Which brake levers work best with cantis?
08-16-16, 01:41 PM
#1
Full Member
Thread Starter
Which brake levers work best with cantis?
I tumbled off my bike in late June, broke my collarbone and have since decided upright bars are for me. So I bought Nitto's Albatross bar and I'm now wondering if the Avid 3 levers or the ProMax levers in my bit box will work with the Avid cantis on my bike. I'm still on the mend but have ordered the bars already and I'm champing at the bit to work on my bike (a Soma Double Cross). If the aforementioned levers won't pull correctly, can someone please offer a suggestion?
08-16-16, 01:53 PM
#2
Full Member
you will need short pull levers so measure the distance between the levers pivot point to where the cable seats, V- brakes will be over 30mm cantis will be under
08-16-16, 02:05 PM
#3
Full Member
Your levers are probably long pull for V brakes. You need short pull or adjustable pull levers like these Tektros for MTB bars https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...&category=1593 or these for road bars https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...&category=1594
08-16-16, 02:29 PM
#4
Banned.
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Posts: 2,717
Bikes: '74 Raleigh International utility; '98 Moser Forma road; '92 Viner Pro CX upright
Mentioned: 44 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 939 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Paul Canti levers, hands down. They are are rock solid and will improve your brakes - Modern Bike has the discounted price on them.
08-17-16, 07:38 AM
#7
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,368
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6221 Post(s)
Liked 4,221 Times
in
2,367 Posts
Some levers have the ability to be adapted to either. Some of the old Shimano transition levers had shims that you could use to make the brake a short pull and some levers have a space or notch maked "V" and "C" for the different pulls.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-17-16, 08:52 AM
#8
Senior Member
Short pull for cantilever, side pull, dual pivot and road mechanical disc. Long pull for linear brakes (aka v-brakes) and mountain bike mechanical disc.
Some levers have the ability to be adapted to either. Some of the old Shimano transition levers had shims that you could use to make the brake a short pull and some levers have a space or notch maked "V" and "C" for the different pulls.
Some levers have the ability to be adapted to either. Some of the old Shimano transition levers had shims that you could use to make the brake a short pull and some levers have a space or notch maked "V" and "C" for the different pulls.
08-17-16, 08:56 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bozeman
Posts: 4,094
Bikes: 199? Landshark Roadshark, 198? Mondonico Diamond, 1987 Panasonic DX-5000, 1987 Bianchi Limited, Univega... Chrome..., 1989 Schwinn Woodlands, Motobecane USA Record, Raleigh Tokul 2
Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1131 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Short pull for cantilever, side pull, dual pivot and road mechanical disc. Long pull for linear brakes (aka v-brakes) and mountain bike mechanical disc.
Some levers have the ability to be adapted to either. Some of the old Shimano transition levers had shims that you could use to make the brake a short pull and some levers have a space or notch maked "V" and "C" for the different pulls.
Some levers have the ability to be adapted to either. Some of the old Shimano transition levers had shims that you could use to make the brake a short pull and some levers have a space or notch maked "V" and "C" for the different pulls.
Those Paul canti levers are money...
However, I hate to burst your bubble, but not all levers fall into these categories. I've spent a few hours combing through the bins at the COOP measuring the pull by putting a cable into the lever and pulling it to the bar. Long pull levers pull greater than 1 inch of cable (maybe 1 1/8 or 1 3/16?). Short pull pull less than 1 inch of cable (Maybe 3/4" or so). There is probably about 3/8" of difference between cable pull (I'm pulling these numbers out of my head by the way.)
Some weird levers pull in between, somewhere around an inch. I've never quite known how to classify these. So at that point I'd just measure the pivot point and put it in the bin it was most similar to. Maybe they were old levers or bent levers, I'm not sure, but there are always a few pairs that don't quite line up with short/long pull.
Last edited by corrado33; 08-17-16 at 09:04 AM.
08-17-16, 05:30 PM
#10
Full Member
Thread Starter
Gorgeous set up! In fact, I own a Love Lever, left over from my days as a fixie rider. And those VP pedals on your rig make another quality statement. Lovely stuff, but I'll probably end up with Shimano levers. Thanks!
08-18-16, 01:17 AM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times
in
222 Posts
Whether you actually have to depends on how finicky you are. If you have good hand strength and good pads you might find yourself content using long pull for either. Easy to set up.
Canti levers can be made to work OK with V-brakes, at least on the front. Some say it'll be too powerful, or feel mushy but that has never bothered me. You have to run tight tolerances though.
Never been happy with the rear. There's more slack in the cabling run which means the lever often ends up bottoming out before wheel lock.
Travel Agents are a better option IMO, if you don't want to get matching levers.
08-18-16, 08:26 AM
#12
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,368
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6221 Post(s)
Liked 4,221 Times
in
2,367 Posts
However, I hate to burst your bubble, but not all levers fall into these categories. I've spent a few hours combing through the bins at the COOP measuring the pull by putting a cable into the lever and pulling it to the bar. Long pull levers pull greater than 1 inch of cable (maybe 1 1/8 or 1 3/16?). Short pull pull less than 1 inch of cable (Maybe 3/4" or so). There is probably about 3/8" of difference between cable pull (I'm pulling these numbers out of my head by the way.)
Some weird levers pull in between, somewhere around an inch. I've never quite known how to classify these. So at that point I'd just measure the pivot point and put it in the bin it was most similar to. Maybe they were old levers or bent levers, I'm not sure, but there are always a few pairs that don't quite line up with short/long pull.
Some weird levers pull in between, somewhere around an inch. I've never quite known how to classify these. So at that point I'd just measure the pivot point and put it in the bin it was most similar to. Maybe they were old levers or bent levers, I'm not sure, but there are always a few pairs that don't quite line up with short/long pull.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-18-16, 08:59 AM
#13
Mostly harmless ™
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Novi Sad
Posts: 4,430
Bikes: Heavy, with friction shifters
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1107 Post(s)
Liked 216 Times
in
130 Posts
08-18-16, 09:28 AM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bozeman
Posts: 4,094
Bikes: 199? Landshark Roadshark, 198? Mondonico Diamond, 1987 Panasonic DX-5000, 1987 Bianchi Limited, Univega... Chrome..., 1989 Schwinn Woodlands, Motobecane USA Record, Raleigh Tokul 2
Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1131 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I'd put those in the category of brakes that you'll rarely see. I've been working at my local co-op for 5 years and I've seen every brake under the sun up to and including rod brakes on an Indian 5 Star bicycle (it had Dunlop valves too) but I've yet to see a drum of any kind. Not really worth mentioning.
