Canti / V brakes changed to Calipers - why ?

[MidnightRider]

Just bought a 2nd hand tourer around 10 years old.
Past owner had put on new looking caliper brakes at front and back.
The frame has proper mounts for V or Canti brakes which have been ignored and routed around. Any suggestions why?

The rear caliper totally obstructs one of the rear rack mounts, so makes the choice more puzzling.
The orig spec sheets do not show calipers. I have no familiarity with calipers, so considering changing them back, plus the rack issue.

Thanks for your speculations on this.

 

[cyberknight]

I found cantis a pain to set up to get any decent braking and given the chance i would convert to calipers , im not saying they are really bad but to get any real power i have to run the calipers close enough to the rim i cant get the cable off the end of the brake in the event of a flat without loosening the cable so its a happy medium between braking power and ease of access in the event of a flat.

 

[MidnightRider]

I found cantis a pain to set up to get any decent braking and given the chance i would convert to calipers , im not saying they are really bad but to get any real power i have to runt he calipers close enough to the rim i cant get the cable off the end of the brake in the event of a flat without loosening the cable so its a happy medium between braking power and ease of access in the event of a flat.

Would V brakes be better? Same mount points as canti ?

 

[Webbo2]

A descent comprise would calliper on the front V brake or cantilever on the back.

 

[cyberknight]

Would V brakes be better? Same mount points as canti ?

yes , i have read that mini v work better than cantis and have the same cable pull so work with road bike levers . I am still mulling over whether to dismantle the bike in question as i have way to many to ride but if i kept it mini v were always an option

 

[Ming the Merciless]

This year; a mate was trying to ride LEJOG on a bike with cantis. He applied the brakes on the second day on a steep downhill, did not make it round the corner and went straight through a hedge. He needed to abandon.

 

[fossyant]

Canti's work very well TBH. They are a bit too powerful on my CX bike. They can be tricky to set up if you don't know what you are doing. Also canti and calipers have similar pull ratio but V brakes do not. Road bikes need mini V brakes.

 

[Big John]

I've got one bike with a canti on the back and dual pivot caliper on the front. On another road bike I've got dual pivot front and back. Both have roughly the same stopping power, which is nowhere near as good as disks but functional. Dual pivots are a POP (piece of p***) to adjust, cantis in my many years experience aren't. I'm too old now to fork out on a new road bike but if I did I'd go hydraulic disk like I've got on my mountain bike, which I very rarely use.

 

[Jameshow]

Canti's work very well TBH. They are a bit too powerful on my CX bike. They can be tricky to set up if you don't know what you are doing. Also canti and calipers have similar pull ratio but V brakes do not. Road bikes need mini V brakes.

I thought canti and v brakes were same pull. Different from mini V and calipers which are the same?🤔

 

[Jameshow]

This year; a mate was trying to ride LEJOG on a bike with cantis. He applied the brakes on the second day on a steep downhill, did not make it round the corner and went straight through a hedge. He needed to abandon.

Poorly set up then? Or not connected at all? Damhik!🤕

 

[fossyant]

I thought canti and v brakes were same pull. Different from mini V and calipers which are the same?🤔

• Cantilever Brakes (Short Pull): Pull about 7 mm to 8 mm of cable per stroke and have a lever mechanical advantage of roughly 3.5:1 to 4.5:1 (compatible with traditional road caliper and short-pull mountain levers)
• V-Brakes (Long Pull / Direct Pull): Pull about 15 mm of cable per stroke (roughly double the cable travel) with a lever mechanical advantage of around 2:1

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Poorly set up then? Or not connected at all? Damhik!🤕

If a brake is difficult to setup well, then it is not a good design. Bikes are meant to be simple. Setting a brake up should not be hard.

 

[tyred]

I never understood the hatred for cantilever brakes. Set up properly, they are much better than calliper brakes in my experience.

If you don't know how to set them up, learn, or get someone else to do it, just like any other aspect of maintenance.

 

[mrushton]

Sounds like an opportunity to spend money on Paul V brakes or Cantilever brakes

 

[Rusty Nails]

If a brake is difficult to setup well, then it is not a good design. Bikes are meant to be simple. Setting a brake up should not be hard.

There are different levels of easy and hard. I have set up a few thousand sets of brakes over the years and there is no doubt that, in our workshop, the ones people generally have more trouble in getting just right are cantis.

I can set up all the brake types OK, but getting cantis does require a bit more effort with getting them even and the straddle wire height just right