Sandman,
The brake blocks look new or at least recent. A lot of brake blocks whether new or old have a hardened braking surface. I grind .010" to .025" off of the surface to get down to softer material using the side of a grinding wheel or a belt sander. This probably wont cure the brake squeal but they should stop better.
You can put some toein into the blocks by carefully grinding a slight angle into them. It might work for a while.
I have an almost all original 1971 Gitane Tour de France that has terrible brake squeal. I've tried all of the Mafac tuning tricks that I know and it's just comes down to those particular Mafac blocks and the Weinmann alloy clincher rims.
Since they stop great I've decided to leave the squeal alone and only ride that bike on crowded bike trails. It gets the attention of inconsiderate people who stop in the middle of the path to chat! ;-)
Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA
-----Original Message----- From: sandranian Sent: Mon, Jul 13, 2009 3:11 pm Subject: [CR] Toeing Brakes - Help!
So I am having some "issues" with my circa 1960 Gitane due to the horrible sounds made by the squealing brakes, which of course use the aluminum fenders to amplify the sound.
The issue is how to toe the brakes. Here are some pictures of the type
of brakes
that are on the bike:
http://www.postimage.org/
I don't want to try and bend the calipers, and can't see how the pads will allow for toeing, so before I use any muscle on the brakes, I figured I would ask the "pros" first. Thanks in advance for your help. If you need any further details, I would be happy to oblige!
Stephan Andranian
Costa Mesa, California USA