uoficowboy

Hi - I have a Jamis Aurora touring bicycle from 2007. The brakes on it are... awful. And they've been that way since I got the bike more than a decade ago. I can spend an hour adjusting them and get them to only somewhat suck. I also seem to have to choose between the brakes making my ears bleed and my brakes not being able to stop. Getting quiet brakes that actually stop me seems impossible.

I think it's time to just purge these old Tektro cantilever brakes from my life and get shiny new ones. Are cantilever brakes all compatible? Is this a hard job to do? Can anybody recommend a set of brakes that would fit my bike and would be easy to adjust?

Thank you!




Might need a wash...

shelbyfv

Seriously? Bet they would work a lot better if you cleaned and lubed the thing, put on some pads that aren't worn out and some cables that aren't rusted. Just a guess, though....

uoficowboy

Even after I do all of that it'll work OK... for like 50 miles.

Like I said, they've been crap since the day I got this bike. I stopped using this bike as I felt the braking was so unsafe that I didn't want to ride it anymore, and I was tired of how little I could ride before I had to retune everything. I'm doing a total overhaul right now and am replacing all cable and guides, all gears, chains, and would like to do brakes and brake pads. The bike is dusty as I haven't ridden it in a year.

dsbrantjr

Try some Kool Stop salmon pads and see how they work for you. For extra style points get some Problem Solvers Wide Cable Carriers https://www.jensonusa.com/Problem-So...er-Black-50mm?
You might want/need new straddle cables. Adjust the carriers as low as you can.
Edit: If you front brake shudders/squeals, try installing a fork crown-mounted cable st; this will eliminate the root cause. https://www.velonews.com/gear/techni...turn-to-cross/
If you really want new brakes I can recommend Tektro CR-720s. But there is little to go "bad" with canti brakes that a little clean, lube and adjust can't fix.

uoficowboy

I've used kool stop salmon pads, I think from the recommendation of somebody on this forum. No dice.

I think part of the problem is the springs in the brakes are getting soft/rusted/sticky, which combined with my cables being a bit rusted makes the brakes not retract very well.

One thought: Is it possible that my wheels got so rough that they just chew through my pads? Like I can get it all working OK but only for a short while - maybe my pads are just getting destroyed by sandpapery rims? I know one rim got a bit damaged as years ago I let my pads pretty much disappear.

So are all cantilever brakes compatible?

AeroGut

For the most part yes, although the degree of adjustability in different directions varies a little. And on older frames especially, the spacing of the posts can be narrow to the point that some brakes don't fit well. There are also some oddballs from the late 80's that have the spring anchor points on the opposite side of the post from standard.

Your bike is new enough that it should be pretty standard, and as long as the brakes you are putting on are modern, they should fit.

I also second the recommendation for a fork mounted cable stop. They're great for eliminating chatter.

cpach

Cantilever brakes are all essentially compatible, and replacing them is not particularly difficult. I think those are Tektro Oryx which in my experience work reasonably well, but given the total amount of corrosion and the relatively low cost of new brakes you may as well replace them if you want.

You may also like the relatively simple setup and potentially higher and more linear mechanical advantage of a mini-v brake. They can have somewhat worse mud clearance and can feel a little on-off in comparison, but you might prefer them.

Pop N Wood

do yourself a favor and replace those with some decent V brakes. Had cantilevers on an MTB that were incapable of actually stopping the bike on a steep down hill. Went to Shimano V brakes with matching levers and braking improved 1000%

uoficowboy

I was under the impression that V brakes were a mountain bike thing. Would they still fit my touring bike? And do they attach to the same posts that the cantilevers attach to?

shelbyfv

V brakes will attach and are much easier to set up but will not work with your canti levers w/o a kludge. If you have STI brifters that would mean changing your shifters as well. If you have bar end shifters, Tektro does make drop bar brake levers that work with V brakes.

uoficowboy

I see. Yeah, I'd rather not purge my brifters, even though they're pretty rough looking (too many crashes on pavement). Sounds like new cantilevers it is.

ClydeClydeson

Mini-V brakes are compatible with your brake levers and will work better and be much easier to set up. I have mini Vs on the front of my bike and cantilevers on the rear.

The only disadvantage of mini-V brakes is that they have less tire clearance. If you want to use tires wider than ~40mm then there might be clearance issues.

dsb_mac

changing pads themselves not hard. but adjusting canti's can be confusing.

dedhed

Not hard until one of those ridden hard and put away wet bolts snaps off or rounds out

surak

I can stop my tandem (300+ lbs) down a -15% descent with Tektro CR710 cantis and Salmon dual compound pads. Dual compound makes a difference in power and noise. Mini-Vs not an option because I wanted big tire clearance that worked with STI.

It wasn't any harder for me to adjust the brakes than any other type. Just had to read and understand the Sheldon Brown article on cantis.

ddeand 

I got a bike with canti brakes, and it stopped fairly well, but not as well as I would have liked. I replaced the brakes with Avid Ultimates (used), and am really impressed with the improvement. There is definitely a learning curve to setting up cantilever brakes, but I found that it was worth it on my bike.

Bill in VA

Critical info. Yes, that is possible! Smooth off the braking surfaces of the rim, use proper toe in with clean brakes and new pads and then decide. I have Shimano CX-50 cantis with Ultegra pads to get the pad holder setup for easy pad replacement and no need to re-toe. However the soft and rusty and sticky cables should also be fixed. Both could be the issue, so fix both.

I also tried Salmon Coolstops but found them to squeal (more like a honk) so loud I did not need a bell. Nothing made them not squeal. Went back to the Shimano pads and cured the squeal. I put the Coolstops on my wife's Shimano Tiagra sidepulls and they work great. I understand why folks really like them. I may try the dual compound ones.

I also found the CX-50 cantis are easy to setup.