Brake Choices???

[HuckMeat]

Any thoughts /expierence with the following brakes:



Avid Shorty Cantis

Tektro Mini V

Spooky Cantis


Thoughts/Experiences??

[velocipedio]

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.

[MikeO]

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.

[Limba]

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?

[OKC_cross]

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.

[late]

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.

[RainmanP]

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.

[velocipedio]

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.

[Phatman]

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?

[velocipedio]

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.

[Wil]

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.