Do cartridge V brakes squeal more than the all-in-one blocks?

[Twilkes]

I put a new wheel in recently (Halo White Line Classic) and the squeal from the brakes is horrendous. Trying to stop coming down a ~10% hill put the bike into a full on hell-banshee shriek with the front of the frame shaking!

I've tried adjusting the angle of the pads but no joy, and it's not just when the brakes are coming on, it's at any brake pressure. I read that because the cartridge pads are only loosely connected to their holder they can be the cause of squeal/judder, so would I be better off going back to the one piece blocks?

I'm assuming the new rim is the bulk of the problem, is there any way I can treat the rim to stop it from squealing quite so much?

 

[tyred]

I'd clean the pads and the rim first of all. I don't think the cartridge pads would make any difference.

 

[Notafettler]

You have got the angle wrong ....just like me!! At least the squeal will let pedestrians know your coming. I have the same problem on one of my bikes. I may just try new pads first, the equivalent of cleaning them.
@tyred may have a point i doubt it but definitely worth a look in. My rims are Sputniks and are always immaculate clean as there is no where the dirt can hide. So that only leaves the pads.

 

[mjr]

Where did you read that? The pads are forced into the shoes when braking so shouldn't move much unless you fitted the shoes backwards - and if you did that, you have bigger problems than squealing!

 

[fossyant]

No difference, cartridge pads or not.

Have you put new pads on ? You might want to give the rims a good scrub as well.

 

[palinurus]

Which version of the White Line Classic did you get? (silvery braking surface or the all-black anodized one?)

 

[Twilkes]

Where did you read that? The pads are forced into the shoes when braking so shouldn't move much unless you fitted the shoes backwards - and if you did that, you have bigger problems than squealing!

A couple of places when I was looking up the squealing - I think it's more about the pads not being attached to the holders and thus vibrating, or parts of it being moved slightly by the rim rather than holding its position and slowing the rim down.

 

[Twilkes]

Which version of the White Line Classic did you get? (silvery braking surface or the all-black anodized one?)

Black but much of that has been rubbed off - could that be the problem, the braking surface isn't solid enough? I remember it being particularly shiny.

 

[mjr]

A couple of places when I was looking up the squealing - I think it's more about the pads not being attached to the holders and thus vibrating, or parts of it being moved slightly by the rim rather than holding its position and slowing the rim down.

Written by idiots? Pads are not that loose which is why it is difficult to push them in (you should pull them to avoid damage) and there are far more likely possible sources of vibration. Check fit of arms on bosses in particular - many V brakes have plastic in that area which can wear and vibrate if the bolts are allowed to go loose.

 

[palinurus]

Black but much of that has been rubbed off - could that be the problem, the braking surface isn't solid enough? I remember it being particularly shiny.

Some people have reported squealing/ juddering when changing to an anodized rim so I thought it might be a possibility. I would still expect that adjusting the squeal out should be possible (using typical toe-in adjustments).

I've used a mix of all-in-one and cartridge pads with no squealing that can't be adjusted out but I've pretty much exclusively used the same Mavic rims for ages so I don't know how they might perform with different rims. Particular rim and brake pad combinations can be more prone to squeal.

There's some advice on the Sheldon Brown site, more here (links to same site)