HTupolev

What does cable pull have to do with drop bar versus flat bar? Flat bar V-brake levers also work by using a long cable pull ratio, which is why they also sell short-pull flat-bar levers specifically to be used with short-pull "road" brakes.

I've set up two bikes with drop-V levers and in both cases they have more than enough braking power.

As a guy with average-sized hands I've found them to work very well from the hoods. If anything the hood and lever design seems to be overcompensating for the forward pivot point, making them feel a little weird from the drops.

There's nothing wrong with primitive.

BigAura

Cantis:

• Stop bicycle
• Old-school elegance

V-Brakes:

• Stop bicycle
• Use less force for same stopping-power
• Very easy to setup

Jeff Neese

+3

fietsbob

other part is the brake lever and its Mechanical advantage paired with the Brake.

V brake lever is lower MA, by necessity, to pull enough cable for the High MA demand of the long V Brake arms.

the mechanics of the simple lever is known by people over 2000 years ago , but apparently forgotten in the Internet era.

AusTexMurf

I have used canti's, vbrakes, drum brakes, mechanical and hydraulic disk brakes, and Magura hydraulic rim brakes. Maguras are super strong, tough pads last forever. Better run heavy duty rims such as Sun Rhyno's, Rhyno Lights, or even European style steel rims. Heavy duty setup, IMO, for regular bicycle under reasonable use. Last forever with excellent power on front wheel of pedicabs but rim wears as fast or faster than pads. Requires much less adjustment than running a disk up front.

My Bike Friday triple tandem has canti's front and rear with big rear drum brake on non-drive side. Lots of stopping power, there.

My least favorite are disk brakes as I cannot stand how they drag and squeal if rotors are even slightly out of true. In my experience even more so with hydraulics as there seems to be less space and adjustability with them. More favorably suited to mountain biking or maybe consistently wet, gritty conditions such as PNW or east coast in conditions like C&O. Also, more problematic when shipping or boxing bike for train or plane.
Dual rear disk brakes, preferably mechanical, are the way to go on a pedicab as they provide the stopping power needed for the loads and heavy use. However, they require frequent adjustment and rotors are prone to warping, maybe due to temps ?

Vbrakes with longer arms and some curve such as Deore T610's clear even the wide SKS fenders to accommodate 2.0+" tires. Super simple, easy to set up, plenty of stopping power with decent pads. Run true wheels as pads are close to the rim.

Well set up canti's with salmon Kool Stops have plenty of stopping power for me, even fully loaded on big descents.
Only complaint is that they tend to squeal more, esp. front, esp. when damp, in my experience. I find they are also more difficult to get set up properly and/or adjust on the fly.

Also agree that canti's are the most elegant looking option.

nickw

A big problem, in my experience, with Mini-V's (pardon me if somebody has said this) is that there is very little clearance between the pad and rim. If your wheels get out of true to any reasonable degree, they may rub. Cantis have a much wider tolerance for rim true-ness.

Just something to think about, if your in BFE, with no knowledge or skill to true up a rim you may be outta luck. With Cantis you could probably still ride and have functional brakes and drag yourself to a bike shop.

fietsbob

an understanding of the lever.. ancient classical mechanics .. helps.

Higher MA = longer distance of the effort arm,
than the work applied point, but the more force is applied, for the given effort.

L type cantilever is a class 1 lever work- pivot/fulcrum- effort

V and compact canti fall into class2 Pivot, (on the end) - work - effort .. measured distances give you ratio of effort to work done.

the work in this case pressure squeezing the rim creating friction with the brake pads.





'/,

niknak

I actually think having the pads close to the rim is a good thing. You now have any early warning system if a wheel is getting wonky. The more out of true a wheel gets the more stress is applied to individual spokes, the cause of broken spokes.

That being said, I'm happy with v brakes, cantis, mini v brakes, and centerpulls. I've toured with all of them and they all stop just fine.

macbobster

Wow is this an old thread! I just have to say I have no problem looking stupid if my bike stops better. I am going to try some Deore 530 Vees on the front of my '88 Cannondale SM because @ 65 years young my hand strength is not what it used to be, LOL. I currently have some nice (un-stupid looking) well set up Tektro canti's on there. But just got a little tired on a 700' descent the other day. Actually a miracle (thank you Jesus) I'm not in the hospital. I will let you know how this works out.

Cheers, MAC

stardognine

Another zombie thread? OK, I'm in. 😁
I just traded over bikes, to an '88 Bianchi Forte, which has a canti in the front, but a good old U-brake in the back. 😳 It took a little time to get it adjusted right, but it'll lock up that rear wheel as well as any other brake I've used. Which would be anything other than disks. I've heard some scary stuff about disk brakes, like locking up at really bad times, so avoid them. 🤔

This bike has a great frame, but had Shimano Exage components, so I'm upgrading most things as I go. I bought another old MTB yesterday for $20, for the cheap but better cantis, 7-speed grip shifters (like new), and tires & tubes (also like new, with Serfas Drifters tires). It also had a Cateye Enduro computer, and a weird battery operated horn, lol, so I definitely got my $20 worth out of it. 😁

macbobster

Hey stardognine, my '88 Can SM500 has the darn U Brake on the back too! I thought Cannondale was the only one with that silliness. I'm putting Kool Stop pads (salmon) on the new Deore Vees and that U Brake as well. I sure hope I can lock something up besides my old hands! I'll keep this Zombie going.

