cantilever options for a touring bike

Hi all,

The POS brakes that came on my Cannondale T400 have finally reached unserviceable state with the little plastic cover over the springs broken off and no longer providing tension. I have zero desire to replace them with the same Shimano Altus set and view this as a good opportunity to replace with a decent set. I've been out of biking for quite awhile and it doesn't look like cantilevers are a high priority for component manufacturers anymore. Any recommendations for a new set of brakes? This bike is now my primary commuter and I'd like to get back into some touring. Also looking to fit fenders in the near future. I'm more concerned about getting a good set than cost, but I'd prefer to keep things around $100 if possible.

thanks, Matt

Centre-pull cantilevers are a bit of a pain to keep adjusted, and are not as powerful as linear-pull cantilevers ("v-brakes"). I wouldn't hesitate in upgrading to linear-pulls, with or without a "Travel Agent", or similar. I can recommend Shimano XT linear-pulls as excellent brakes.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

Little more expensive than what you'd like, but have a look at Magura HS33. They're hydraulic brakes, so you'd be replacing the levers and cables, and you'd need some clip things to fit in the current wire guides to retain the hose.

Avid Shorty 6 will work well with your existing levers and be well within your budget. I suggest new cables & cable housing when you make the change.

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David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

The T400 is a drop-bar touring bike, right? So you can't use those Maggies. I've got 'em on the rear of my MTB and they are a right pain to adjust. Admittedly, they are fine once you've dialled them in.
If you have a disc mount on your fork (probably not), you could shove on a front Avid cable road disc brake for use with standard drop-bar levers. Even if you don't have a mount on your current fork, a good new cro-mo fork with a mount wouldn't break the bank. With a front disc, it really wouldn't matter what you had on the rear.

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"All that we see and seem is but a dream, within a dream..."

What does THAT mean?

There are THREE holes on each mounting boss of the frame/fork into which the spring can be inserted. The plastic cover is cosmetic.

You can probably make the "return" stiffer by inserting the spring's tip into a different hole.

But, this sounds like a maintenance issue ...

Clean & lube the cables OR replace them!

PUT some GREASE on the bosses, too. If you are in-a-hurry, put a drop-or-two of HOUSEHOLD OIL (e.g., 3-in-1) on each mounting boss.

Don't forget to scuff the braking surface of the pads with some ~100grit sandpaper-or-emory-cloth.

That's what I would do too. They are much easier to adjust than old style canty's, they will work with your existing brake levers, and you won't have to mess Travel Agents or with the cable routing for the rear brake.

It means that you don't understand the problem.

I had the Avid Shorty brakes on my Cannondale T800, and even with a variety of brake pads, including the highly recommended salmon pads, my brake squeal could be heard from a mile away.

When Shimano released their new R550 Cantilever brakes I decided to give them a try. After a year and a half of riding I have never heard the slightest squeal, and they stop on a dime.

Jensonusa.com has them at a good price:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...o+Br-R550.aspx

Hope this helps.

Do you really think so?!?

In case you are serious, I have-and-have-used many levels of cantilevers (mostly, Shimano), and they are ALL pretty much the same & they all work just fine ...

BUT, I've also seen MANY cantilever brakes which were not adjusted OR maintained properly ("the little plastic cover over the springs broken off" -- REPEAT AFTER ME: "the plastic cover is MOSTLY COSMETIC" ... yes, the plastic cover keeps some mud off the spring ... remedy the lack of a plastic cover by slathering some grease on it). Regardless, I would think it is premature to blame either Shimano or the caliber of the particular component that Cannondale spec'd for the bike.

A person can spend more for new calipers, but if the cables & housing aren't changed OR simply (!) lubed, then ...

Well, actually, the long-and-short of it is that if the particular brakes seemed sub-standard (to put in in more civil terms) from the start, then BLAME THE LBS for a a lazy-or-poor prep.

Yup.

Those gray plastic spring retainer cups crack. When that happens, the canty arm on that side loses it's return spring tension. It's a very common problem. Through the years I've fixed them 3 different ways but my favorite, by far, is replacing the brake. I like the stuff that I fix to stay fixed.

FWIW. I just (minutes ago) took the plastic "cap" off the most convenient cantilever brake (an Shimano ACERA X ... circa mid-90s ... same as most of the others I have) available to me, and put it back on the boss WITHOUT THE PLASTIC CAP, and there was NO difference in its ability to function!

ALL of my Shimano brake cantilever brake calipers must be different from the ones which you have encountered ...

thanks for all the replies. yeah, the T400 is a drop bar bike, and I'd like to keep the drop bars for the time being, though i may replace them with a wider set in the future. should have mentioned, i just replaced the pads, full set of cables, and lubed it all up 2 weeks ago. once that was done, braking was better than it ever had been, even when new.

so i see what you're saying about the 3 holes in the frame for the spring arm, but the problem is the other end of the spring, which is just hooked on a little ridge on the brake. without the plastic cap to keep that arm snug on the ridge, the arm just pops outward and around the ridge, so no tension. all four of the little plastic caps have cracked on my bike, but only one of the springs is giving me the problem, the rest are tight enough and kept on by pieces of the plastic cap to still be serviceable. i'm sure i could throw on a zip-tie or something to get them working, but i don't consider it a great design and would like to upgrade to a better cantilever. the bike is 12 years old, so the plastic pieces really couldn't be expected to last all that much longer.

thanks again for all the replies, has anyone had any experience with the cantilevers offered by rivendell? i've been eyeing the IRD cafam, oryx, and shimano br550. i've seen several reports of the avids having a squeal problem, are you just running the stock pads with your 550s, faust?

BOTH plastic portions of the Shimano cantilever (the cap & bed [for want of another appellation]) are unnecessary other than to compensate for the length of the frame/fork boss.

Try adding a(nother) washer between the cantilever & bolt's head to snug up the brake caliper ... that is, you are snugging (pushing closer) the cantilever to the boss's anchor plate.

BEFORE you look for a suitable washer (or, two-or-more) in your toolbox OR buy a new one, you can make a "temporary" (it will actually last forever if you want) washer from a milk jug cap -- punch a hole in the middle, then trim.

We have older Shimano LX on our tandems with KoolStop Salmon pads working well and no squeal. I have older Avid 15 Cantilevers on both my touring bicycles (one 700C and the other 26" with S & S couplers for easier/less expensive airplane transport) with KoolStop Salmon pads and only rarely do I hear a squeal from either of them. All of the cantilevers that we use have lots of miles in all kinds of weather. It takes a little time to set them up and they all need adjustment for wear.
Surly Long Haul Trucker uses Tektro Oryx cantilever #992 Silver. I have borrowed one of these for a 1,200 mile loaded tour. I was very pleased with the performance of those brakes as well. I didn't look at the brakes or ever adjust them, so I am not familiar with the insides.

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David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA