't always work. I would clean the system very thoroughly, if you can't get it to stop properly by following the above advice, then I would try new pads. 

And the Elixir actually uses it's own pad, not the BB7 pad. But it's still available all over. The BB7 and Juicy share a pad, Elixir, Code, and BB5 have unique pads.


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## Dremer03 (Jun 19, 2009)

zebrahum said:


> And the Elixir actually uses it's own pad, not the BB7 pad. But it's still available all over. The BB7 and Juicy share a pad, Elixir, Code, and BB5 have unique pads.


Thanks for the correction. When I search for Elixer pads the BB7/Juicy pads come up, so I got my wires crossed.

Sorry if I lead you in the wrong direction about what pads to get.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

Thanks for the tips. I guess I have to look for new pads if the sanding doesnt work?

The sanding worked for me but after awhile on the trail it just got glazed again. Why exactly does it glaze to begin with?


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

OVOleg said:


> Thanks for the tips. I guess I have to look for new pads if the sanding doesnt work?
> 
> The sanding worked for me but after awhile on the trail it just got glazed again. Why exactly does it glaze to begin with?


Contamination , oil , grease , etc. One of the posts above suggested baking your pads to get rid of contamination, its worth a try if you keep glazing over something is causing it . Just heat the pads , if they smoke its oil or something burning off . When they quit smoking let them cool , sand them and put it back together with a clean rotor . Try it again .


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

OVOleg said:


> Thanks for the tips. I guess I have to look for new pads if the sanding doesnt work?
> 
> The sanding worked for me but after awhile on the trail it just got glazed again. Why exactly does it glaze to begin with?


Review how you clean and lube the bike, anyway at all your getting so oil on the rotor/pads.

Rinse all the soap off if you are cleaning your bike.

You may have an oil leak in the caliper, not likely but possible.

Road salt and slush will also glaze a rotor...usually some sort of lube though.

Maybe the LBS started the problem if the bled your brakes????

Burn the pads if that doesnot work then new pads.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

stop cleaning and sanding your pads and rotors. dont worry about the "glaze", its actually pad material bedding into your rotor for proper operation. your brakes will make noise until this bedding is complete! they'll also work poorly. it sounds like your brakes are working properly and you cleaning and sanding them is causing the noise.. sounds weird, but its not uncommon at all. sometimes you just gotta let them settle in. 

wipe the rotors down with rubbing alcohol, wipe your pads down, and ride them for a week or so, at least 20 miles. maybe more. my brakes got quieter and stronger over about 5 rides.


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## LlamaZorz (Jun 11, 2008)

I just did the job with 80 grit and it roughed everything up real nice.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

One Pivot said:


> stop cleaning and sanding your pads and rotors. dont worry about the "glaze", its actually pad material bedding into your rotor for proper operation. your brakes will make noise until this bedding is complete! they'll also work poorly. it sounds like your brakes are working properly and you cleaning and sanding them is causing the noise.. sounds weird, but its not uncommon at all. sometimes you just gotta let them settle in.
> 
> wipe the rotors down with rubbing alcohol, wipe your pads down, and ride them for a week or so, at least 20 miles. maybe more. my brakes got quieter and stronger over about 5 rides.


Rotors should not glaze over , if they do you have contamination . :thumbsup:


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## Dremer03 (Jun 19, 2009)

BB7+roundagon rotor=no squeal or glaze, sounds like something is on them like everyone keeps saying.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

My thought is that we are probably not talking about actual rotor glazing, but a contamination issue. I would be curious to find out exactly what is meant by the OP saying "glazing" if the problem continues after a rotor cleaning and pad change.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

a properly bedded rotor will look "glazed". 

unless you spilled crap on your brakes, or dripped oil on them, they're not really going to contaminate themselves.. however the rotor surface will glaze over a bit during break in. this is normal. disc brakes are a lot more durable than people give them credit for, and should require little to no upkeep beyond a seasonal bleed. 

if you can see the machining lines or sanding lines, you're not glazed over. if you remove any worn in brake pad it'll have the glazed over appearance, pads just dont keep that new dull finish, and its ok.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

By glazed I mean where the pads grip the rotor it is super shinny and VERY smooth. I felt the pads with my finger and they are super smooth too, like ice! The pads are very shinny as well as the rotors.