Cheers, MAC

staehpj1

Not sure what the need to revive this old thread was, but I still think cantis are fine. I have also toured with a road bike with shimano dual pivot 105 brakes (1990 vintage) and they worked great too.

On the other hand I have grown to like hydraulic discs really well on my mountain bike and think I would happily tour on discs too. I just have not done so at this time. I have found them to require almost no attention other than pad replacement once in a while on my MTB. They just work. I have not noticed any of the disadvantages others have mentioned in this thread.

djb

MAC, re tired hands on descents, that's the big plus with a disc setup, a lot more braking power for lot less hand pressure.
Very much appreciated in steep hilly terrain when fully loaded.
Downside is having to learn a bunch of new technical stuff and learning how to deal with the potential annoying foibles, that do require more attention to detail than rim brakes.

staehpj1

I keep reading that, but in practice I have not found it to be true. I have found them to be easy to set up and then they just work with no further attention. My experience with them is limited to one MTB with hydraulic discs and one ebike with mechanical discs. I have lived with the MTB long enough to have been through a set of pads, but the ebike I just set up for my daughter. Maybe I have just been lucky so far.

The hydraulic brakes on the MTB have required far less attention than any rim brakes I have ever used. As I said, it was pretty much set them up and ignore them and the set up was super easy.

I have not had to do anything to the mechanical cable operated disc brakes on the ebike since it is still new, but it was super easy to set up and I don't see it being any big deal to maintain.

Maybe I am missing something, but I just don't get what all the attention they require is. I suspect that the fact that folks are just not used to them and the fact that they are different makes people a little apprehensive about them.

Tourist in MSN

I have canti brakes on a couple bikes, V brakes with Travel Agents on one, mini-V brakes on one, sidepulls on one, vintage Mafac centerpulls on one, and on one bike a disc in rear with a V brake and Travel Agent on front.

They all stop me when I want to stop. I am content.

One thing that I have learned over the years is that Koolstop Salmon pads is the answer to many rim brake problems.

And on my one disc brake that came with semi-metalic pads, that brake did not work as well as I had hoped. So I tried some really cheap generic brand resin pads and found them to be much more effective. I am sure the resin pads will not last as long, so I bought several spares.

I generally do not comment on three year old threads, but chose to on this one.

Leebo

Disc for the win. I no longer have my typewriter or walkman either. I have avid cantis on my old bike, they work fine except for the wearing out the rim part. New England commuter here.

Happy Feet

Well.. I'm glad we got that sorted out.

pdlamb

Until next time...

Tourist in MSN

And it only took three years to do so.

djb

chuckle
all of you.

djb

hi stae, ya I think part of it for me was user error, combined with my bike having a caliper mount put on backwards and me not knowing this, so it made it hard as heck to adjust, so I mucked around and messed up the rear caliper position which made it finicky to set the rear wheel properly without rubbing. Only when a mechanic at one point noticed it and flipped it around, making it much easier to fit an allen key in, and simplified things.
I think also as you say, it is different, so you have to learn new stuff, and you do have to learn to be more precise in wheel placement-although thru axles most likely are easier for proper positioning.

re hydros, yes, thats my understanding also, that they are very easy and long lasting and just self adjust etc.
I do however have a neighbour with a hydro bike and he has had some weird things--one was from hanging his bike from a hook in his garage, and sometimes the brake levers would go to the grips and then be ok, and he had no idea. I finally figured out it was from hanging the bike, and I figure an air bubble was moving around and causing this. It wasnt an issue when level, but it was good to figure out the why.
He also had front pad rubbing, but when investigating and trying to figure out why as there isnt any pad adjustment dials or whatever--I finally saw that it was his antilock wheel bolts instead of qr, and the front one wasnt tight, so the wheel wasnt lined up right. Again, after figuring it out, it was fine.

cletusjones

I have cantis but they are on an ancient touring bike( Specialized Expedition 1984ish...) and my take on them is that full on, they stop great but there's not a lot of grades between "not at all" and " Stop Now!".

indyfabz

Moving on the more important issues...What's the best chain lube? And do you wave at other touring cyclists? What about roadies?

stardognine

WD40 now makes a chain lube in a spray can. They might have done so for years, but I first saw it a couple days ago. 😁 I still need to try it, been kinda busy.

Tourists, yes; roadies, no. 😉

BTW, apparently this thread needed resurrecting. Look at all the fresh replies. 🤔😁

seeker333

You might need some new brake levers (long pull) to go with those V brakes (long pull). Also a good idea to replace cable and housing if old/worn/dirty.