Bike wash and disc brakes.

[Sander23]

So lately my disc brakes are insane noisy.
Both the disc and the pads are brand New, bedden in and ridden couple times.

Because it's insane muddy this time of the year I have to wash my bike every time I come home.
Wherever I do, I let my bike airdry at 20°C .
When I take my bike out the next day my brakes scream like a pig that's been Slaughtered.

I'm using the muc off bike wash what does a great job add but I noticed something on my discbrakes that don't look good

Muc off says it's safe for disc brakes.i don't sray directly onto the brakes.

How do you wash your bike with disc brakes?

 

[apac]

Trying sanding your discs and pads before wiping them with alcohol (isopropyl) liquid and a very clean cloth or paper. Do not let pads n discs come in contact with anything else such as fingers

 

[apac]

Trying sanding your discs and pads before cleaning them with alcohol (isopropyl) liquid.

Or change your pad compound to kevelar or organic

 

[Sander23]

I've done that now, but what is the residu on the disc's? Is it from the muc off wash? I can just wipe it off easily with a cloth.

Do you need to clean the disc's with diks brak cleaner every time you wash the bike?

 

[apac]

Never used it. Have no idea.

 

[EMTBSEAN]

I use the same cleaner on my bike but I always clean my rotors with IPA before I go out on it, I also have Uber bike sintered pads,whether this has anything else to do with it I don’t know but I did once try not cleaning with IPA and mine were noisy too, IPS is cheap so give it a try.

 

[mark.ai]

I’ve had my brakes get noisy in the past from that same Muc Off cleaner when it hasn’t been washed off properly.

I also stopped using the Muc Off disc brake cleaner as some brake manufacturers specifically say not to use “disc brake cleaner” and only isopropyl alcohol. So now using just isopropyl alcohol to wipe the rotors down works really well.

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Fine grit wet&dry, with a flat bit of wood/metal/whatever as backing to keep it flat and go around the rotor till youve scrubbed off the burning or glazing.
Blowlamp onto the pads to burn off any road film.
Now you don't have to heat the pads till they're red hot, just enough for them to start smoking and the smoke to stop - stopped means no more oily deposits.
Allow pads to cool slowly, as shocking them cold can crack the pad material off the backing plate. The pad material is held in place by going through the rear of the backing plate holes and gives it a 'mushroom' shape.

 

[steve_sordy]

Do you transport your bike on a tow-bar rack?

When I first got an emtb I started to use a tow-bar rack and swiftly got noisy brakes. I decided that it was oily muck from the road being blown not the discs. At the time, some said it may have been oily crap coming from the exhausts, pretty much in line with the discs (but below them). I doubted that because the car was new and was not burning oil. I still doubt it.

Whatever the true cause, I started to put some 8" plastic zip-lock sandwich bags over the discs before the car journey. You will need to cut one side of the bag half way through so that the bag goes on far enough. The problem stopped immediately. When arriving at the trail, the bags had oily muck on them (and I guess on the rest of the bike too, although I couldn't see it).

 

[Sander23]

No I never transport the bike outside my car.
I only wash it with the above muc off bike wash

 

[leix_toffee]

Noticed the same issue on my last 2 rides after using the same wash. I am going to clean brakes with IPA and see if not using the Muc Off on next clean stops the noise. I have also ordered new pads from Uberbike so will have a new set to test also.

 

[aarfeldt]

Our mud will fall right off just using plain water.
I also has to wash after every ride, but just using plain water and airdry - no screamy brakes.

 

[Daev]

Our mud will fall right off just using plain water.
I also has to wash after every ride, but just using plain water and airdry - no screamy brakes.

Yup, me too - give it a quick hose down (no pressure washing) - bounce it to get excess water off, quick once over with a small clean towel - works every time

 

[2WheelsNot4]

Our mud will fall right off just using plain water.

Yeah, none of that clingy foreign muck here

 

[EMTBSEAN]

Just in case anyone is interested, I have found that a drywall sanding head and drywall sanding sheets are awesome for resurfacing rotors and pads but don’t use anything too coarse otherwise you’ll have no material left on the pads, the sanding heads are usually completely flat if you buy a good quality one that is

 

[Sander23]

Gave my brakes disc and pads a rub with sandpaper, and bedded them in again.
They work perfect and are quite!
I guess I will be covering and cleaning the disk everytime I use the muc off bike wash from now on.

 

[landark]

I wash my bike with straight water, dry off and then ride my bike immediately and ride the brakes. The brakes squeal for a bit and then are dry and quiet. Same as washing your car and having squeaky brakes due to the rotors rusting up from the moisture that clings to them.

 

[Rotwilder]

Avoid Muc off or any maintenance sprays on the discs! I had massive problems when I first started cleaning my ebike. The front brake cylinder pistons tended to seize on and squeal like mice. I removed the brake pads and washed them in Fairy liquid, and clean the discs with rubbing alcohol. The bike is cleaned with minimal amounts of Muc off, avoiding the brakes. I use a brake cleaning spray now, which is great. The maintenance spray is used minimally too, it’s not something you can just spray everywhere! Never get squeaky brakes now.

 

[1oldfart]

In Quebec with our very cold months wise riders never wash, we simply wipe off the excess.
My brakes sing if humid but are usualy silent. I just do nothing.
It goes away.
You generate problems.

 

[Sander23]

So I left the bike for a week and the problem is back. No brake power in the back brake. Haven't been with any products on the bike since i bedded them in.

When I with an allenkey over the front brake I feel resistance, when I do it with the back brake its super smooth, feels like it's been polished.

Really don't know what else I can do

 

[Sander23]

So after further inspection I found the caliper leaking at the screw. How can this happen and is it fixable.
the screw seems tight.

 

[Jsibby]

Immediately After washing , i find that riding the bike for a bit with the brakes on dries the brakes out and squealing gradually goes away as brakes warm up, then no nasty squealing on the next ride. Good luck

 

[Ogofmole]

Yup, me too - give it a quick hose down (no pressure washing) - bounce it to get excess water off, quick once over with a small clean towel - works every time

Same here, garden hose set to fine spray (no pressure)quick ride up road and then wipe over with towel before spraying chain with chain lube. No problems at all.

 

[Daev]

So after further inspection I found the caliper leaking at the screw. How can this happen and is it fixable.
the screw seems tight. View attachment 80532

That'll be it then - well found.
If that's been what's caused it you'll need to replace your pads and give the rotor a really good clean