Jax Rhapsody

Well, I had a set on my Probe, and a pair ot 90° Origin8s on the back, and the bike stopped much better than tye Tektros, with the O8s.

I like cantis, I hate vbrakes, and often have more trouble with them with setup. I usually set them up with vbrake levers- wonderful stopping power

I did see a set of vbrakes I do like, they had a parallel system, like you see on transit bus windshield wipers, they moved in a arc keeping the pads flat, instead of the normal swinging angle of conventional ones. As far as I'm concerned, it's cantis, or disc. I do like the bmx center pulls/ubrakes, but they only work on bmx bikes.

LesterOfPuppets

Back in the '80s you could get bikes with Ubrakes, typically only rear, but sometimes both. I think the ones setup for roller cams would fit Ubrakes, not sure. Rollercam front/Ubrake rear or both rollercams were somewhat common for a while.

dminor 

2000 is calling . . . it wants its thread back.

Leebo

Zombie thread, still hydros or mech disc but on my fat bike.

rsilvers

I just took out my 1996 Merlin with XT V-brakes. The brakes were fantastic in dry weather - better than the cheap mechanical disk brakes I tried. I normally ride a Giant Trance X 29er 0 with XT disc, and the V-Brakes didn't make me wish I had disc.

My only recent experience with Cantilever was on a late 1980s/early 1990s Gary Fisher. The brakes were horrid. Complete and totally awful compared to the V-brakes.

Now true, I have never tried XTR Cantilever brakes with new pads, but I would not expect them to be anywhere near as good as even my old XT V-brakes.

Diesel_NY

Ha 17 years!!!

phidauex

Sure gives you some perspective, doesn't it? I mean, what will we be arguing about 17 years from now?

That said, I rode my first-gen Surly 1x1 with XT v-brakes on some light trails the other day, and had a blast. Nice reminder that a fun bike doesn't stop being fun just because technology continues...

Bikelearner

Im blind idk

Squeeze

Why, V-brakes vs. Cantilevers, of course!

Dan Dempsey

So my first cant-brakes were on my 1985 Trek 720 and they were fine in 1985. Being a Clydesdale and riding in the wet wet Pacific Northwest as a mostly commuter but sometimes loaded camper brake weight was never my concern.

I have a similar vintage Raleigh Aleyeska touring bike with Paul Motolite V-brakes which are amazing. I use a Tekro road lever for V-brake pull.

Disks were a definite improvement on some bikes. I have a recumbent Easy Racers Titanium Gold Rush running a 40 spoke rear with a Mavic ceramic rim and a caliper brake which stops well.

Recently I bought a bike with XT hydraulic discs -- that setup is a nicer ride than Avid BB7
It is on a Nazca Fuego.

It is again a case of different strokes preferred by different folks.
Weight may be important or not. Rim wear may be important or not.
Inline brake levers may be important or not.

BUT brakes have definitely improved since the start of this thread.

Cants - V-brakes or neither... is where this ancient thread has moved.

If it is Cants vs V, I'll take Paul Motolites but I've never used Paul cants.

Dan Dempsey

Nazca Fuego available with only disc... Avid BB7 or XT Hydraulic.

https://nazca-ligfietsen.nl/en/list/models/item/24/

Paul Motolite
https://paulcomp.com/shop/components/motolite/

Paul Touring Cant
https://paulcomp.com/shop/components...ng-cantilever/

Paul Neo Retro Cants
https://paulcomp.com/shop/components/neo-retro/

Kapusta

I'm sure I am adding nothing that has not been said already in this thread, but I would never consider going back to cantis from V's on an MTB under any conditions.

EDIT: Holy crap, I just responded to a 17-year-old thread.

Well it was true then, too.

theunartist

This was a good read considering.

I suppose after reading "much" of this thread, I'll change out from Canti's to V-brakes! I really don't enjoy (maybe a little) getting my '94 Giant Prodigy Cantilever brakes just perfectly centered and balanced (which I do eventually ).

Kudo's to the OP as well as all the replies!!! Have a good ride...

Yesh

So, having followed this thread closely for 18 years and given it a lot of thought...

J/k

I have been a long time Canti fan, the rear cable on my best good bike has been frayed and hanging on by threads for years now! don't worry I have a reflector bracket installed!

it actually still works great as of last week and this is a 45 pound 'dry' weight cargo bike were talking about!

which brings us to the physics lesson of tonight!!

it just sort of popped into my head, I don't think it has been mentioned, that I have noticed, throughout this great decade spanning debate!

so! cantis are stronger! my cargo bike is much safer running cantis. Here is why!