I'm going to listen to you guys and attack it with Garnet Sandpaper and Denatured Alcohol....


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

your pads sound fine.. they're not supposed to be rough or dull. ill go dig out my camera and snap some pictures of my known-good uncontaminated pads.

use rubbing alcohol. works just as well, cheaper, doesnt have added poison or smell like terrible death.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

The rotor is supposed to be shiney and smooth in the brake track . If it becomes discolored , smooth and shiney it is glazed . Get it cleaned up and break in your brakes again . Make sure you follow the manufacturers recommended break in procedure .


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> The rotor is supposed to be shiney and smooth in the brake track . If it becomes discolored , smooth and shiney it is glazed . Get it cleaned up and break in your brakes again . Make sure you follow the manufacturers recommended break in procedure .


whats the break in procedure of Avid Elixir CR's? I went to their website and couldnt find ANYTHING.

All I have from them is some small 5 page booklet(ok its really 90 pages in 15 different languages lol) about how to install the brakes.

I'll take pics when I get home, but they make a hell of alot of noise when I'm on the trail so I figured it was glazed...


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

a lot of avids are just noisy brakes.

break in proceedure is the same for all brakes. brake with moderate pressure and dont drag them for the first few miles. do a few progressively harder stops. let them cool off between stops. 

the big thing is just dont install new pads and rotors, climb up 2000 feet and blast down it with the brake on the whole time. that'll overheat and glaze a new pad, while a properly bedded in pad and rotor would probably survive.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

One Pivot said:


> a lot of avids are just noisy brakes.
> 
> break in proceedure is the same for all brakes. brake with moderate pressure and dont drag them for the first few miles. do a few progressively harder stops. let them cool off between stops.
> 
> the big thing is just dont install new pads and rotors, climb up 2000 feet and blast down it with the brake on the whole time. that'll overheat and glaze a new pad, while a properly bedded in pad and rotor would probably survive.


that was kinda my first ride....

4mile ride to the base of the mountain, easy braking to red lights. Once I got on the mountain I was climbing for ~1500 feet o the top then rode down. Brakes were perfect until i get to the bottom of the mountain and they are squeelin and such...

The ride was about 20 miles total.

 did i fail at breakin.


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## LlamaZorz (Jun 11, 2008)

Are these Pads Glazed, as a example for the thread?









origional, bigger can be found here https://imgur.com/4xCK5.jpg


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## chewymilk99 (Nov 26, 2008)

The noise you hear is the pads grabbing then letting go of the rotors. Or it might be the pads moving around in the caliper. Or it could just be a simple missalignment. Getting them to clean wil make this happen. And letting them get to dirty will also cause it. Make sure the pads are sitting in the calipers at the right spot. You might want to go to an auto parts store and get some pad quiet and use a Q-tip or a tiny paint brush. Brush a thin layer of the goop on the BACK of the pad and let it dry before you put them back into the calliper. Dont forget that some pads come with little silencing shim looking things also.


To clean the rotors and pads faces grab a few scotchbrite pads and some 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper. When you use the courser paper you are cutting bigger groves into the metal and pads. That will make them squeal worse and you might feel that through the brake handles. Lay a piece of sanf paper on a flat surface (table, workbench not the floor) and lightly sand the face of the pad back and forth. 
Keep the wheels on the bike and just spin them while pinching the rotor with a piece of folded over scotchbrite pad. 
Then do the same with the sand paper. I like to drench the paper in water or window cleaner first (just keep sparying a bottle of windex or something). 

You are trying to remove the crap and contaniments from the pads and rotors. But you aren't trying to remove andy metal form the rotor. So don't go nuts with the pressure.

Take a clean rag (like clean enought to lick) and drench it in mineral spirits or break clean and wipe everything down.

