jonwvara 

Are there any currently manufactured cantilever brakes with straddle cables that are easily removed at both ends, like on the old Dia-Compe 980? My travel bike has a set of cheap Tektros that work fine, but it's annoying to undo an allen bolt to remove one end of the straddle cable when taking it apart, then have to readjust when it gets put back together.

I'd replace them with a set of 980s, but my understanding is that current cantilever posts are too widely spaced for that to work well. The frame in question is a Long Haul Trucker 26--not C&V, sorry, but everyone needs one modern-ish bike, right?

crank_addict

Perhaps consider Paul Components. Tall pricing but if you've seen them up close and the quality.... tempting.

edit: Sorry but I missed the request for releases at both ends.
Link
https://www.paulcomp.com/product-cat...onents/brakes/

Reynolds 531 

What about a different straddle hangar for your existing tektros, and jutst leave the straddle cable on there?

jonwvara 

Good idea--I'll think about that.

The Golden Boy 

Just out of curiosity, why do you need both ends to disconnect?

jonwvara 

When I pack up the bike for travel, I remove the stem and handlebars from the steerer, then remove the fork. That involves freeing the cables from the brakes. If I leave the cables attached, I can't store the handlebars where they need to go in the package.

I'm trying to avoid the word "rinko" here, but that's basically what I'm doing. It works really well for me. I just don't like messing with the brake-cable connections

The Golden Boy 

steelbikeguy

I've got SunTour XC Pro canti's on my S&S coupled touring bike. The hangars for the straddle cables are similar to the Weinmann centerpulls... the cross-section forms a "J", and the straddle cable fits in the curve at the bottom of the "J".
I've been able to remove the straddle cable, although it does require the brake cable to be bent a bit.
Here's a shot of the front brake....



Would this work for you?

Steve in Peoria

jonwvara 

Thanks for the link. That was useful as well as entertaining.

I've been a dim bulb about this. I've never had a set of modern cantilevers before, and had somehow assumed that the Shimano-style straddle cable--where the brake cable itself goes through the center fitting and forms half of the straddle cable--was somehow specific to the Tektro brakes. If I'd taken the time to look more closely, I would have found (as I just confirmed) that a standard Dia-Compe-type single-ended straddle cable fits right into the Tektro calipers.

Now all I have to do is attach one of those j-shaped cable yokes to the brake cable. I assume that anything will work--Mafac, Dia-Compe, Weinman, whatever. I have tons of those kicking around. Then it's just a matter of unhooking one end of the straddle cable from the brake, and unhooking the yoke from the straddle cable to break things down for packing.

I can often figure out difficult problems on my own. It's the easy ones I need help with. Thanks again!

jonwvara 

Yes, something like that should work very well. As I noted in my previous post, in reply to The Golden Boy, I really should have been able to think this through on my own, but started off on the wrong foot by assuming something I shouldn't have. I tend to overthink things, but in this case I managed to underthink them. Thanks for the photo. I like the colors--what's the bike?

steelbikeguy

The SunTour hangars do lend themselves to straddle cable removal better than some others, .... such as the Weinmann hangars that I've used quite a lot. A little work with a file or dremel might take care of that, though. The SunTours do have the advantage of only needing one conventional wrench. Not sure how much that matters in daily life, though.

The frame was built by Rich Powers (sometimes seen on the I-Bob list), back around the year 2000. Nothing too fancy, but he was kind enough to indulge some of my desires for weird braze-on's.




Steve in Peoria

MarcoBianchi

https://velo-orange.com/products/gra...tilever-brakes
Not cheap at all! But they are beautiful!

The Golden Boy 

If you can think it, someone's started a BikeForums thread about it.

Or made pr0n out of it.

Or both.

ick.

tyrion

Rene Herse:

https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...ilever-brakes/




Only $140 each (free shipping!).

RandolphCarter

Glad you worked your way through this to solving your problem.

If you did end up wanting to mount a set of Dia-Compe cantis, Pork Chop BMX has 988 cantis for sale. 28 bucks a brake including all the small bits. Available in black, silver, gold, red, purple, and blue.

Johno59

If it is any consolation, removing the grandaddy of all cantilever brakes is a nightmare.

fender1

Rivendell sells a re-vamped 980:

https://www.rivbike.com/collections/...tilever-brakes

Salamandrine 

Those look better than the old 980s, which I could never warm up to. They probably adjust easier too. Good job Dia Compe.

rhm

Oy! Have they been powder coated? I'd like to see more detail on how your cable is set up. Looks like some original hardware with new cables and housing?

You can fit new brake pads into those holders. There's room for two standard coolstop blocks in each one, I know cuz I've done it.

Johno59

There are two types. A compact version that doesn't handle the 'piston and sleeve' return spring design owing to the compressed arc of the cantilever . I swapped out the piston and sleeve arrangement for a expansion spring (green spring in the foto) anchored to the cross bar by a spoke nipple.
The splitter was the hardest thing to rebuild. But once I realized the cantilever and the splitter are two independent outer /cable arrays I was able to have brand new cables and outers thru the entire loom.
I uses Razor insert pads that are 10 bucks for 10 and they slide straight in. I use old SS rims that have very little clesrence for bigger pads.

Razor inserts do the job on a tight fit.


Looks simple enough but took me ages to figure out how to refurbish wiithout lead crimping. So now all the cabling can brand new.


Expansion spring works the tight arc of the cantilever of these compact one-piece Resilions much better than the traditional spring piston/ cylinder arrangement that works on the bigger floating arm cantilevers of the traditional much more common Resilion that I have on my Sunbeam.

palincss

Rene Herse cantilever is like that. And it certainly qualifies as "old style."
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...ilever-brakes/

JaccoW

Those do look great, I do wonder if they fit narrower canti posts however. Anyone have any experience with these on a C&V bike?


Tektro 720's don't work;

gugie 

One option is to use Ritchey brake disconnectors:



You can use any brake you want with them.

arty dave

[QUOTE=Johno59;20678460]
The splitter was the hardest thing to rebuild. But once I realized the cantilever and the splitter are two independent outer /cable arrays I was able to have brand new cables and outers thru the entire loom



Looks simple enough but took me ages to figure out how to refurbish wiithout lead crimping. So now all the cabling can brand new.

Johno how did you rebuild the splitter?

JaccoW

I like this idea.

Another option is a detachable cable hanger like the Dia-Compe 1243 (Velobase). Just unhook the cable hanger.