***PHYSICS LESSON***

the cable on a canti brake is actually part of the 'structure' of the brake that resists the spinning motion of the wheel. This is so because it is Fixed at both ends. add tension and you now have a system where the load on the brake arms is being divided between the brake boss and the cable. The pad is somewhere in the middle. There you have it a nice sturdy mechanical system.


v brakes by comparison all the load is at the boss, the cable is 'loose' and adds no support.


the canti system will have the benefit of smoothness (vibration or shudder wise), and also the ultimate strength of the system will be higher because of this.

less oscillation and less push pull fatigue on the metal parts means a greater life span as well.

anyway there you have it folks!

***Opinion***

v brakes are just cheapo junk that accompanied the most recent bike shaped object boom.

***Joke***

(it started right about the time the OP signed into AOL via 56k and after tweaking his Geocities.com website and maybe playing a quick game of StarCraft or Counter/Strike, decided to log onto that new web forum about bicycles that he heard about from the guy at blockbuster video..., OP if you are out there I mean no jest I am really just having a good time!)

***Opinion***

Really, V brakes are cheaper to make and a lot more easy for the average big box employee to knucklehead into alignment!

that being said I like V brakes too and also bike shaped objects, I'm no snob!

nowadays with 30$ of BSO on craigslist and 10$ of tools from harbor freight and you can get around!

heres to you Shimano! for fighting the good fight! not being afraid to dumb things down a bit and tarnish excellence and precision if it means empowering the common man and woman in his or her quest for survival and enjoyment, and also feeding and clothing you and yours in the process. Heres to you!

to me personally, bikes are mainly utilitarian, a way to get around, shed some pounds, carry heavy loads, cover ground faster! secondly they are a great hobby to tinker with, accumulate dirt cheap parts and daydream about someday setting the world free from the fossil fuel deathgrip! maybe 17 more years is what itll take!

...ill check back on this thread in another 17 years... promise!

(actually I am tempted to post pics of two of my bikes (one canti, one V) y'all would get a KICK! but I don't think I am going out to 'The LAB' tonight but rather am about to go read a book and go to sleep!)

goodnight everyone! remember to always STRETCH before you ride or exercise some lost arts of the past are still very much valid today

Aubergine 

I've tried old sidepull brakes of all qualities, old centerpull brakes of all qualities, cantilevers, and v-brakes. I can make them all work just fine.

Well, cheap steel sidepull brakes on the 1970s BSOs were pretty bad.

Anyway, my honest opinion is that the great benefit to v-brakes is that they are easier to mount and adjust. Thus cheaper for the manufacturer and shop. Any benefits to the riders were secondary.

Rocket Mouse

officially part of the legendary almost 18 year old thread.

I haven't personally used canti's since the early 90s... but I have v-brakes on my vintage daily ride and they still provide plenty of stopping power for me. Definitely feel firmer than the older canti. I've been through a lot of mud and streams in my time on the trails I ride and while a rim style brake will lose some of the stopping power when wet like that, I still prefer the simplicity and low cost of replacement over the now standard disc setups.

I know my next new bike will have disc....but I've enjoyed the v-brake style for their full run in the biking world.

biopaceIII

Am thinking about upgrading my front cantilever brake to a v-brake, but would like to retain my front brake lever/shifter unit. Not sure if there will be non-compatibility issues between the lever/shifter (Deore XT ST-M091 Rapidfire) and the v-brake. Will update with the results of the upgrade when done.

Rick

Send a picture of the front of your bicycle. Why would this be an upgrade. The canti brakes are better at going around large tires and fenders than V brakes. You can purchase canti or V brakes that are much easier to adjust than the older brakes. So what are you replacing it with.

fietsbob

Magura HS33 is a great hydraulic rim brake , that mounts on V brake posts..

They've been in production in Germany since before this thread ever started..
once set up all you do is snap imn fresh brake pads as they wear down....

I bled mine, just once when i put in longer hoses, after I raised the handlebars.. 11 years ago ..
on a bike that left the NL factory 15 years ago..

Rick

I have the HS-66 Magura hydraulic rim brakes on my Burly tandem. They are the best stoppers I have ever owned on a bicycle. Magura doesn't make the drop bar version anymore. The HS-33 brakes are still the favorite of many world travelers. I wish I had ordered my custom touring bicycle with the canti/V brake studs instead of the disk brakes. I may still send it into Co-Motion and pay them to put the canti studs and some hydraulic cable guides on.

biopaceIII

Put on the v-brake from the spares bin today, and replaced the rapidfire pod with the original late 80s Deore lever and shifter. Have not road tested yet and am leaving the working rear brake untouched in case the "cantilever brake lever + v-brake" combination doesn't work. Will head out slowly to test later.

Tried to upload an image, but I don't have permission to do so yet.

Kapusta

Ghazmh

Happy Feet

By 2024 the debate will be between hydraulic disc and electronic braking. The E crowd will be laughing at the dopes who went old tech hydro.

I remember when the foot drag method was a legit thing.

fietsbob

Don't forget Magura's Hydraulic Rim Brakes* ... Mine are in their 15th year of reliable service,




* mentioned in # 145 .. still produced today as 33,, 22, &11 HS ..






...