To bed the pads put it all back together and make sure you follow the alligning instructions VERY closely. The calliper and pads need to be parrell to the rotor side to side and front to back. Also make sure there isn't any little hills of paint on the mounting surface (I like to sand the mounting areas down the metal but again go easy just use the 1500 grit)
Now go find a the biggest longest hill near you (if you live in Florida you're boned) pedal down at top speed and grab BOTH brakes until you are almost stopped. Then pedal up to speed again and grab both brakes. Keep doing this until you can feel the brakes getting stronger and more responsive. I'm kinda anal about bedding brakes I've gotten the rotors so hot hot that they have bunred my fingers.

After this you wont really need to do a bedding until you put on new pads or get them really dirty and need to sand them again. Remember water will make them squeal no matter what you do. And the Organic pads are a cheap upgrade. 

I ride in PA and most of the trails here are either under water or dry as the moon and I clean my brakes about 1ce a mnth give or take.
You shouldn't have to do this after every ride. 
And again I really can't stress how important the allignment is. 
If you are looking from the top of the calipers the front and back of the pad should have the same ammount of space. And when looking at it from the back the calpier shouldn't be tilted in or out.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

LlamaZorz said:


> Are these Pads Glazed, as a example for the thread?
> [/url]


by the dark color, they kinda look contaminated or greasy.


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## louisssss (Jun 24, 2009)

what my mechanic did to get rid of the howling and vibrating into the frame was true the rear rotor (which was the one causing the vibrating) so far the vibrating has been minimized and i only get a slight squeal after long rides


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

LlamaZorz said:


> Are these Pads Glazed, as a example for the thread?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


These pads look normal.


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## LlamaZorz (Jun 11, 2008)

Here is a pic of sanded down pads using 80 grit paper and about 10 figure 8's. You can see the difference between the non sanded pads.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

used pads should look different than sanded pads.

its absolutely not necessary to sand your pads and rotors down all the time though. if you change rotors, sand the pads or change them. if you change pads, clean the rotor or scotchbrite it.



> These pads look normal.


second though, you're probably right. i think the right pad is just shadowed.


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## qkenuf4u (Jan 24, 2009)

http://waz.ca/biking/bleeding-shimano-disk-brakes/


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

Well I sanded the rotors and pads and then used the denatured alcohol on them before putting them back in(both rotors and pads).

It seemed to work great and didnt make any noise/vibration until I hit the trail. I rode around the block breaking them in, by holding down the brake a little while pedaling then pressing the brakes more and more.

I also did rode really fast and then suddenly pressed on the brakes(did this about 2-3 times) for break in.

Seemed to go alright.

Then I went out to the trail and since I pedaled for a long time without using my brakes(on surface streets before the trail), it started making noise again right before I hit the trail and barely used the brakes to come to a stop and they started making some noise

Once I got on the trail and had to use my brakes here and there it was making noise. ON the way home It was vibratin again and making alot of nosie.

WTF

THinking of getting new pads after work today...not sure what else to do, will talk to the shop also


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

OVOleg said:


> Well I sanded the rotors and pads and then used the denatured alcohol on them before putting them back in(both rotors and pads).
> 
> It seemed to work great and didnt make any noise/vibration until I hit the trail. I rode around the block breaking them in, by holding down the brake a little while pedaling then pressing the brakes more and more.
> 
> ...


So seems pretty clear...you fixed the symptom of the core problem, pad contamination, then the problem recurred...

So it might be that the oil or whatever has soaked too far down into the pad so that with use you just get back into the screwed up material....

Or something is contaminating the pad (oil?) maybe from a leak, in the piston seal???

Maybe the hose connection, maybe the banjo bolt threads???

Maybe the oil is getting flung up from the Hub???


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Do the brakes work and are noisey , or are they not working as well as being noisey ?


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

jeffscott said:


> So seems pretty clear...you fixed the symptom of the core problem, pad contamination, then the problem recurred...
> 
> So it might be that the oil or whatever has soaked too far down into the pad so that with use you just get back into the screwed up material....
> 
> ...


But both the front and rear make the noise(which is fairly loud), and the rear making the most noise. What are the chanes that there is a leak on both of the brakes?

Is it likely that new pads will fix my issue?

My plan is

A) Buy new pads
B) Sand the rotors a lil
C) Denatured alcohol on the rotors
D) Install new pads
E) Break them in again
F) ??


