cqlink 

I'm building a '75 Paramount setup for cantilever brakes by Cyclart.

I missed out on vintage Mafac sets with a fair price.

I see many others have arms that really stick out too far. Any suggestions for a vintage look pair with short arms until I can find an old Mafac set?

Pic of bike so far

thook

some dia compe 983 "frog legs"? there's a set on ebay right now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Dia...0AAOSwMJNdjfTY

there's a number of short arm DC canti's that would look good on it and not cost a lot. saving your money for the mafac's, eh

otherwise...check it out

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Compass-Ren...oAAOSw3F5dlO~i

jethin

Out of curiosity, why is “sticking out” a problem with cantis? Do people catch the arms on things?

Salamandrine 

This bike deserves holding out for Mafac. Realistically, that was the only cantilever brake there was when this bike was new. I'd happily put that used set of Herse brakes on there though. Pretty dope.
I also like these Dia Compe 980 brakes. IMO they look a lot better than the 80's era vintage Dia Compes. Enough of a 70s vibe that they should look at home on your Paramount.
https://www.rivbike.com/collections/...tilever-brakes

79pmooney

I have ~1985 (I'm guessing but maybe a little later) Shimano cantilevers that came on a Miyata 610 I picked up in 1990. Geometry very close to Mafac but the Shimano triangle structure. They replaced the Mafacs that I had my Peter Mooney built with. Same great stopping power but better in all other aspects. (The Mafacs went on the Miyata and served very well there. Almost 30 years later, the Shimanos are still on the Mooney and I see no reason to change. They work very well.

Ben

bikemig 

Those 980s look great. I'd mount them on an old bike.

Lascauxcaveman 

Weinmann made a MAFAC look-alike. Here they are on my '85 Peugeot Vagabond. Not a closeup, but there they are. Probably harder to find than the MAFACs, though.


I like the look of the Dia Compe 960/962's better. More compact. They "stick out" less


For fit, of course it matters how far apart your posts are, which size rim you're using, how wide the rim is, and how thick your brake pads are. Leverage seems to feel about the same on both these vintage sets of brakes, both of which I think are using their original (!!) 1985 and 1981 vintage pads. They work just fine.

cqlink 

^^^^^

Thanks. I'm trying to get as compact as possible. I've not seen those 960s.

The Golden Boy 

I prefer the medium profile brakes. My favorites are the XT M732 and MT-62. I'm not a fan of the DC960s.

The Suntour XC Pro and XTR M900 are low profile cantis.


Grail Brakes by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Bianchigirll 

More likely they can interfere with panniers, and on small bikes your heel could catch on them which is why MTBs had U brakes for a short time.

repechage

I really suggest getting a measurement from the center of the pivot to the center of the rim, vertically.
Test, don't guess.

palincss

Rene Herse cantilever would be perfect for this application. It would look right, too.

jlaw

The DC 960s certainly have a vintage look and heritage. But they do not have a spring tension adjustment mechanism, a toe-in adjustment mechanism, or a sliding up/down pad adjustment capability (pivot up/down only).

You can bend the springs manually if you need to and toe-in is possible by holding the pad where you want it while tightening the bolt.

I have successfully set the DC 960s on a bike to work properly, but it was somewhat fussy work.

The brakes that The Golden Boy recommends are upgrades from the DC 960 and have some or all of the adjustment mechanisms I mentioned.

I have the MC70s (toe-in and sliding up/down pad adj.) and the M732s (toe-in, sliding up/down, and spring tension adj.) he mentions - both are easier to adjust than the DC 960s and they are good-looking also.

The M732's can periodically be found on ebay and elsewhere for $60 to $80 plus shipping - maybe less if you're lucky.

pastorbobnlnh 

A modern possibility would be Paul Components Neo-Retro Cantilevers, which were modeled after the original MAFAC version.

While, I've not used the Neo-Retros, I do have mounted and use their Racer and Motolite models, and they are hands down the best brakes I've ever ridden. If I were working on a bike with cantilevers, I'd seriously consider the Neo-Retros, just because of the results I've experienced with the other two models.

jlaw

OP - what is the spacing c-to-c of the canti posts?

If they are narrowly spaced (60mm + -) then you may be limited to certain canti brakes that have the correct dimension from the face of pad to the center of post.

You could try narrower rims, but this complicates matters.

I have this issue on my two Trek 620's. The DC 960s, MC70s, and M732s will work on my Treks - may be some others also.

bikemig 

Modolo made a darn good cantilever that would look right on this bike as well.

scarlson 

Only problem with those Dia Compe 960s is that they don't stop worth a (insert expletive you'd say as you accidentally fly out into traffic here).

If you want mine, I have a set I'd send you for the cost of shipping. Can't get rid of them fast enough, but I've cannibalized all the hardware so it's just arms and springs.

cqlink 

58mm (front). 63mm (rear)

I'm picking up a set a 960s until I find a Mafac set reasonably priced. Hope they fit.

Those Pauls look very nice. Kind of steep at $120 (pair?).

All: Thanks for the feedback!