Antiacus

I've got Tektro Oryx Canti's on my commuter. I'm 6'5" 250 and i've adjusted them to the best of my ability but it's taking massive force on the levers to stop in a timely manner. I've also swapped out pads to kool stops with a little improvement but not enough.

I'm interested in Hydraulic discs. I upgraded my wheelset to Vuelta HD's and i'm running Sora STI shifters.

Would i need a new wheelset?

What i see on nashbar and amazon either come with levers or are designed for mtb bikes.

Thanks for any help!

Tim_Iowa

To change to disc brakes, you'd need:
* disc-compatible hubs
* disc-compatible fork and frame

Do you have these? I recently swapped my old Cannondale MTB from V-brakes to hydraulic discs. The frame had the proper disc brake tabs, I used take-off calipers that I upgraded from on my fat bike, and I found a cheap used disc brake wheelset locally for $50 (the hubs needed rebuilt, and the rims needed truing).

You'll also need new calipers and levers, if you're going hydraulic. If you want to use mechanical disc brakes, you can keep your current brake levers.

Cantilever brakes can usually be tuned to be just about as effective as mechanical disc brakes, but sometimes it's really tricky.

Cheapest option: replace the cantilever brakes with V-brakes (aka "linear pull". They're a lot easier to set up effectively.
If you have flat bar (MTB-style) brake levers, you can use full sized V-brakes.
If you have drop bar (road-style) brake levers, you can use "mini" V-brakes,
or, you could get drop bar brake levers for "linear-pull" brakes and run full size V-brakes,
or, you could use a "travel agent" device and run full size V-brakes with your existing levers.

Antiacus

Thanks so much tim.

No tabs on the frame for discs.

Back to the drawing board.

Le Mechanic

You might look at TRP's CX-9 mini V-brakes. I put a pair on my non-disc. cyclocross bike. They have WAY more braking power than standard canti brakes.

fietsbob

Only have a Cantilever brake post on the frame?

Magura Hydraulic rim brakes fit on cantilever posts , included lever is not for drop bars though ..
Kool Stop Salmon Pads are on mine . HS33

want discs ?, sell what you have & buy a Bike so equipped. as said above Frame has to have the mounts.
(+ wheels and the brakes, Discs come with the Brakes, and levers.. if not hydro )

all that adds up buying at retail

Antiacus

Thanks for the replies!

Are the trp cx9's significantly better than the Tektro 926's? They're about $100 vs $30-$40 bucks for the Tektro's. I don't mind paying $100 bucks at all, but if it's only an issue of weight, i'd rather save $50-$60 bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...rds=tektro+926

fietsbob

Tektro also makes that 926 Mini V .. TRP is the race and Development part ,

Tektro is the mass volume production parent company making stuff for the Bike Factories.

IDK what the tire clearance is on the 926 ( you may have to return it if it doesn't Fit)

the CX 9 is named so as its 9cm from the pivot to the top. better machined etc.. to clear Cross Knobbies [32 wide UCI max.]

Antiacus

Explains alot thanks. So the 8's would work fine for me too. I was wondering what the difference was. I run 30's on my commuter.

fietsbob

As I recall Reading, There was an 8.something ..TRP .

Shimano Brifters changed the cable pull ratio, so TRP changed to Suit, thus the 9...


May not clear over Mudguards (a western OR necessity)

bikemig 

As others have said, v brakes are probably your best bet but watch out as Tim said in post no. 2 for potential brake lever issues. If you haven't given up on cantilevers, I really like the Tektro 720s and find they work better than the tektro oryx cantis. But there's no denying that most people find v brakes easier to set up than cantilevers and appear to like the stopping power better as well.

habilis

What's the condition of your brake pads? Could they be hardened or contaminated? Maybe you just need new ones. Are the levers hard to operate? Cables sticking in housings? That could account for some of the extra effort needed.

FastJake

Big question: flat bars or drop bars? If you have flat bars it's a no-brainer, get V-brakes. Easier to setup, more stopping power. If you have drop bars it's a little more complicated. You can get V-brake drop bar levers but that obviously won't work if you're using STI shifters. But...