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

OVOleg said:


> But both the front and rear make the noise(which is fairly loud), and the rear making the most noise. What are the chanes that there is a leak on both of the brakes?
> 
> Is it likely that new pads will fix my issue?
> 
> ...


Good Plan....I would have cooked the pads on the Stove then tried again, but you can always do that later....

Hey if one brake is leaking why shouldn't the other leak as well????

What about soap, detergent, degreasers, bike cleaning stuff???, doesn't seem to fit the symptoms though.

Break in for me is dead simple, I got a fairly steep hill just out my driveway, I go down it hit the brakes hard one or twice, and if they are not coming up in power real quick it is back to the garage for me.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

OVOleg said:


> But both the front and rear make the noise(which is fairly loud), and the rear making the most noise. What are the chanes that there is a leak on both of the brakes?
> 
> Is it likely that new pads will fix my issue?
> 
> ...


i've never sanded a rotor....i've never sanded a pad....and it does take some time for brakes to "bed in"....

I have however had thuper gnarly loud squealy brakes on my shimanos.....with metal pads....switched to organics/resin (as Dremer03 suggested) and never had a problem again...but resins don't last as long..

BUT....my formulas squealed like a bat outta hell with organics so i switched to metal....left me cornfused....

PS - wet/moist rotors pads will howl like a raped monkey until they dry...so if you're riding thru creeks....or heavy fog for a while....or just washed your bike you will alert all wildlife within 5 miles when you descend.....FYI....


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Do the brakes work and are noisey , or are they not working as well as being noisey ?


they work, they're just noisy as hell. I probably make more noise than cars on the road. Also the rear vibration is really annoying.

When I sanded them and put the alcohol on, I forgot that I didnt have the front fork locked out and when I went to slam on the brakes from 20mph I nearly went over the bars it stopped me so hard...lol.

Thanks jeffscott, I'm going to try that. I have an electric stove though, so I dont know how I will get to burn them  lol. I'm planning on riding tomorrow morning so tonight is going to be fun times with alchol and sandpaper...


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

Stop for a minute and think about this . If they are working as well as you say they are chances are they are not contaminated , just noisey .


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

OVOleg said:


> they work, they're just noisy as hell. I probably make more noise than cars on the road. Also the rear vibration is really annoying.
> 
> When I sanded them and put the alcohol on, I forgot that I didnt have the front fork locked out and when I went to slam on the brakes from 20mph I nearly went over the bars it stopped me so hard...lol.
> 
> Thanks jeffscott, I'm going to try that. I have an electric stove though, so I dont know how I will get to burn them  lol. I'm planning on riding tomorrow morning so tonight is going to be fun times with alchol and sandpaper...


I put them in a fry pan set the electric stove at about 6, sit back at watch them, they will start to smoke pretty quickly, then the smoke will slowly reduce, I take them off pretty quickly once the smoke subsides then light a sand and go.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

AZ.MTNS said:


> Stop for a minute and think about this . If they are working as well as you say they are chances are they are not contaminated , just noisey .


Nope cause they were not noisey and had good performance, then went to hell again.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

CHUM said:


> i've never sanded a rotor....i've never sanded a pad....and it does take some time for brakes to "bed in"....
> 
> I have however had thuper gnarly loud squealy brakes on my shimanos.....with metal pads....switched to organics/resin (as Dremer03 suggested) and never had a problem again...but resins don't last as long..
> 
> ...


I ride in dry conditions(I'm still a noob). Hopefully my shop has some organic pads...I'll give those a shot. The Elixir CR pads are kinda rare, I had to call 5 shops and only 1 of them had some in stock....

How long do organic/resin pads last?

THe problem is that the pads are top loading into the brakes so I cant use the Juicy's


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Agreed, if they function properly the are not likely contaminated. And I've never seen sanding anything help significantly. As soon as you put a ride on it, they'll be worn back to where they started. I would suggest new rotors at this point.


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

I think that they have not been broken in properly , FWIW.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

jeffscott said:


> I put them in a fry pan set the electric stove at about 6, sit back at watch them, they will start to smoke pretty quickly, then the smoke will slowly reduce, I take them off pretty quickly once the smoke subsides then light a sand and go.


