RadRover 5 Rubbing Noises

[Geoffrad]

I have a 2023 RADRover5 with about 450 km on it.  It has cable operated brakes. Over the last 100 km i have been hearing rubbing noises that i cannot locate or pinpoint to front, centre or rear by just listening.  It can be heard within 5 minutes of setting out for a ride. It rubs once for every wheel rotation when i am coasting or pedaling so it is not the pedals or chain. It must be associated with the rotation of the wheel(s).  I think it is both the front and back brakes but when i lift the wheels off the ground and give them a spin there is no noise. Also, when i apply the brakes, the noise is drowned out by the sound of the brakes being applied but it doesn't change noticeably. I did not assemble the bike myself. Is it a common problem to have the brakes rub?  And wouldn't i be feeling resistance when i pedal if it was the brakes? Is there an easy and safe way to get one of these heavy bikes supported so i can test?  If it was a normal bicycle i would flip it unto its seat and handlebars, and then rotate the wheels to test the brakes.  This bike is so heavy the weight may damage the controls it i flip it upside down.  How do others get the weight off the wheels for adjusting brakes, cleaning and so on?

[Naranja_CT5+]

It is funny reading your post because it was exactly what I had experienced. Until you said "but when i lift the wheels off the ground and give them a spin there is no noise."

On the road I do not have my rear stand so I just put down the rear kickstand then lean my bike toward the left. This lifts the rear tire off the ground.  Then I applied a little throttle to spin the tire and I looked where the noise was coming from. Mine happened to be the chain neoprene protector rubbing on the wheel.

I also noticed that it doesn't take much foreign materials to make the disk brakes to make a noise. I learned cleaning the disk with rags plus squeezing the brakes while riding for a few minutes does the trick for me. Depending on the mileage maybe the brake pads is telling you it is time to replace the brake pads.

[inoxa]

Possibly the brake disc is out of alignment.  You probably would notice it if you manually rotated the wheels.

If the discs are out of alignment you can bend them back into alignment.  Just be sure to clean your discs before you ride as the oils on your hands can prevent proper braking.

[Geoffrad]

To add to this discussion i went out for a very controlled 10 K ride last night.  All the way outbound, which is mostly uphill, there was no rubbing noise and i braked very little. As i returned, the noise did as well.  It's mostly downhill, a lot of rear braking only, through several 40 kph downhill sections.  Then i used both front and back brakes. The rubbing noise has to be the brakes.  It only occurs when i brake a lot, like on the downhill sections, especially it changes when i hit a bump, becoming louder or quieter unpredictably. 

I did not assemble the bike so i am thinking brake misalignment, grit around the brake pads, or both. 70% of my 12 route is fine gravel. There is only 400 km on the bike so i assume that the pads are not worn out yet. Now to get that beast off its wheels so i can check and resolve.

[inoxa]

NO the brakes should not need replacing with so few km, but maybe adjusting as well as the discs alignment.

On the right side of the bike you will need a metric allen wrench to adjust the right pad.  You should have that in the tool kit that RAD sent you. The left is only adjusted by the brake cable.

You will find uneven wear between the left and right pads. 

[mrgold35]

I have two 2016 Radrovers, 2018 Radcity, and 2023 Radcity.  I had brake pad rubbing and it would come/go depending on the braking situation.  I sometimes pump the brakes and that can more center the pads and reduce the rubbing sound. I've noticed all four ebikes had various tension for the spokes from the factory.  Around half of the spokes required 1/2 to two 360 degree turns to have the same tension (just going by feel for equal tq all around).  I think I had more rubbing because spoke flex because of my weight on the ebike being +270lbs compared to my spouse at 130lbs.

I also noticed one of my disk brake rotor wasn't true.  I used an adjustable wrench to bend the front rotor more true and that lessen the disk wobble.

It seemed like I always had to adjust my brake pads every month to the right brake feel, reduce rubbing noise, and emergency stopping power.  I eventually upgraded the cable to Jagwire MTB and mechanical calipers to TRP Spyke:
- TRP Spyke are direct plug-n-play replacement for my 2016 Rad's brakes
- pulled out Rad brake cable from plastic sleeve,
- used the same sleeve to insert Jagwire cable (purchased the cable only),
- cut to length at the caliper,
- added wire cap, and
- adjusted brake pads (TRP Spyke have L/R pad adjustments).

The spouse's Radcity was fine with original braking system and she only put +/- 300 miles a year compared to my +2200 miles per year. I only need to adjust brake handle tension when the brake pads wore down, I have fine tuning with L/R adjustments, greatly reduced cable stretch with no broken cable strands, less rust/oxidation on cable, way less noise when braking, improved emergency stopping power, and I don't get glazed pads like I did with original brakes/pads.