Mountain Biking - Cheap cantilevers or cheap v-brakes?

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3speed
03-11-12, 12:28 AM
I just found an older set of Altus SLR cantilevers in a box of freebies from CL. I do have a bike that could either use those or some generic style Shimano v-brakes I have. Just looking for an opinion before I take the time to put on the cantis since I've read so many times that cantis a PITA to set up. I'm going to be using them for an old cromoly steel MTB frame commuter with v-brake/canti friendly road levers if that makes a difference at all.

roccobike
03-11-12, 07:57 AM
For me, V-Brakes have always seemed superior to canti's of equal value. Sure some higher end canti's have really good stopping power, but even entry level V's are very effective. I've converted a few older MTBs to V's and never regretted it. So I'd go V brakes.
Thor29
03-12-12, 07:32 PM
Keep in mind that v-brakes and cantilevers have different cable pull so you need to match them with the correct levers. Personally, I avoid cantilevers at all cost. V-brakes are so much easier to set up and usually have more power.