Cyclocross - Radius brakes??

Has anyone here used these. I have heard mixed reviews of them. I am considering them because of cost, as I dont wish to spend 120 bucks on brakes..Thanks!! I don't want squeaky avid brakes either!

If your going to buy them don't. If you have them laying around, they'll do. I know a handfull of guys that hate them and would only use them in an emergency. Try the avids if you want to stay in a certain price point, or look for some old Shiman XT cantelevers.

i'm not much of an avid fan. the new shimanos look good, but i raced this season with an old pair of lx cantis that did the job quite well. you can probably find htem, or the slightly heavier dx cantis in your lbs's replacement bin.

Brakes only squeak if the pad is set flat on the rim. Just loosen the pad a little, put a matchstick under the rear end of the pad, pull the lever hard and tighten the pad. Problem solved. They won't work quite as well, but still pretty damn good.

dear mosovic...why do your friends hate them? Hate is such a strong word..Funny but I have heard of so many persons who despise the avid's for the squeaking....

jonny... avid's squeal [on the front, in any event], unless you have very radical toe-in. that means that you can adjust them to stop squealing, but after a single ride and a small amount of pad wear, they'll start again.

shino... the radius brakes are notoriously difficult to adjust, they're relatively heavy, cheaply made and don't modulate well.

I bought a pair, regretfully.

I agree on the older Shimano canti's. I was running Avids and they squealled horribly in front. I got a pair of old LX canti's from a friend for real cheap and they work so much better. Look on ebay, you can find good deals sometimes.

I use radius. They dont squeal like avids do but the major problem I have is the back brake. It never centers itself after a brake. You have to do it manually.....I have tweeked this until I was out of my mind. No matter what I do it still happens. The front.....no problems. The good news is I can center the rear brake with my left hand without looking!

avid's squeal [on the front, in any event], unless you have very radical toe-in. that means that you can adjust them to stop squealing, but after a single ride and a small amount of pad wear, they'll start again.

Has anyone tried the Avid Shorty 6's with after market pads? Do they squeal as badly with different pads? Mine are like a banshee.

Standard issue on the Vilano track bike I bought for $ 256 delivered. Tightened the mounting bolt, made the proper adustments for the cable after screwing in the cable guides on the levers & calipers and then aligned the brake pads. After all the adjustments mine work fine. I like the compact lever size, they look like they were made for a kids bike, but like I said, plenty of stopping power coming down bridges and what hills can be found in the flatlands of South Florida. I generally avoid using a brake, but the model I have I have confidence that they'll do panic stops and general braking just fine. I figure they were standard on the bike because they're cost effective. But the finish on them is fine too. Look decent enough, function properly, low cost, what more could you ask for ?