cormacf

Hi.

Please forgive the "braking 101" question here, but I'm converting an old (1988) Peugeot to a rainy city / touring bike.



I got a cheap set of Deore M610 which should be more than sufficient to replace the old 3x6, I'm going to be running a Velo Orange Dajia Trekking Bar, so the shifters will work fine, and I've worked out my wheel / spacing issues. The frame is off to get blasted and powdercoated next week.

All that's left are the brakes.

Two questions:

1) I'll be running rim brakes, and I'd like maximum clearance for fenders. Do cantis qualify? V-brakes are pretty hideous-looking, so I'd like to avoid them, if possible.
2) Cantilever brakes seem to run from $7 or $8 per set to well over $100. Where is the price-performance sweet spot?
3) Given the bars and shifters, what brake levers should I run? Again, I don't want to kill the budget, but I don't want to die.

Thanks!

jimc101

There isn't anything particularly wrong with canti brakes, just that linear pull (v-brakes) are so much easier to setup, which is the biggest issue with Cantis.

For fender clearance, canti's may have a lower straddle wire than linear pull brakes, but google search images for touring bikes, they don't have any issues with fender clearance.

For price, suspect that the $100 ones you are seeing are CX versions, designed for cyclocross bikes, high end MTB cantis haven't been available since mid 2006 (effectively the day when Shimano v-brakes hit the stores) unless your looking specifically at NOS, it's very unlikely that you will fine any MTB canti brakes other than entry level today (except for the retro scene)

For brake levers, you need to match these to the brakes, as there is different pull for canti & linear pull brakes, there are some dual, but you will need to research your chosen model.

Just to throw an alternate in, you could look at hydraulic rim brakes, Magura still do these, I have HS33's set up on a few bikes, great brakes, currently they offer HS11,22 & 33R models.

cormacf

Thanks! And wow--the reviews on even the low-end Magura are great. I was thinking hydraulics might be a pain to service, but the bike isn't going anywhere more than 100 miles from Seattle, Portland, or Los Angeles, so i guess that wouldn't be an issue.

So if I might, 2 follow-up questions:

1) Is there any mechanical advantage to CX brakes over cheaper traditional cantis?
2) Is there any advantage (other than aesthetics) over center-pull setups like the Paul or Dia-Compe? I have the Pauls on my road bike, but I chose them over the 105s mostly for looks and fender clearance. This current bike is much more budget-aware.

cormacf

These Tektro CR720s are only $22 each on Amazon. That might hold me over until I can assess what I need.

jimc101

For the CX canti vs MTB, often (not the CR720's you linked to) they are lower profile than MTB cantis, also, some have different pull requirement, depending which brand or lever & model they are designed for.

For the center pull question, does it really matter, as they won't fit your frame.

For the Tektros you have linked to, having used Tektro brakes in the past, the pads are the only bad thing with them, which are easily replaced with your favourite brand, other than that, great VFM, if looking at them for budget, not sure what your going to get better.

Trevtassie

I have a suspicion those Tektros cantis are designed to be used with V brake levers, just looking at the leverage ratio compared to most cantis. So that's something you may need to consider. Most higher end levers are V brake now and the cheaper ones have selectable V or canti... so you might be better off with a set of those so you can see what feels best.

FrozenK

Cantis require canti (or road) levers. I don't know of any that will work with mountainbike (linear pull) levers.

Cantis will have less stopping force than v brakes, regardless of how well you adjust cantis. Is a matter of geometry. High profile cantis like the ones linked above have the least mechanical advantage and thus stopping force. Wide stance cantis do offer more myd clearance, that is why some CX bikes use wide or mid-wide cantis.

There are no "cyclocross" cantis. What you see is that cyclocross racers are pretty much the only market left for high end cantilever brakes. So companies that still make high end cantis market them to the CX crowd.

bmthom.gis

Nothing at all wrong with cantis. Paul has some really expensive but really nice ones. Another option is to look for a donor bike in craigslist that has a nice set (all alloy, no plastic. Think Deore, LX, XT, or XTR level), take the brakes and sell the rest. Or put V brakes on it and have a bonus mtn bike. As for levers, you need to get some that can adjust for V or canti pull. I bought some Tektro levers on amazon and so far they have been awesome.

Tim_Iowa

Many of the folks I know that tried Tektro CR720s end up replacing them with Shimano CX70 cantilevers and are much more satisfied. But, the CX70s are $100 a pair.

cormacf

I wound up going with XT v-brakes -- they seemed like the best amount of stopping power per dollar in relatively cheap rim brakes, and they didn't look QUITE as hideous as first-gen v-brakes. Hopefully they do the job. Thanks, everyone!