Cyclocross - Thumbs up for Paul Components Neo-Retro brakes

The Shimano cantis on the front of my 2005 Bianchi Axis have been driving me nuts for a long time with their squealing. I tried new pads, toe in, filing the pads, cleaning the rims, etc. I told my wife that when we went to the Sea Otter Classic last weekend, that my main purchasing goal was to get a new pair of cantilever brakes to replace the Shimanos. I purchased the Paul Components Neo-Retros at a great price, and they are some very fine stoppers. They are beautiful CNC-machined parts that are very easy to set up, but the best part is that they stop very well and don't squeal.

It's refreshing to see that Paul Components (http://www.paulcomp.com/), a survivor from the heyday of small CNC manufacturers during the late 80s and early 90s, is still making some sweet stuff.

i had a similar experience switching from tektros to avid sd 5's.... the only reason i can think that they would stop squealing is that they're angled slightly differently.... i don't know how a brake could decide whether or not a pad squeals... weird.

For a hundred bucks, those paul cantis better hop out of the box and set themselves up!

neo-retros are uber-sexy. i recommend them to everyone. especially those that i know won't like them. maybe that way i'll get a cast-off set.

I have a set of Diacomp 287's or whatever they are on my touring bike. Since it has fenders I've been riding it for the last couple of weeks in the rain. I did the same ride through San Francisco up a million leg busting hills (with that 36 lb bike mind you).

The brakes would squeal whenever they wanted to for no apparent reasons and then it would go away and I'd not be able to force it to squeal.

I think it knows something...........

More of the same here. Avid shorty's wouldn't stop squealing--loud enough to be heard for a block--no matter what wierd ju-ju I tried. Sure they could be tuned to stop like the dickens but not quietly. The Pauls (touring canti for me) went on and now I can use my front brake again. I don't get it, but I do like the result.

my avid shorty 4s squeal so bad, and i can't make them stop with any amount of toe-in, or out...then we got a surly crosscheck with the same brakes in for a customer, and they squealed...i toed the front brakes in and much to my surprise and the customer's delight, they stopped squealing. i told him i don't know how long that'll last, but hopefully he won't have any more problems with it.

Paul's are total sex, but for some reason for all the crap talked about Avid Shorty 4's, I set mine up in 15 minutes and they just don't make a peep nor bit of chatter. They were just totally easy, maybe it's cause I have a JTS with that super stiff steel fork.

Yeah, I've put a lot of canti's on bikes and the shorties have normally just bolted on and worked in minutes.