Bicycle Mechanics - cantilever setup howto?

Hi,

I dismantled my Dia Compe cantilever brakes to give them a thorough cleaning. When I reassembled, I installed with new levers, pads, and brake bridges. Now I'm just wondering about the best order of operations to get these adjusted correctly. I looked around, but I didn't see anything in the bikeforums archives. Any suggestions?

I've been to Sheldon's page at http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html but that doesn't really help me with a scratch setup.

Basically, should I tighten up my cables and then align my pads? Or vice-versa? Should I tighten those cables with the lever quick release in the "released" position? Also, Sheldon's page covers the mechanical advantage of this type of brake, but I can't find any "rule of thumb" documents for straddle cable length and such.

I've got a few too many variables, and limited time for fiddling. Thanks for any advice!

edit, it posted part of this post and then dropped it down to a 2nd post so just go down to the next post

The way that seems to make sense to me is..

First true your wheel if necessary.

then adjust your pads, so they will hit your rim where you want them to, and so they're toed the way you want. NO matter how you adjust your cable tension your pads will hit the rim where you have adjusted them. But if you adjust your pads later, then that may mess up the way your tension feels to you, and you'll end up redoing them.

Then adjust the link wire (if adjustable) the way you want it. and you can pull on the brake lever and adjust the left right pull of the brakes using that little set screw on the side of one (or sometimes both) brake. This may make one pad hit earlier than the other side of the rim, you're aiming for simultaneous contact on both sides of the rim. If they hit at different times (left then right) it allows the first one to push the rim away and it may dive beneath the rim and cause the late pad to hit the tire instead of the rim. Again, you're aiming for simultaneous contact with the rim.

then adjust your cable tension. Squeeze your pads onto your rim with your hand while pulling break cable and finger tightening your bolt/nut on that cable. This usually allows enough slack to release the pads off the rim when you let go of the brake pads. If you have a 3rd or 4th hand tool this becomes much easier but it's also easy to get the brakes too tight, so just don't pull as hard on the cable.

If they are 986 or 987 you can do the pad adjustment with the spring tension off...makes the pad adjustment easy. If you cant back the tension right off I usually set all the cable adjustments first with the lever barrel adjustment cranked out. This way when you go to the pad adjustment you can set-em right against the rim. Stick a piece of cardboard under the trailing edge of the pad for toe-in. After everything is tight, screw the barrel adjuster back in to get the engagement where you like it.