Bicycle Mechanics - I hate canti’s club - pad adjustment

I’ve just brought a cross bike with cantilever brakes and as much as I’m trying not to descend instantly into the ‘I hate canti’s club’ they are really starting to annoy me…

As much as it’s a faf to get the yoke / lever set up right, my issue is simply tightening the threaded pads in place on the levers. I get the adjustment bang on, flush to the rim, toed in then go to fully tighten the nut and aarrrh it twists the pad out of place!! Lost an hour and a half of my life to this last night……

Now I’ve tried, doing it slowly, I’ve tried counter acting the twist with my fingers yet still the pad move from where I wanted it. I can’t believe that the system has such a floor in the set up. What am I missing?

I have a vague feeling someone is going to say ‘you don’t need to tighten them that much’ well in anticipation of that…A – its undergoes high stresses so I’m sure they have to be pretty dam tight. And B – its currently not that tight before it twist off.

Any suggestions appreciated…

Cheers

hold the brake lever down so that the pads are pressed firmly against the wheel...and then tighten.

or take a needle nose pilers and hold the pad steady with one hand...and with the other tighten.

and if you're not doing it already, fold a business card down and slide it underneath the pad for your toe-in.

yup been doing that, squeezing as hard as I dam could, but still it slipped. But if your saying that is the way to do it I might try roughing the new pads to take the fresh surface off, see it that helps.

Tried the business card trick but it fell out so a friend suggested an elastic band as its stays is place as you tweak.

I hated the former Paul's cantis I ran, but my new Shorty 6s almost set themselves up.

As for the pads - I get them lined up, then hold'em tight & slowly/gently tighten'em down.

If you've not already done this, you can immobilize the lever by cinching a toe strap or something similar around it first, allowing you to have both hands free to tighten and align the pad.

+1 for no love on canti brakes.

Patience , Grasshoppper. after a few years , it will make sense.
( maybe it's a Libra thing )... :rolleyes:

You could get something like the old Mafac brake calipers, TRP, Empella , Spooky,
they have less things to adjust.
But then the bosses on the frame have to be in the right spot.

back in the mountain bike boom 80's adjustable canti calipers and 'close enough '
boss site variations came in together.. mass produced frame making sloppiness enabled.
:notamused:

What type of pads are they - threaded post (allen key tightens nut on the end of the post) or 'smooth post' (10mm nut on the back of the brake arm squeezes a clamp on the post)?

If they are smooth post (although these are less common), usually you can hold the pad in place with a 5mm allen key when you tighten the nut on the back.

If they are threaded post, here is a trick: Remove all washers and spacers and make sure they are clean and dry... put all washers and spacers back on int he desired configuration, but before putting the nut back on, smear a small amount of grease on the threads on the post and on the back of the last washer against which the nut tightens. Now, when you tighten the nut hold the pad in place with one hand, and the grease should help prevent torque from twisting the pad.

Thanks LarDasse i'm sure that would have worked but i managed it last night with a suggestion from another forum suggesting using an adjustable spanner on the pad to counteract the twisting, the extra leverage provides more control. It worked a treat! i think for that perfect precision i'll combine both tips...

thanks guys