Old Skool 85mm canti brakes

[Bear_ona_bike]

Hello cycling forums.
This is my first post here.

Does anyone still make good cantilever brakes to suit the old 85mm cantilever post format?
If this issue has been addressed before would someone kindly point me in the right direction...

 

[gclark8]

Most of us have replaced cantis with V-Brakes.

 

[Bear_ona_bike]

Most of us have replaced cantis with V-Brakes

V-brakes don't fit the 85mm c-c posts. The posts are to close together and the V-brake arms almost touch over the tyre - there certainly is not enough travel for the V-brake arms to work.

Rumour has it that cantilevers work far better on this early narrow setup than on the later, wider post format. But the later, wider set up allowed V-brakes to be used and so it was adopted as the standard.

 

[Eastway82]

V-brakes don't fit the 85mm c-c posts. The posts are to close together and the V-brake arms almost touch over the tyre - there certainly is not enough travel for the V-brake arms to work.

Rumour has it that cantilevers work far better on this early narrow setup than on the later, wider post format. But the later, wider set up allowed V-brakes to be used and so it was adopted as the standard.

My Cannondale Killer V (early nineties?) has 85mm c-c posts at the rear and Rock Shox Mag 21s with 85mm c-c posts at the front. Fitted with Dia Compe V-brakes in about 1996 and been working perfectly ever since...

 

[Bear_ona_bike]

My Cannondale Killer V (early nineties?) has 85mm c-c posts at the rear and Rock Shox Mag 21s with 85mm c-c posts at the front. Fitted with Dia Compe V-brakes in about 1996 and been working perfectly ever since...

I stand corrected! My local bike shop informed me that there was only the one type of V-brake mount and the brakes they had certainly didn't fit.

 

[gclark8]

V-brakes don't fit the 85mm c-c posts. The posts are to close together and the V-brake arms almost touch over the tyre - .

I measured the C-C of the posts on my Felt, Front 75mm, Rear 78mm. Om my GF giant, 85mm front.

If you are using road (narrow) tyres, consider Tektro Mini V-brakes, as used on the Felt.

 

[Bear_ona_bike]

Thanks for your help.
I discovered why my old canti's were so hard to setup - the weld had cracked around the bottom of one of the posts which meant it changed angle when I braked hard! One quick TIG weld, a lot of smoke from the burning paint and the post is solid again! However the old cantis are starting to fall apart so I'll be buying some Tektro Mini V-brakes when I locate a good supplier in the UK.