Going to do this as well!

Do you recommend I burn them before or after teh sanding+denatured alcohol???


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

OVOleg said:


> I rode around the block breaking them in, by holding down the brake a little while pedaling then pressing the brakes more and more.


This is why I think they were not broken in properly .


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

OVOleg said:


> Going to do this as well!
> 
> Do you recommend I burn them before or after teh sanding+denatured alcohol???


I use the alcohol then the burn then a Light sand.

As for the break in, you hit the brakes hard, several times in a row.....which you did ...


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

sanding in this case will attempt to get rid of any surface contaminants, so burn then sand. Alcohol won't be needed if this works.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

quoted from the Brake Forum:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=528021


TNC said:


> Have you read the bulk of posts here that discuss this? I've repeated this many times in some of those other posts, but somehow I think this Avid issue is caliper related. I tried all the things you mention with one Juicy and one Elixir caliper. I even transferred the whole Elixir unit to 3 different bikes with no success. Whatever is going on with that particular caliper was fixed by changing to a different semi-metallic brand pad with an alloy back. This also worked with the Juicy unit. Whatever was in the different pad compound and/or backing material broke the cycle of sound and vibration.
> 
> Just moving the OEM Avids pads around and even using new Avid OEM pads did nothing to kill the problem. The first conclusion to jump to would be that the OEM pads are the issue, but perhaps it's really the caliper "and" the pad combo, since other calipers with OEM pads seem to work just fine. I don't think you just have to use organic pads either. I like sem-metallic pads, and I just changed the brand and the backing material. Whether it was the slight change in the pad compound or the backing material or both, I'm not sure. The main problem, however, seemed to be isolated with the individual caliper. My other Elixir calipers and OEM Avid pads worked great without noise and vibration, as well as the several sets we've had through the shop. It must a very small overall number of Juicy/Elixir units that do this, but it's very annoying if you have one.


interesting read...might wanna do some specific searching over there


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## tussery (Aug 15, 2009)

jeffscott said:


> I use the alcohol then the burn then a Light sand.
> 
> As for the break in, you hit the brakes hard, several times in a row.....which you did ...


Depends on which brake manufacturer you listen to. Hope says to lightly apply the brake on and off without making any sudden stops.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

CHUM said:


> quoted from the Brake Forum:
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=528021
> 
> interesting read...might wanna do some specific searching over there


thanks but where the heck can i find a new backing and pad that will fit?? Its top loaded with the backing having a hole for the bolt to pass through.

Going to read that thread though in the meantime.

Thanks


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

OVOleg said:


> thanks but where the heck can i find a new backing and pad that will fit?? Its top loaded with the backing having a hole for the bolt to pass through.
> 
> Going to read that thread though in the meantime.
> 
> Thanks


I'm not sure I understand your question fully, but you can get brake pads with a couple different materials. Normally, your brakes will ship with metal sintered pad material. Another option is a resin or organic pad material. Those will be bonded to a backing plate made of metal. Typically that backing plate is steel, but is sometimes available in Aluminum or Titanium. The suggestion from that article is use a resin pad on an alloy backplate. I haven't seen an elixir pad with that combination yet, but it's probably out there.

Edit: did a web search and came up with one. So it's out there.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

I don't believe contamination is the problem.

Some caliper/pad/rotor/frame combinations just don't play well together and the cure is to change something. As other's have stated, the pads are the cheapest thing to try first.

I would start with Jagwire Red Zone Alloy Disc Pads or google "avid elixir brake pads" for other options.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

Ugh! Calling local shops to see what kind of brakes they stock >_>


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Hopefully they'll say Shimano.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

zebrahum said:


> Hopefully they'll say Shimano.


Got some organic pads...

We shall see if this fixes the problem


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## AZ (Apr 14, 2009)

OVOleg said:


> Got some organic pads...
> 
> We shall see if this fixes the problem


FWIW , I break in my crs by doing about 18/20 stops from about 8 mph , with enough time in between stops for the brakes to cool . IMHO , do not drag the brakes to break them in , it creates too much heat to properly break them in . Good luck . :thumbsup:


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## pewpewpew (Oct 25, 2009)

if the performance isnt affected you shouldnt be worried about the noise.


