Bicycle Mechanics - crosscheck brake hanger mod, heavy pics

6.5 mm aluminum slug, hanger slot lengthened for loop, tapped 4mm through the whole mess.

Before...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/4972302384_f2c369f6a0_z.jpg
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After...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4972302408_daeb7404e9.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/4972302412_321a343c00.jpg
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Suicide Aero levers and Carbon spacers= old and the new.

Interesting adaption but that hanger is a Surley OEM part intended as a hanger for the rear brake. The seatpost collar bolt holds it in place by the loop end.

Uh....yeah, that's the point. There's one on the back of the bike, hence the photos of the entire bike.

I got tired of messing with the wacky cable angle with low bars. Also, there was no barrel adjuster. First, I tried a front hanger from a LHT, but it has a tighter angle to the headset which meant I would have to raise it up even closer to the bars which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place.... thus hindering the travel of the barrel adjuster in the first place.

I basically posted this here so that hopefully the idea would trickle down to the people who make these things, and then the next time I needed one I could just hand over my lunch money and buy it instead of wasting time in the garage.... you dig??

Another option was to shave the face of the hanger from the front, and hang the surly adjuster on a forward facing bolt, with a sized bushing because it is really meant to hang over 8mm threads. However, I felt i would be removing way too much material from the stem hanger.

The surly part is not modified in any way, just the stem hanger... and I am utterly amused by the pretention that I don't know what the surly part is for when I have 2 of them on the crosscheck. :)


thanks for the kind words.

I used this one (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/CA307A00-Tektro+Frt+Cable+Hanger.aspx) for the front brake hanger on my Cross Check. I mounted it above a 5mm spacer above the headset's top cover and the cable line to the front brake is nice and straight. I got the version with the built in cable adjuster.

I have one of those in my junk box, it did not fit the way I wanted. Probably because of the headset I am using which has a bigger diameter top cup than others. Also, I run my bars pretty low. Now I can get them even lower, which is what I intend to do later.

Also, smaller and/or larger frame sizes with head tube lengths that are on the extremes would probably benefit. It's just an idea, and I tried it, and it's working. I was gonna send the pics to surly, but I don't think they would care so why not share with the world.

Looks cool. Hope it works well for you.

On my latest cross bike I just went with a mini-V brake and eliminated the whole problem! I have a barrel adjuster on the top of the "noodle" going into the v-brake and a smooth radius for the cable to get there. I'm not sure I'll stick with the mini-Vs for racing, but for a mostly road bike, I'd choose them over cantis anytime.

I'm not sure I'll stick with the mini-Vs for racing, but for a mostly road bike, I'd choose them over cantis anytime.
I've had bad experiences with early Shimano and other cantis too as the alignment and set up are awkward, the power is compromised if you don't do it right and they can be dreadfully noisy.

However, I just installed a set of Shimano's new BR-R550 canti's on the Cross Check I mentioned above and the difference is night and day. These install and align with no problems, use V-brake type replacable pads and are quiet, powerful and predictable.

To the OP: I agree it's a clever setup and a neat adaption of the rear hanger. My Cross Check has a Cane Creek S3 headset which isn't too big and my stem has about 30 mm of spacers under it so the cable hanger I referenced does work well.

I have never tried mini-v's on any bike, and I am not a big fan of Tektro products or re-branded tektro products. I lucked out with the Avid shorty 4's and these particular diacomp levers. The lever action is firm, and no squeal. It's a good match.

Also, now with the front cable having some "breathing room", it is not necessary to crank down heavily on the brake springs to make up for the tight cable angle as before... nice and light lever action, vast improvement.

One more hurdle that was overcome, without a barrel adjuster I could not pop the link wire off of the front brake for front wheel removal.... not enough slack. Now, I keep about 3 or 4 mm of threads showing on the barrel, and I can loosen the wire enough to unhook the link instead of fiddling with the pinch bolt, as before.

I've had bad experiences with early Shimano and other cantis too as the alignment and set up are awkward, the power is compromised if you don't do it right and they can be dreadfully noisy.

However, I just installed a set of Shimano's new BR-R550 canti's on the Cross Check I mentioned above and the difference is night and day. These install and align with no problems, use V-brake type replacable pads and are quiet, powerful and predictable.

To the OP: I agree it's a clever setup and a neat adaption of the rear hanger. My Cross Check has a Cane Creek S3 headset which isn't too big and my stem has about 30 mm of spacers under it so the cable hanger I referenced does work well.

Jensen has these on sale for $33/pr, regular price, not a sale or promotion. Strange how they manage to knock $10 off everybody else's price. I replaced the stock Shimano pads with Kool Stop Salmons. I'd slivers of aluminum from the rims imbedded in the Shimano black pads, but not with the Kool Stops. I then replaced the Kool Stop cartridge pads with dedicated Kool Stop shoes. They're longer and curved, matching the arc of the rim. I found the extra contact area gives a noticeable improvement.

Jensen has these on sale for $33/pr, regular price, not a sale or promotion. Strange how they manage to knock $10 off everybody else's price.
That's where I got mine and since I ordered them at the same time as my Cross Check frameset, which included free shipping, the brakes shipped for free too.

I replaced the stock Shimano pads with Kool Stop Salmons. I'd slivers of aluminum from the rims imbedded in the Shimano black pads, but not with the Kool Stops. I then replaced the Kool Stop cartridge pads with dedicated Kool Stop shoes. They're longer and curved, matching the arc of the rim. I found the extra contact area gives a noticeable improvement.
I've been using the OEM Shimano pads that came with the brakes and, so far, so good. Braking is fine and there has been no noticable or undue wear on the rims and this bike is used almost exclusively in bad weather. I expect when the Shimano pads wear out I'll replace them with Kool Stops but there is no urgency to do so.

That's super kooky looking, but I like. The brake action must be nice and smooth. That Surly hanger is a great product, whether on the front or the rear.

I found a nice extra long headset mounted canti cable hanger at Velo Orange that is working pretty well; it also has a barrel adjuster.

WHen using a conventional hanger, you might also try routing the cable for a front canti brake from out beneath the bar tape, over top of the stem and then around to the hanger. This takes out a good deal of the awkward kinking by increasing the radius of the housing's arc, and it looks trick/ bike nerdish.

I hate to say this given your stated dislike of the Big T, but for canti brakes on my xcheck, nothing I've found beats Tektro CR-720 wide profiles. They are so much brake for so little. The wide profile gets me great power and modulation while (apparently) all but eliminating squeal. stock pads are crap, but everyone who knows whats what will be running koolstops with whatever brake anyways.