Bicycle Mechanics - 88' trek 830 antelope--what brake does it use?

Canti posts have the spring tension pin location on the outside of the stud, not on the inside like almost all others in existence. The trek site and another spec site show diacompe 981 or shimano AT 50, niether has the pin location on hte outside. Bianchi typical location, Trek not so typical. This is a parts bin(except for tubes/tires) city/commute bike build for my 14yr old nephew. Any infor much appreciated.

Brian

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l529/anniebanana/20%20scales/trek%20830/IMG_3445.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l529/anniebanana/20%20scales/trek%20830/IMG_3446.jpg

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l529/anniebanana/20%20scales/trek%20830/IMG_3447.jpg

Whoa, haven't come across that one.

I think, (note: THINK) you're overanalyzing this. Check me on this, but wouldn't it work if you swapped the springs from the left arm to the right arm and vice versa on just about ANY cantilever?

edit: now that I'm thinking about this, no, that wouldn't work. But what if you reverse the spring in the canti arm? Like flip the pins. a Lot of canti's have the pins at 90 degrees to eachother, so I'd bet you could find the 90 that works for you.

Also, there are canti's like the Dia Compe 986/987 and an old pair of tektros I had that don't use the holes at all, they have a plate that gets pressed in place by the tension of the pivot bolt.

Once a long time ago in the junk parts bin at the co-op I found an adaptor that slid over the canti stud and provided holes on the opposite side.
It looked like a fat washer, with 3 spring slots on one side, and a pin on the other.
Sounds like what you need.
It didn't have any brand or model markings on it, and there was only 1 of them. I tossed it back since I had no need of such a curiosity.

That was the Santa Cruz Bike Church, in santa cruz CA a few years ago
you might drop by and see if it's still there; I seriously doubt anyone bought it and its not like the junk parts bin ever gets thrown out.


EDIT: just me, or does quick reply ignore line breaks?

Whoa, haven't come across that one.......what if you reverse the spring in the canti arm? Like flip the pins. a Lot of canti's have the pins at 90 degrees to eachother, so I'd bet you could find the 90 that works for you.



Yeah, I'll play around with them tomorrow, see if I can figure it out. There has to be a stock brake though, a puzzler for me.

"Also, there are canti's like the Dia Compe 986/987 and an old pair of tektros I had that don't use the holes at all, they have a plate that gets pressed in place by the tension of the pivot bolt."

I have some 986/7s someplace, I'll take a look at them, maybe they will work. I just want to finish the build and get the kid off his 50lb clunker. I'm hoping someone will know whats what with these mounts.

thanks.

There are also cantilevers that adjust in the same manner as most U-brakes, where you turn a spring block with a spanner to set the spring tension and then lock it down by tightening the bolt. They don't use the spring holes in the frame at all (most u-brake studs don't even have them as a result), but they're fairly rare. I've seen them on eBay though, and if you're parts-bin-diving, you might come across a pair.

256498

I encountered that issue while I was trying to fix up an old Raleigh Technium. I couldn't find a brake that would work and couldn't figure how to modify any brakes that I had. Eventually I even got a personal response from Sheldon Brown on the topic but it wasn't any help.

That's one of the reasons why that bike became a fixed gear with a caliper brake just on the front.

I'm thinking your easiest and cheapest solution might be to find a different frame to work with.

256498

I encountered that issue while I was trying to fix up an old Raleigh Technium. I couldn't find a brake that would work and couldn't figure how to modify any brakes that I had. Eventually I even got a personal response from Sheldon Brown on the topic but it wasn't any help.

That's one of the reasons why that bike became a fixed gear with a caliper brake just on the front.

I'm thinking your easiest and cheapest solution might be to find a different frame to work with.

No need to quits quickly. Some cantos have exposed springs that you can readily switch left for right. I have done this a couple of times without difficulty. And there are the brakes that do not use the pins (as a previous poster suggested); I bet there are a set or two on eBay right now.

jim

Judging from the wheelbase and graphics the bike looks like an early to mid '80s model. I suspect your looking for an old DiaCompe brake.

But as Airburt says you could likely use a brake like some of Suntours last models that didn't use the holes.

I believe the adaptor plates Xenologer is talking about are for use if the stud unscrews from the braze on portion. I don't see wrench flats on yours so I am not sure if they would.

