Cyclocross - Brake Choices???

Any thoughts /expierence with the following brakes:



Avid Shorty Cantis

Tektro Mini V

Spooky Cantis


Thoughts/Experiences??

i really don't like the avids. i find that the arms are machined so much that they flex like noodles, particularly at the front, where they squeal. i also find them fragile. one hard landing on a brake arm, and they're scraped or cracked.

the spookys, like the frogglegs, are a nice, elegant, very simple high-profile design. they're hard to set up and adjust, but once set up, they work quite well. the high-profile design gives you much more power, but sometimes that feels a bit grabby.

i have an old set of shimano lx cantis on my bike right now, and i'm very happy with them. they're similar in design to the avids -- at leat in profile -- but the internal spring tension design is far superior. if you can find an old set of lx or xt cantis for $10/wheel, i'd say go with those.

I have the Tektro Mini V's on my bike. While there stopping power is adequate, I find that their quick release mechanisim is a pain to release, especially if you are in a hurry. I always have a battle with it.

I have the Avids with Ultegra sti levers.I want something stronger.Anyone have the brake levers on the top of the handlebar like the pros use?

Whatever brand you get just stay clear of v-brakes. When you use them with Shimano STI shifters you have to use a "noodle" or the brakes will not work. A couple of years ago I tried that type of setup and it failed. First off, the darn thing was a pain in the a** to adjust, and secondly the "noodle" is a dirt magnet just waiting to clog up and further more make your braking suffer. I use the Avid Shorty TIs. They are light, easy to adjust and did not drain my wallet like the more expensive euro-version old-school styles similar to the old weinmans.

Hi,
when I needed some cantilevers, I just dug into my parts box and pulled out some old cantilevers. You should be able to find them on ebay easily. There were a couple designs that were flimsy or a pain to set up; but ask here and someone will know if that's the case. Most old Shimano brakes work fine, they are just a little heavier than the best. There was a small company, I forget the name, that used to make these tall, elegant Ti cantis....I occasionally scour ebay looking for them.....no luck so far.

I hate to bad mouth any product, but if you do a search on Avid Shorties or squealing brakes in the Bicycle Mechanics forum you will find MANY references to these brakes. I will NEVER have another pair and will be replacing the ones I have.

the shorties squeal because they flex. they flex becausde they have long arms for a low-profile canti [which is good because it provides greater leverage] and because the arms are machined out at the back [makes 'em lighter]. the problem is that this adds up to a slightly flexy canti arm, and that equals squeak.

you can toe-in radically to minimize the squeal, but it never goes away -- and you'll go through pads like candy. so you have a trade-off.

you say that the trouble is flex, would having one of those goofy looking boosters on the brake help any? or am I just misunderstanding?

the boosters would probably help reduce flex in the fork -- which i'm sure is part of it -- but the problem with the shorties is flex in the canti arms.

The Booster won't solve the squeal, in fact when I put one my Avids, they squealed LOUDER. But braking power did increase a fair bit, so I kept them on.