Psydotek

For those of you with an IRO Rob Roy, did you find that you had to have the axle almost completely forward in the trackend (dropout) to be able to be able to properly adjust the brakes?

I finally got mine built this last weekend. Generally, i like to have the axle somewhere in the middle of the trackends so that way i can slide the wheel forward to get the chain off the cog if i need to take the wheel off. However, i can't slide the brake pads far down enough on the cantilever arms to grab the braking surface. The only way for the rear brake to work is to have the wheel almost completely forward which means i need to undo the master link everytime i need to take the rear wheel off.

I suppose it's not that huge an issue, but it would be nice to have a tad bit more adjustability to get the wheel off easier.

I'm thinking a 1/2 link would give me enough slack without making the chain too long that the brake wouldn't work (i tried a full link and it was too long).

flargle

I would find that completely annoying. Maybe try a different brake?

Psydotek

I'm thinking of trying a different brake. But i don't know which ones offer a greater range... The bike currently has a set of Avid Shorty 4 cantilevers.

It's not completely unbearable, but yes, it's annoying. Means i'll have to pack some small needle nose pliers with me.

flargle

For me that'd be unacceptable. I'd try going to a local shop that sells a range of bikes (i.e. mountain, comfort, etc) and seeing if any brakes work. V-brakes with travel agent is a viable option.

Also, maybe setting up the spacers on the brakepad arms differently might help?

Psydotek

Nope... I tried the spacer adjustment.

Well, i'm going to try the 1/2 link first to see if that gives me just enough room. That and it's the cheapest thing first.

mconlonx

Others reported this in the RR group buy thread as well. I'm using Tektro 720 cantis and with the wheel in the middle of the track ends, I still have room for a couple of small chain adjustments before I hit the bottom of the pad post slot in the brakes, and I can get enough slack to remove the chain from the rear cog when removing the wheel. Others theorized that something with a lot of adjustability, like Paul Motolites might work. One guy said he had good luck with some vintage Onza HO brakes he got on fleabay--pretty much full adjustability with these. Maybe also check out the tail end of the IRO RR GB thread for updates?

Psydotek

Awesome.

I was eyeing those Tektro 720 brakes while typing up this thread.

jhota

no problems at all - but then, i'm using the aforementioned Onza H.O.'s.

if i have to replace them, i'll probably go with Motolites.

painthawg

I have a half link on mine. I can't take the chain completely off of either the cog or chainring, but there is enough space that if I slide the wheel forward, I can pull the chain off to the side and rotate the cranks to get the chain off. I'm using a set of AVID brakes and there is definitely a very limited range of wheel adjustment.

Ronsonic 

I'm using Tektro mini Vs and have a good bit more room for adjustment than you describe but it is still limited.

Pretty obviously there's a reason bikes intended for use with brakes come with horizontal dropouts which aren't quite horizontal.

seat_boy

Exactly. Old school bikes with semi horizontal dropouts allow the wheel to roughly follow the brake pad as the wheel is moved back and forth, which should fix these brake issues. And, because the chain tension is slightly tugging the axle against the dropout (instead of having nothing to stop it), it seems to make it much easier to get by without a chain tension device. Finally, wheel removal is generally easier because the removal motion automatically un-tensions the chain. It's a much better situation with no downsides that I've seen (as long as your tire clears the downtube during wheel removal)

Unfortunately, I can only think of a few smart bike makers that do it this way: the Riv Quickbeam (although rear facing), Surly (only on the Cross Check), Salsa Casseroll, and maybe the Bianchi Volpe. Most other makers use these stupid track ends, because they look cool.

Eric
rant mode off

Psydotek

Alrighty, i ordered the Tektro 720 brakes (don't forget to order a triangular cable straddle while you're at it) and a 1/2 link.

I should be able to get the bike on the operating table, er, workstand this weekend to experiment.

auk

The 720's come with the cable straddle that you describe.

Psydotek

Well dang... Someone in another thread mentioned they didn't come with the carrier.

Oh well, nothing wrong with having spares.

bonechiller

I had the same problem with the track ends, and I've ordered 720s to attempt to fix the problem. They'll be in today.

auk

Yup, spares are always good. Don't know why they said the kit didn't have them, as I just installed two bikes worth and both had them.

Psydotek

Alrighty. The Tektro 720 cantilever brakes fixed the problem. With an extra link in the chain (which sets the axle almost in the middle of the trackend as previously mentioned) the Tektro 720s still can grab the braking surface properly.

bonechiller

Yeah, I installed mine last night and it definitely allows for much more adjustment, although still less than ideal. It kind of makes me long for me Cross-Check (with horizontal dropouts) back.

Ronsonic 

While we're on the subject of track ends vs practical use ... Having fender mounts on the track ends is also a bit silly. There's no way of removing the wheel with the fender in place.

kweichsel

No problems with my RR and Freddys, but I'm sure different fenders have different rear clearance and I run mine big. With wider tires, it helps to wait until the wheel is back in the frame before inflating the tire.