Jiveman

We have an 80's Fred Williams tandem fitted with what are I assume basic Shimano canti's.
The stopping is dire. I'm no stranger to cantis, I raced cross on them for decades. But never before on a tandem.
Is there a go to retro fit canti?
We're also keeping the non aero levers, we're off to the L'eroica you see.
It's also 700c if that matters.

Thanks

sdodd

Personally I like the Paul Mini-Moto brakes. Kind of like a stubby Vbrake but with more adjustment and better suited to 'normal' road bike lever pull. I have no idea if they work with your non-aero levers and if you can route your cable housing appropriately. But, they make for good stopping power for me on the tandem. I also keep fenders on the tandem year round (Oregon) and these brakes were able to clear them without issue.
Just ignore the crappy front brake cable routing. This picture was in the middle of me trying out different length stems and I didn't want to rewrap and reroute the bars every time I changed the stem.

Front brakes, no wheel or fender

Front Brakes, with wheel and fender

rear brakes with fender

Leisesturm

On an 80's rig I would think Mafac canti's were the go to. Possibly Dia-Compe, but Shimano? IDK. I just bought the last Forte canti's for sale on Amazon. They are a dead ringer for Tektro CR720's which don't seem to be available anywhere. I think you want a 'wide profile' canti and the Paul (or Avid) stuff could look vintage at a distance, and in the right light, but at $120 at each end of the bike? Well, I couldn't. There are tons of worthy candidates on Ebay for your consideration. Dia-Compe, Mafac, and Velo-Orange will keep the vintage cred. But what about fresh pads for your OEM calipers? That really is the only thing that's changed in 50 years. Newer canti's haven't gotten any better over time. Personally I'd be considering V-brakes for the win! Mini-V's like Tektro RX5 would work with your levers and not break the bank. 700C? 1980? Are you sure?

cyccommute 

Paul’s cantilever brakes are a good improvement over most any other cantilever. I have them on several bikes including my loaded touring bike. They stop very well and are simple to set up. I do happen to have a full set…front and rear…with Paul Moon Units which make for a better straddle cable hanger than most others since they are wider. I would be willing to part with them if you are interested. PM me if you are interested.

robobike316 

You probably know this already, but the basics of brake maintenance should be applied before buying new stuff. Clean rims, properly set up straddle cable, shoe alignment, etc... Are the cables and housings good? The biggest offender is usually old, hard shoes. They can often be made substantially better by grinding/filing down to fresh rubber. A new set of Coolstops is around $25. None of that is anywhere near as fun some new Paul cantis! As far as retro, the Mafacs and any early Shimano would look right on an 80s bike. Paul makes what I would call a modernized Mafac copy that is super cool.

bboy314

If you can find a set of the now discontinued Tektro CR720s, I’ve had success with those on a tandem. I recommend throwing the stock pads in the trash and replacing with Kool Stops though.

LV2TNDM

I'd bet that your poor braking has less to do with the cantilevers than everything else. Shimano has always made quality canit brakes and what was available in the 80's should provide more than enough stopping power. BUT it requires a full brake system refresh, consisting of:
1) Remove cantis, clean up posts & brakes & reinstall with everything clean and posts properly lubricated.
2) New compressionless (or high quality) housing & cables, lubricated with appropriate oil or grease.
3) Cut & grind your housing ends, ensure excellent mating at all the cable stops and proper housing length & arcs.
4) New brake pads & resurfaced rims.
5) Clean up brake levers, lubricate pivots.
6) Proper straddle cable length. This can make or brake (Ha, ha!) cantilever setup. Make sure you pad position and straddle length create the proper cable pull & leverage cantis are designed to have. Doing this wrong makes cantis suck.

Taking these steps should make crappy braking excellent. Just a matter of proper setup. I've turned the crappiest, most dangerous brakes into excellent stoppers just by applying the time & energy and new parts to restore them to better-than-new condition.

Or upgrade to Pauls and be super cool!!!

Gyro_T

Linear pull will give better stopping force than most cantilever. This one looks fairly retro: on the rivbike.com.

Brakes - Linear Pull - Shimano DXR MX70

Putting compressionless housing and linear pull on my Bridgestone MB-2 made a huge difference. BTW Leisustrum, the shift from 27 X 1 1/4 to 700c occurred in the 70's. I would like to put linear pull on our KHS Tandemania. I run 50 mm wide 559 (26") on that bike. Some models don't have clearance for wide tires. I like the more planted feel of wide tires and that helps with my wife on the back! The mini Moto is spec'ed to 44-45mm only. I used the Box One V brakes on my Bridgestone with 55mm tires, and they are available in clear anodize which works for a more vintage look.

Rick

As already mentioned by cyccommute and others the Paul brakes are what I and others would use. American and pricey they are but there is no plastic parts and they are designed so they are easier to adjust than the old canti and linear pull brakes. The Neo Retro cantis are a modern version of the older Ma-Fac brakes and quite powerful. The only other brake I would consider is the Big Squeeze by R&E Cycles.

Gyro_T

Rick, I have a 531 light touring bike I built for my wife with the Paul Neo-Retro cantilevers. They are great! I have Paul levers on my Fargo. Being on a loaded touring bike is not the same as barreling down a steep decent on a tandem. I like cantis, however based on what I have learned a good quality linear pull will outperform a cantilever. "Cabeling" has something to do with it, and perhaps mechanical advantage if they are well designed.
If Paul made a linear pull that fit a 50mm tire, I would put that on my tandem.

Rick

Paul makes the Motolite linear pull brake. I have them on my sons touring bike. There is a video on the page I linked to and it looks like they could handle a tire that wide. I would talk to Paul to confirm. You might be able to run some fenders also. Here is a video about Paul rim brakes and 50mm wide tires are shown with the Motolite.

Gyro_T

Very good video. Russ does a great job. Thanks for that link Rick!