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## OVOleg (Nov 24, 2009)

bought a pair of these(kind of expensive) but id say over 80% of the noise and vibration is gone.

Only under heavy breaking and when the pads really really heat up after holding the brakes for awhile, do they make noise...and not as bad as before.

Overall they're alot better than the metallic ones.

It says they're semi-metallic on the front and organic on the back...lol. Did a 40 mile ride today with all sorts of terrain and was much happier.


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

Are you Elixir's still running quiet with the organic pads?

My CRs have been squeaky for a while, and the vibration in the rear got so bad that the rear brake stopped slowing down the bike, and therefore the bike was unrideable.

I ordered a bleed kit to bleed the brakes, chamfered the leading edge of the OEM pads and sanded them and cleaned the G3 Cleanweep rotors (which appear to have uneven wear marks where the pads do not contact the rotors). So I am prepared to correct the issue as quickly as possible, I ordered a set of Elixir organic pads and a pair of Alligator Serration rotors, which have been reported to fix the problem in other posts.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16...Disc/Alligator-Serration-Disc-Brake-Rotor.htm

A lot of money to throw at a 3 month old set of brakes with only a few hundred miles on them, but I don't have the patience to deal with Avid's warranty procedure, which has done little to fix the problem for others who have had this problem. It involves a repeat of what I've already done. A bike shop must inspect and clean everything, realign the calipers and sand the pads if necessary. Then the customer has to ride until the noise comes back and bring the bike back in. If at this point it is determined that the brakes are the issue, Avid sends out a set of organic pads and either clean sweep or solid rotors.

Anyway, I hope the organic pads permanently corrected your problems.


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## enio (Jun 6, 2007)

i thought that organic pads are no good for aligators, and you have to use metalic ones for them?


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## isleblue65 (Sep 5, 2009)

enio said:


> i thought that organic pads are no good for aligators, and you have to use metalic ones for them?


I haven't heard that. I'm not sure why organic pads would not work with the Alligator rotor while they work fine with other rotors? The only difference is in the design of the rotor.

I will still have my (now sanded) original metallic pads that I can use if necessary.


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## OSOK (Jul 11, 2009)

Get v-brakes 

Seriously, geez... I don't do this much stuff to the pads in my car! Funny I found this thread after a previous one where I was saying I rather not have disc brakes due to extra maintenance issues


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## cruiserman (Jun 9, 2008)

Try one organic and one metallic pad. Never tried it myself, but heard it works.


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## Stumphumper2002 (Feb 2, 2009)

Did anyone resolve their brake noise issue? If so what did you do? My rear Elixir CR is making the classic turkey gobble and vibration.


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## machv5 (Jun 16, 2014)

OVOleg said:


> I wish there was an easier way to deal with this, I never had problems like this on my road bike.


I know this is an old post but the answer is still valid and google returns this thread at the top of the results for "how to remove the glaze from disk brake pads and rotors".

I found this on another site that maybe helpful to people regarding:

Bedding in - The vital process of wearing off surface glaze and contamination on new brake pads and rotors through repeated stop/go cycles to get them up to full power. A few sprints and sharp stops should normally do the trick and achieve maximum stopping power and longevity.

So if your pads are glazed already sand them by laying the paper on a flat surface and hold the pads flat and draw up and down the paper with even pressure so you don't put an uneven surface or graded angle into them. Also when sanding wear clean surgical gloves so the oil from your fingers does not contaminate your pads during the process. Before using the denatured (or 99% isopropyl not the 70% pure as it has other ingredients that may mess up your pads further) alcohol with a clean dry cloth wipe away any debris from the rotors first it will make the rest of the cleaning go quicker.

And automotive emery cloth is better than using cheaper wood type sandpapers as it doesn't degrade as quickly.

Hope this helps someone. And the paragraph on bedding in i cut from another site. I can post the link if anyone wants it as it has a very good and detailed write-up on diskbrakes. I'm not adding it automatically as this is my first post and don't want to come accross looking like a spammer.


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