Bicycle Mechanics - Aero Brake Lever For Cantis

What is the criteria here? The cantis have to have more pull than a standard side pull correct? Should I get a lever that is specified for linear pull? I don't like the idea of those "travel agents" that's why I'm asking

Good news: cantilever brakes work with standard drop bar brake levers, the same levers you use for your road calipers. The complication comes in if you want to run linear pull brakes (v-brakes) with drop bar levers-

Hells yea! That is good news.

Perhaps it's wise to mention that most cantis don't work too well with drop levers for the reason you have already mentioned. The type that does work very well are the Tektro frog legs and they give better braking due to their design.

Perhaps it's wise to mention that most cantis don't work too well with drop levers for the reason you have already mentioned. The type that does work very well are the Tektro frog legs and they give better braking due to their design.

?.....Any conventional drop bar brake lever will work just fine with cantilever brakes, the amount of cable pull is correct. Many cyclocross and touring bikes come with this setup-

EDIT: maybe the OP wants to use linear pull brakes (v-brakes) with drop bar levers? If so, then yes, it's best to get levers designed for this. But if you're talking about traditional cantilevers, then conventional levers will work-

?.....Any conventional drop bar brake lever will work just fine with cantilever brakes, the amount of cable pull is correct. Many cyclocross and touring bikes come with this setup-

EDIT: maybe the OP wants to use linear pull brakes (v-brakes) with drop bar levers? If so, then yes, it's best to get levers designed for this. But if you're talking about traditional cantilevers, then conventional levers will work-

No, I was just wondering if I needed linear pull levers for my cantilevers. I have mid 80s dia-compe "frog leg" style brakes. They look like this (http://lh6.ggpht.com/mike.blackmountaincycles/RuK5rRo-S9I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/lgRcnGnzO2M/s400/IMG_0004.JPG). Thats not my photo btw.

Don't worry about it, aero road levers will be fine. I've done it quite a few times and the aero lever's increased leverage with travel actually gives you more braking power as you squeeze them more. Makes for easier modulation too.

?.....Any conventional drop bar brake lever will work just fine with cantilever brakes, the amount of cable pull is correct. Many cyclocross and touring bikes come with this setup-

EDIT: maybe the OP wants to use linear pull brakes (v-brakes) with drop bar levers? If so, then yes, it's best to get levers designed for this. But if you're talking about traditional cantilevers, then conventional levers will work-

Well yes, of course they'll work but they don't work well. Not without adding a device which adds extra cable pull. While many touring bikes do come with this set-up they offer poor braking and I've had to do many upgrades for precisely this reason.

Well yes, of course they'll work but they don't work well. Not without adding a device which adds extra cable pull. While many touring bikes do come with this set-up they offer poor braking and I've had to do many upgrades for precisely this reason.
That's not my experience. I've "rodified" an old Trek MTB that came with Shimano cantilever brakes and changed the LX brake levers for 105 STI's. The brakes work as well as they ever did, which is to say quite well. Since this is my "rain bike" poor braking would be particularly noticable and the braking is good.

Travel Agents set to increase cable pull with road levers would decrease the force available at the brakes and require more hand pressure to achieve equal braking. That's certainly not what you want.

Travel Agents are needed with V-brakes and road levers but the extra leverage inherent in the V-brake design compensates. That is not correct with cantilevers.

Oh, this thread is comedy gold.

Oh, this thread is comedy gold.
Only if you already know all of this.

Onbike, I don't know what experience you've personally had with cantis and road levers but the two times I've set up bikes with regular road levers and cantis the combo worked even better than cantis with the originally intended mountain bike levers. It's an excellent combo with lighter braking effort and is easily modulated. It sounds like you ran into some issues that may not have been related to the actual road and canti setup that ruined it for you.

Also it really sounds like you're mixing up V or linear brakes with the cantilever brakes that use the ^ shaped straddle cable.

aero lever's increased leverage with travel actually gives you more braking power as you squeeze them more. Makes for easier modulation too.

I've got this set-up with Shimano cantis on my Lemond and it works very well for those rainy Vancouver hills. They almost work too well as they cause my fork to shudder if they're not aggressively toed in.

Seriously, look at how many cross bikes are set-up with straddle wire Cantis.

Oh, this thread is comedy gold.


For once, I agree with operator.

If you were to put travel agents on a bike with cantis and conventional drop bar levers, you'd have brakes that HAD the correct amount of cable pull before you put the travel agents on-