Thoughts on best cross brakes

[[email protected]]

Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
(excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?

 

[Howard Kveck]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?

The Mafac copies that Paul makes are pretty nice. Adjustable toe and all that
good stuff. They stop quite well.

http://www.paulcomp.com/neoretro.html

--
tanx,
Howard

Butter is love.

remove YOUR SHOES to reply, ok?

 

[Bleet Norf]

[email protected] wrote:
> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?
>

Well, they aren't canti's, but I switched to Tektro Mini-Vs with an
adjuster noodle. Just easier for me to adjust, especially the front.
ymmv, I am probably just inept with cantilevers.

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?

It seems like for most cross brakes, you can find somebody who
swears that they are the bomb and somebody who says they suck
and don't stop worth a damn. This is partly because different
brakes require different straddle cable heights (see Sheldon
Brown's pages on setting up cantilever brakes). And I think
it's also because different bikes have slightly different
locations for the canti bosses - in particular the distance
between the bosses varies. Bikes where the canti bosses are
very close together are hard to set up with high profile brakes
(anything shaped like a Mafac, Neo Retro, Diacompe 983 etc).

However, the secret ingredient is PADS. Most brakes
will improve if you replace the stock pads with Koolstops.
Some swear by the salmon Koolstops, but even the regular black
ones are a big step up from typical stock pads - they won't
dissolve into a rim-eating grit sponge on the first muddy
sandy race.

 

[Tom Kunich]

Geez, Avid Shorty's are cheap and work well. They have a generally
stiffer feel than others and work as well or better and are easy to
adjust. What more would you like?

 

[[email protected]]

V-brakes work. Better than canti's. Plus they don't have that
nails-on-chalkboard thing going on. But if you really must have gears,
then you've gotta use a travel agent (again, something I've never had
problems with). You'll lose precious grams, though. Precious, precious
grams.

-Cosmo
http://cyclocosm.blogspot.com

 

[Bret]

I've used the Avid Shorty 4 brakes for several years and like them a
lot. But another option is the Cane Creek SCX-5 for $19.95. I've just
built up a singlespeed cross bike with these and they set up very
easily. The matched levers have a Campy style quick release built in.

http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/CXBR/BR5130
http://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking/p/CXBRL/BR5048

 

[Clot Felter]

In cyclocross the purpose of brakes most of the time is to slow you
down, no stop you. I have been using the Spooky brakes for 5 years and
like them over the Avids. I prefer the no brains cantilevers to the V
brakes. I have these on my pit bike and they were a pain to set up and
I do not like the way the cable is wedged into the pulley.

The Spooky brakes are light and based on the old Mafac/Weinmann design.
They work great and mine do not make noise. I like the Ritchey (red or
black) pads.

 

[[email protected]]

I would agree. I was sponsored by ritchey this year and got some of
their red pads for my cross bike and I did notice a difference. I'm
curious to see how their road pads work.

Thanks,
CH

 

[Tom Kunich]

Sorry but all brakes available for bikes can lock the front wheel up
and dump you on your can.

So what are you using as definitions of "work"?

V-Brakes have a lighter action. Some people prefer that and others do
not. Those who do not probably have grabbed a handfull of brakes and
ended up on their heads when hitting a pothole or a tree root.

 

[Tom Kunich]

I installed these on my Raleigh Team CX:

http://www.store.yahoo.com/cyclocrossworld/racabr.html

They look good, install and adjust easily but the pads are the WORST
stoppers I've ever used. Maybe they just need to be broken in so I'm
trying to be patient but pretty soon it's "patience hell, I'm going to
kill something."

 

[Clot Felter]

By the way, there is an article in velonews.com on this subject. Check
it out if you already have not...

http://velonews.com/tech/report/articles/9054.0.html

 

[Volker Leimann]

[email protected] schrieb:
> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?
>
The best crossbrakes and extra levers are from "Empella" the levers
are the "original design" and now copied from many companys,
Empella is a small dutch manufacturer, cilclocross is still very
popular in the netherlands and belgium and Empella Croosbikes and
it's Froglegs brakes and levers are very nice equipement.
http://www.empella.com/index1.html

 

[Volker Leimann]

[email protected] schrieb:
> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?
>
The best crossbrakes and extra levers are from "Empella" the levers
are the "original design" and now copied from many companys,
Empella is a small dutch manufacturer, cilclocross is still very
popular in the netherlands and belgium and Empella Crossbikes and
it's Froglegs brakes and levers are very nice equipement.
http://www.empella.com/index1.html

 

[Volker Leimann]

[email protected] schrieb:
> Anyone got opinions on which cross canti-brake is best and why
> (excluding which is the lightest) compared to Avid brakes?
>
The best crossbrakes and extra levers are from "Empella" the levers
are the "original design" and now copied from many companys,
Empella is a small dutch manufacturer, cilclocross is still very
popular in the netherlands and belgium and the Empella Bonfire Crossbike
and it's Froglegs brakes and levers are very nice pro equipement.
http://www.empella.com/index1.html

 

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> I would agree. I was sponsored by ritchey this year and got some of
> their red pads for my cross bike and I did notice a difference. I'm
> curious to see how their road pads work.

I'm such a cheap, lazy nut that when I found out my road bike would
accommodate 30mm cross tires, I stopped worrying about getting a cross
bike.

Yep: I use Shimano RX100 dual-pivots with Kool-Stop salmon pads. But
it's okay: they're the Thinline MTB pads.

Avocet 28 mm inverted-tread tires borrowed from a clubmate, except last
week when I borrowed a better front tire,

--
Ryan Cousineau [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

 

[Scott]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > I would agree. I was sponsored by ritchey this year and got some of
> > their red pads for my cross bike and I did notice a difference. I'm
> > curious to see how their road pads work.
>
> I'm such a cheap, lazy nut that when I found out my road bike would
> accommodate 30mm cross tires, I stopped worrying about getting a cross
> bike.
>
> Yep: I use Shimano RX100 dual-pivots with Kool-Stop salmon pads. But
> it's okay: they're the Thinline MTB pads.
>
> Avocet 28 mm inverted-tread tires borrowed from a clubmate, except last
> week when I borrowed a better front tire,
>
> --
> Ryan Cousineau [email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
> "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
> to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Not so much because I'm cheap, more so because I just don't have room
for yet another bike, I put some Maxxis MiMo tires on my Surly
Steamroller to use as a single-speed 'cross bike.

I'm using inexpensive Tektro long reach brakes w/ Aztec2 pads and they
seem to work fine. Keep in mind, I've only done one "dirt crit" 'cross
race here in Colorado so far, so the jury is out on how they'll work
when it gets wet.

S.

 

[Tom Kunich]

I just love that word -"remgrepen". Is there any questions about what
that means?

 

[Volker Leimann]

Tom Kunich schrieb:
> I just love that word -"remgrepen". Is there any questions about what
> that means?
>
remgrepen = brakelevers