[JohnNGeiser]

Hi all. My name is John. I am new to the cycling world , other than walmart bicycles when i was a kid.

A couple months ago i bought a Cannondale Mountain bike. It comes equiped with PROMAX DSK-720 brakes.

When I bought the bike , the bike shop owner showed me a couple things about the bike and I was on my way.

At first I didnt get to ride the bike much due to weather , but over the last month I have been riding it about a mile every three days or so. I am a very caual rider right now until i get my sealegs for riding.

Something i noticed on the bike was from the beginning , when I apply the rear brakes , it makes a sqeaking noise. Is this normal?

Also, the wheels have quick releases on them. I take off the front wheel to transport the bike. When I put the front wheel back on , the wheel spins freely , but when i spin the wheel , i can still hear the brakes rubbing just a little bit. Is this normal?

The bike shop offered me my first tune up for free and I am taking it in this week to have it done. The reason I ask these questions, I want to bring this problem up with the guy who does the work. If these things are not normal , I want him to fix it. I dont want it to be wrong and send me on my way being the uninformed cyclist that I am.

Can someone please give me some pointers on this topic.

Thankyou,
John

 

[Industry_Hack]

Your brakes consist of a steel rotor being clamped by fiber pads. While Promax is at the lower end of the quality scale, no rotor (or disc) is going to be perfectly flat, and you'll get some vibration and squealing.

The mechanic is going to say "Well, these brakes are kinda cheap, and there's not much I can do", and he'll mostly be right. All he can do is make sure everything is clean and tight, and properly adjusted. As long as that is the case, it's annoying, but not necessarily indicative of a problem.

 

[JohnNGeiser]

That is good to know.. I understood when i bought the bicycle that the parts i got on the bike were starter quality for a quality bike.

A second question comes into mind. With my setup, is it possible to upgrade my parts to something medium or high grade when it comes time to replace my parts? Or should i replace the pads and rotor with Origonal equipment?

The noise is not an irritant for me right now. I can deal with it , but if possible , I will purchase better parts for my bicycle if it would take care of the problem.

I apologize for the stupid questions, this is all new to me. Until i started researching this stuff before i bought my bicycle, I never knew disc brakes existed. Im trying to learn and in a couple years, after i am more acclimated to the sport , I will spend more money out the door on something better.

 

[Industry_Hack]

No such thing as stupid questions. If the noise gets bad, and it's only the rear brake, you could try a different set of pads. A good scuffing with fine sandpaper might help too.

 

[SprocketGirl]

hack is right about noise but they can be adjusted to not rub when not being applied. in other words when you use them you may hear them but when you don't squeeze them you should neither hear or feel them. ...

also like hack said there are no stupid questions... when i was a little biddy one i used to hang out at a Cycle Shop and ask about a million questions. when i was about ten they started having me clean display bikes and inflate tires on them... what i am getting at is no one knows about bikes besides people who ask about them. had an old man not taken the time to show a young girl how and why a wheel spun i would not know about bikes and would have most likely stopped riding long ago.

still just the other day i had to ask if a mtb cassette could go on a road wheel.... of course, it can.... but not mine since it is a campy free-hub...

 

[photosbymark]

Always ask if you are not sure. Even old geezers that might have done something before, often don't remember how we did it the last time. Even then sometimes the simplest things can cause a great deal of grief. I wise gray haired teacher once told me, "Better to ask before your head is underwater than to struggle to swim to the surface running out of breath."