[Naussdollar]

Building up a 2015 Focus Mares. I have a cyclocross race bike but building this up as a winter beater/pit bike for the day when cyclocross actually comes. Anyway, looking for ideas on a “good” set of canti’s. Don’t want to spend a fortune but want something that will kinda stop. Knowing that you never really truly stop using canti’s

let me know who you got...

 

[JSR]

... Knowing that you never really truly stop using canti’s

let me know who you got...

LOL, love it.

Sorry, I got nuttin’.

 

[xxl]

Building up a 2015 Focus Mares. I have a cyclocross race bike but building this up as a winter beater/pit bike for the day when cyclocross actually comes. Anyway, looking for ideas on a “good” set of canti’s. Don’t want to spend a fortune but want something that will kinda stop. Knowing that you never really truly stop using canti’s

let me know who you got...

Dia-Compe 98-x series are still available on e-bay, and they're as good as any. Tektro also makes cantis. I've no direct experience with them, but I have used their sidepulls, and was suitably impressed with the quality for the coin spent. Also, Suntour XC Pro/Pedersen "Self-energizing" rear cantis are around (supposedly so effective, they only had the SE for the rear). Some folks swore by 'em, some swore at 'em.

If you have money burning a hole in your pocket and desire something more "boutique," Paul's Components, Avid, and others make cantis.

 

[burgrat]

I have TRP CX8.4 Mini V's on a LeMond Wayzata and they work very, very well. I use them with Shimano Tiagra STI levers. Overall they have been great. I paid $70 for a new set (front and rear) on Ebay.
Have you considered Mini V brakes instead of traditional cantilevers?

 

[krisdrum]

Another vote for Mini V. Typically the shorter the better, how short depends on what levers you are running and what kind of lever feel you are looking for. If memory serves, the longer the brake arm, the squishier the lever feel. I'm sure if you search the forum archives, you'll find more detailed info.

I have a set of Tektro 926AL paired with 10sp SRAM levers. A BMX brake according to them. A bit shorter than the CX8.4s I believe. Oh and dirt cheap.

Adjustable noodles and an inline barrel adjuster on the front brake for me (to give me extra clearance to make opening the brakes less of a pain).

With a salmon or black and salmon pad compound, they are great. No more grab a fist full of lever and pray. Highly recommend, especially if you are used to a bike that actually stops.

 

[Jay Strongbow]

Avid Shorty are pretty much universally though to be right up there. I have CX70 and think they are really good but I think they are off the market now.

From what I've heard and observed on bikes, Vbrakes need to be set up REALLY close to the rim when used with road levers. Something to do with pull ratio I guess. So look into that if you consider the and care about that.

 

[krisdrum]

Avid Shorty are pretty much universally though to be right up there. I have CX70 and think they are really good but I think they are off the market now.

From what I've heard and observed on bikes, Vbrakes need to be set up REALLY close to the rim when used with road levers. Something to do with pull ratio I guess. So look into that if you consider the and care about that.

With a full length MTB vbrake, sure. Not much margin for error/out-of-true there. With the mini V, as myself and another recommended, less so.

Can you place them as far from the rim as say a traditional canti? Probably not. But you can set them up with room to spare on either side, similar to how a dual-pivot road brake would be set up. This is where the inline barrel adjusters come in handy. Set the brakes up wide and use the adjusters to pull the pads in to dial in lever feel. Setting them up wide makes it easier to get the wheel in/out when the cable tension is low.

 

[flanman]

Echo that. The basic tektro mini-v is excellent value. With adjustable brake noodle and better quality pads I can't tell the difference to the much more expensive TRPs. Clearance shouldn't be an issue for commuting.

That said, avid shorty 4 s work fine for commuting and are easy to pick up used. Cani setup is a pain. Changing brake pads to kool stop is always a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[dcb]

Late to the party and you probably have this solved by now but I had good performance out of XT mtb v-brakes paired with Problem Solvers Travel Agents on a Redline Conquest I used to have.

https://problemsolversbike.com/products/brakes/travel_agents_-_6416

By the way, which Mares do you have? I've got a 15' and it has discs.