The front disc brake on my mountain bike has started trumpeting like an elephant (back does it a little bit, too). There‘s plenty of brake pad left, and it looks like the calipers are adjusted correctly.I even tried scuffing the glaze off the pads with a piece of sand paper, and they still honk like crazy. Is it just time to get new pads? They‘re about 2 years old.
I've put the stainless lines on both of my touring bikes and they are definately worth it. I hate to disagree with jek, but apparently he hasn't put as many miles on as I have and hasn't ridden for as many years as I have. As the hoses age, they get soft and balloon out ever so slightly. As a result, you can mash the brake lever all the way to the throttle grip and still not get good braking. The stainless likes are actually braided stainless over a teflon liner and were orginally developed for use as hydraulic hoses in aircraft. Take a look inside of a helicopter and you'll see them everywhere. My experience has been that depending upon use, the OEM hoses will last for maybe 5-7 years before getting spongy. The stainless hoses will last forever. My oldest set is over 20 years old and the brake lever is still solid as a rock. They aren't cheap, but the $150-200 you spend could save you being in an accident.
By worth it I'm assuming you mean performance. As far as performance goes, it's only worth it if you are planning on taking the bike to a race track and actually putting the brakes to performance use. As you turn laps, the rubber hoses heat up and expand. This means not all of the pressure goes to the breaks. This results in the brake lever having to be pulled in further and harder to get the same results. Steel lines eliminate brake fade and keep the lever the same over time. So, it's really not worth it for any normal road use. Unless you just want to get them.
its possible that the pads have been contaminated by oil or other lubricants. a technique that mechanics use to remove that is to bake the pads in an oven, i know it sounds strange but it does work. in your case i would just replace them, i mean they're a couple of years old as you said and it probably paid for itself by now.
Most of the time this is due to improper caliper adjustment or a bent/warped rotor. Cleaning is a good first step, but often that'll make them squeak worse if the problem isn't grime. Take your rotors off the wheel and scrub them down with some Ajax powder and a stiff nylon brush. Do it for the pads, too, but be careful to keep them flatyou can alter the pad profile if you aren't careful (they're sorta soft). If you're sure the calipers are mounted properly, then spin the wheel and watch carefully one side of the rotor where it comes close to the padyou should see a continuous gap of light. If the rotor is wavy when it spins, then your squealing is most likely from harmonic vibration. You can try to tweak the rotor true using a crescent wrench (very carefully), or have a shop straighten it for you. You could get a new rotor as well, but most can be straightened just fine. If the rotor is true, then double check the caliper mounting. Sometimes shimming the caliper helps to put the inner (non-piston) pad closer to the rotor where there will be less bending as the pads contact it. Another possibility is if the rotor has glazed a little. After cleaning it, take your bike to a huge steep hill (or a parking garage) and go fast. Lay on the brakes hard and come to a full stop 5 to 10 times for each caliper. A helper who can shuttle you to the top with a car makes this a lot easier. This helps alot sometimes, especially if you never burned in the rotors this way in the first place. Doing this, you create a lot of heat and bits of the pad material will actually embed themselves in the micropores of the rotor metal, making a better (and more grabby) braking surface. One other little duh-factor is making sure that the wheel is sitting squarely in the dropouts and that the axle isn't bent. Seen that happen more than once on front wheels. :o)
although some disc brake systems just seem to be noisier than others, i find it is most often fixed by replacing the pads. lube, brake fluid/mineral oil, and plain ole' finger grease can all contaminate your pads.even if they've never touched them directly. after about two years, you're probably due for new pads anyway. metallic or semi-metallic pads will be less noisy than resin pads.but less graby. step 1 remove your old pads. step 2 clean your rotors thoroughly with alcohol (not degreaser!), or anything that doesn't leave any residue. step 3 wash your hands.with dish detergent. step 4 use your super clean hands to install your new super clean pads. step 5 now might be a good time to check caliper alignment. if all goes wellthey should be quiet(er) now!