I think this is something like you need or close to what came on the bike. but the ebay seller wants $200 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dia-Compe-960-Cantilever-Brakes-F-R-Set-1984-Super-Light-226-Grams-RARE-NOS-/110885187188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d145ae74

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/3/2/9/7/3/1/webimg/445621635_o.jpg

No need to quits quickly. Some cantos have exposed springs that you can readily switch left for right. I have done this a couple of times without difficulty. And there are the brakes that do not use the pins (as a previous poster suggested); I bet there are a set or two on eBay right now.

I've no doubt that's true but the OP was asking for a specific brake model that will work. You can't buy a somewhat obscure part on eBay unless you know exactly what you need.

Judging from the wheelbase and graphics the bike looks like an early to mid '80s model.

I thought so as well. The frame geometry(long tt, high bb, long wb, long cs at 18") seems like mid 80s at the latest, but according to the Trek site, , http://vintage-trek.com/model_numbers1.htm (see model/yr/color) the color/graphics color shows it as an 88', doesn't matter to me either way, but a puzzler nevertheless. If there is a specific brake I'd like to know what it is, whether or not I end up using it, just because I've never seen this configuration before.

EDIT: Opps! You're right, looks like an 86/87 model. I'm claiming "senior moment"(once again!) for misreading the table.



830
84, berry red with gold graphics
85, blue with gold graphics
86 Antelope - bright red, also black metallic. Additionally, a 1986 830 has been reported (by Brian) with metallic forest green paint with gold decals.
87 Antelope - bright red with white decals, gray metallic/black fade with white decals
88, aqua with white decals, also medium gray with teal blue decals
89, pearl white with mint decals, also intense blue with white decals
90, black with bright green decals, also silver with intense blue decals




Brian

Here you go-

According to This (http://vintage-trek.com/images/trek/86TrekCatalog.pdf) and This (http://vintage-trek.com/images/trek/87TrekCatalog.pdf), you need These (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Cantilever-Brakes-Four-Finger-Levers-BR-AT50-BL-AT55-Vintage-Old-School-/300726036244?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4604ab2714#ht_7513wt_1219)

$20. I'm awake now, and I'm pretty sure that you can flip the springs inside their respective arm to get the pin on the other side. It's a weird spacial thought exercise and I'm still not 100% though.

OK, the Trek site does say the "88 830 had Shimano cantilever and U-brake. Regarding your particular problem, I had a Raleigh Portage that I believe had the exact same kind of set up. I don't have the bike any more, but sent a PM to the current owner to see if he can post what the brakes are here. I sent him the brakes because once he had the frame and forks, he could not find brakes that would work, so I do not have them for reference, but hopefully he will post here to help you out. Any Raleigh Portage owner may be able to help out here.

There are also cantilevers that adjust in the same manner as most U-brakes, where you turn a spring block with a spanner to set the spring tension and then lock it down by tightening the bolt. They don't use the spring holes in the frame at all (most u-brake studs don't even have them as a result), but they're fairly rare. I've seen them on eBay though, and if you're parts-bin-diving, you might come across a pair.

I just did a tune up on a '89 Trek Antelope "Intense blue" that had these kind of brakes. They work great. Very solid parts. Just use a 19mm cone wrench and you can adjust spring tension on either arm. Adjusting the pad angle was easy too, one 5 mm nut, same as with a V brake.

Sorry to weigh in so late, I'm the proud owner of T.J.'s old Raleigh Portage. (thanks again TJ! It's awesome!) The only thing that worked for me was the original set of brakes from that frame and I mean the ones that came on it.(again, thanks TJ) I first tried Paul brakes since they don't use the tension holes but there were clearance issues. This may work for your frame though. Pauls are a little pricey but I think there are some other less expensive options that use the same internal tensioning system. After the Paul failure I ebayed some orig. equipt XT deerheads that came on the bike and they didn't work either. I PMed TJ and he had the brakes off the frame still and sent them to me (seriously, this guy is awesome) They worked fine. The only difference between the two sets was the springs, there was an extra coil in the OE brakes (4 instead of 3) and for some reason that made a difference. If I get a chance I'll take some picks of both brakes and maybe someone who is smarter than me can spot another difference. It was also sugested that I drill a new retention hole in the caliper itself to reorient the spring that way. I don't see a reason why that wouldnt work but I didnt try it. Hope this helps.

Ride Well,
Robert

Want good brakes? Magura Hs33 mount on V/ cantilever brake bosses

but as an anchor point not a pivot.. the German hydraulic rim brake

Thanks for the help guys. I located some AT-50s(didn't know I had 'em when I posted) in my parts bin, worked great.

Brian