[Henry Chinaski]

I had a recent Velo News where it looked like everyone was riding Mafacs again or something. What are the hot cross brakes on the Euro circuit these days?

 

[Vegancx]

Empellas or Spooky's. I think they are both Dutch companies. I like the Spooky cantis a lot.

 

[Henry Chinaski]

Empellas or Spooky's. I think they are both Dutch companies. I like the Spooky cantis a lot.

Yeah, those Spookys look just like my old Mafacs. Do they work better?

 

[Vegancx]

Yeah, those Spookys look just like my old Mafacs. Do they work better?

I haven't used the Mafacs so I can't compare really. They are significantly lighter, and Spooky makes a carbon fiber set... Set up is very easy (though not as easy as the Paul Neo Retros), and I think the stopping power is close to V brakes.

for more canti options check out www.cyclocrossworld.com

 

[atpjunkie]

Spooky's work well and are very simple IMHO to install and set up. I have 2 sets and have had nary a problem in 2 seasons of use. Empellas are great as well. The lack the cartidge set up of the Pauls but they also lack the price tag. Chinanski....so how does a Bukowski like existence work with cx racing? I was a bar fly roadie and did pretty well, can't imagine it with cx.

 

[Spunout]

Henry Chinaski.

Chinanski....so how does a Bukowski like existence work with cx racing? I was a bar fly roadie and did pretty well, can't imagine it with cx.

I wanted to ask him this before too. I knew it was Bukowski. Definitely a wild cultural shift between there and here.

I couldn't watch Bar Fly to the end, reminded me too much of home.

 

[Henry Chinaski]

I wanted to ask him this before too. I knew it was Bukowski. Definitely a wild cultural shift between there and here.

I couldn't watch Bar Fly to the end, reminded me too much of home.

Wait, you're saying there's a big gap between the hard-drinking Bukowski lifestyle and the cycling lifestyle, or between roadies and crossers? I try to compartmentalize.

Regarding cross, I've had an old Bonti cross bike with Record and Mafacs since the mid-80s, but I've never raced cross--I'm more of a cross poseur (though for years no one seemed to know what my bike was--"is that a touring bike or someting?"). I raced road quite a bit and still race the mtb sometimes. I got the cross bike cause I kept riding my road bike in the dirt and it was getting silly. I didn't buy a mtb til the mid-90s when they finally starting dipping under 30 pounds and stopped handling like trucks. But yeah, I'm too lazy to race cross--I don't like running.

Mafacs work ok but it's all about the setup. They got such a bad name there for a while it's funny that the design is coming back in fashion.

 

[atpjunkie]

just saying the lactic hell of a cx race is not condusive to a pre -race night of consumption. My ex girlfriend was a triathelete and on weekends I sometimes trained with her team. I'm a big person and could diesel hard for long periods. Since most tri geeks don't do mass hill work, we'd be training on mostly flatter terrain and I'd start tearing peoples legs off. It would be quite frustrating to a bunch of calorie counting, spartan training schedule maintaining tri geeks that the guy putting a hurt on them was recovering from a night of whiskey consumption. I'd say.."hey it's made from corn and that's a carbohydrate isn't it?"