Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.
Scooby Snax
06-10-05, 06:08 AM
Hi, Im looking to replace my useless Tecktro canti's, I can either get a new pair of Shimano's Br R 550's or Avid Shorty 6's.
Shorty's are a bit more money than the Shimano's.
Do both of these use the same pads as V brakes as well?
Thanks
ZenNMotion
06-10-05, 09:25 AM
Why are your Tektro's "useless"? Are talking about canti's (Oryx) or the Mini-V brakes? There are lots of models of canti brakes, some work better than others, but they all work- it's mostly a matter of choosing a good design for your bike or your preferences. But they have to be set up properly to work well, and I've seen plenty of cross bikes come from a showroom floor or bozo mechanic really poorly set up. This is one of the main reasons V brakes got so popular with MTBs, they don't really work any better than properly set up cantis, but are easier to set up to work well. Low profile brakes like the Avids and Shimanos and (your Tektro's if they are cantis) give you a good amount of mechanical advantage, and good clearance in the rear for hopping off your bike. But you have to mount the pads fairly close to the rim, can be a problem in mud. Higher profile cantis like Empella froglegs, old Mafacs, Paul Neo-retros have a smaller mechanical advantage (you have to squeeze the levers a little harder) but they have better pad clearance, but some people have a problem kicking them when they dismount- I've nailed an ankle and drawn blood in a race, it hurts- Some people put a high profile in front, low profile in the rear for the best of both worlds. But all canti's work- when you describe yours as useless, if I were your mechanic I would look to see that they are set up properly before selling you another brake. I've never tried the Tektro cantis but they're inexpensive and a lot of people prefer them to Avids, which seem to squeal for some people. If you are talking about Tektro Mini V brakes, I have a set on my road tandem- they work well for stopping a heavy bike with 2 people and you don't need travel agents to work with road levers. So they are tempting to try for cyclocross. But the pad clearance is close, and there's not much clearance between the tires and the cable where it crosses. For this reason, I would not use Mini V brakes on a cyclocross bike where mud is gonna be a problem. Anyway, before you buy brakes, check your setup. Even though the brakes themselves are pretty simple, setup requires a little knowledge. Check out Sheldon Brown and learn, maybe you don't need new brakes afterall-
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-adjustment.html
By the way, I have Avid 15c's, vintage Mafacs (my favorite in front) and Dia-Compe 987s. I put the Avids on the back to avoid more leg gouging. They all work fine. Battle scarred Mafacs rule for the old-school cool chic. When your bike looks tough, you ride tough!