Re: A brake question regarding old equipment.

[A Muzi]

!Jones wrote:
> I'm restoring an old (early '80s) tandem. It is fitted with old-style
> cantilever brakes. Will the newer "V-brakes" fit those brazed
> fittings? I'm keeping the old Suntour stuff; however, those brakes
> aren't gonna cut muster, I fear. They're about 11 & 1/2 inches from
> the center of a 27" wheel... that's a tape measurement.

Suntour cantilever brakes were made by Dia Compe and are of
good quality. Many cantilever setups suffer from poor prep
and you'll find much useful advice on Sheldon Brown's site.

(The optional "self energizing" model stinks IMHO but they
bring a good price on EBay.)

If you're determined to use linear ("V") brakes, excellent
models are cheap - in the mid twenties. Avoid expensive ones
as they offer IMHO nothing that the basic Tektro models
don't do better. You will need adapters at the brakes to
translate normal cable travel from your levers into the long
cable travel these brakes require.

Most cantilevers and V brakes will span enough pad height
adjustment to cover both 700C and 27" on an older tandem.
But definitely check that at your LBS before you buy because
some models won't.

Cantilevers offer better clearance, less difficulty mounting
racks and mudguards and a wider range of 'feel' - higher
transverse cables will feel stiffer, lower heights will feel
softer and stop better.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Andy Muzi wrote:

> Most cantilevers and V brakes will span enough pad height adjustment to
> cover both 700C and 27" on an older tandem.

This will vary not just with the cantis, but also with the placement of
the canti pivots on the specific frame and fork. There's not too much
standardization there. Some frames will handle the 4 mm height
difference, others won't, with any model of cantilever.

> But definitely check that at
> your LBS before you buy because some models won't.

Yep.

Sheldon "Happy Boxing Day!" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| I am too much of a skeptic to deny the possibility |
| of anything. --T.H. Huxley |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Zog The Undeniable]

A Muzi wrote:

> Cantilevers offer better clearance, less difficulty mounting racks and
> mudguards and a wider range of 'feel' - higher transverse cables will
> feel stiffer, lower heights will feel softer and stop better.

My straddle wires are set as low as possible and the brakes are still
very weak (front are Suntour XC something, rear are Suntour SE
cantilevers). I've tried different pads which were better than the
stock Suntour ones, but didn't help all that much.

Given how incredibly difficult it is to set up new pads on plain-post
cantis, I'm converting to plain, cheap Deore V-brakes and 287V levers.
Even if there's no more power, I don't have that hour of fiddling when I
need to change the pads. The V's on my mountain bike (with matching
levers) are very impressive compared to the old Dia-Compe 986
cantilevers and weird Cannondale Force 40 cable routing. In fact, V's
are the only real option for these old Dales because they don't have
conventional cable hangers.