I've read complaints about the Tektro Oryx before. There are better cantis out there. If V-brakes aren't an option I'd try a better cantilever brake.

Andy_K 

Full-sized V-brakes with Travel Agents work great and don't have the potential issues with fenders that mini-Vs do. They're a little tricky to setup, but the stopping power is excellent.

joejack951

You don't need a disc-compatible frame to run a front disc brake, though. And most any bike can have its fork replaced wit a disc-compatible version. The majority of your stopping power is from your front brake and I almost exclusively brake with my front disc on my commuter (which has rear cantilever brakes). I run an Avid BB7 up front and get vastly better braking in foul weather and far better pad and wheel rim life (no brake track wear at all!).

On a budget, find a decent front disc wheel or rebuild yours with a disc brake hub (might not make financial sense unless you have the shorter spokes sitting around), then grab a disc fork and the BB7 road version so it works with your current brake levers. I bet you'll be happy enough with that set up and it won't interfere with your rear rack either (assuming you use one).

My Pedal Force CX1 with Avid BB7 front disc:

dr_lha

I find this somewhat curious. I have Tektro CR-710s, which is many ways are a similar, cheaper, version of what you are running. I've run them on my cross bike for over 2 years. I weighed between 290 and 240lbs. After setting them up properly, they never failed to stop me. I would suggest that maybe your cantilever brakes are not set up correctly. Having to pull hard on the brakes to get any sort of stopping power, probably means that you haven't set them up with enough mechanical advantage. Read more about it here:

The Geometry of Cantilever Brakes

That said, coverting to Mini-Vs will simplify your life, and they are much simpler to set up than cantilevers, and they suffer from less of the niggling issues that can affect cantilever brakes such as brake squeal and fork judder.

But there's really nothing fundamentally wrong with the brakes you have, it just sounds like they need to be set up properly.

Antiacus

Thanks guys.

My bike is a Nashbar CX1 cyclocross. I'm big so i put Vuelta HD's on it with Schwalbe racers. Fenders are clip on style. Easier just to post a pic.

So i'm leaning towards just getting some either full size or mini-v. I thought i would try these: Amazon.com : Tektro 926A Mini V-Brake - Black : Bike Brake Levers : Sports & Outdoors

dabac

There are disc brake adapters that clamps onto the rear dropout too. A bit ugly, but people seem to be quite content with one from a2z.

Or the expensive approach - wheels using ceramic (coated) rims.
Those - particularly with Magura hydraulic rim brakes - work very well.

Steel frames can have disc brake tabs added w/o breaking the bank.
Its theoretically possible for other frame materials too, but I've haven't heard of anyone trying it.

dr_lha

Difficult to judge from that picture, but it looks that your front cantilever at least is set up all wrong.

FastJake

Full size V-brakes won't work with your STI unless you get Travel Agents.

Looks like your straddle cables could be moved a lot closer to the tire which should improve braking quite a bit.

Antiacus

Really!? When i get home from work i'll take a picture of both and post them. I set them up myself out of the box so i wouldn't be surprised if i've botched the job.

dr_lha

Yeah, as @FastJake says, the straddle cable should be a lot closer to the wheel. That will give you more mechanical advantage, which will mean that your brakes will stop you with less hard pull of the brake lever required.

dsbrantjr

+1 I also have found Problem Solvers Wide cable carriers helpful as well; I use them with Tektro CR720s. Problem Solvers

fietsbob

Yes, Long-arm L shaped cantilevers take a different straddle cable set up than short compact types ..

the Type of lever changes too from type 1) work> fulcrum> effort, to type 2) fulcrum> work> effort ..
direct pull /V brakes are more so..
where work is the brake pad , and effort is where the cable pulls on the end . fulcrum is the pivot.

classical mechanics of levers ..

Andy_K 

It's hard to tell from your picture, but it looks like you have a regular straddle cable, which lets you adjust its height with a lot of variability. For a narrow brake like the Oryx, it should be pretty low. If you're visually oriented, this is a great tool for seeing how straddle cable height impacts mechanical advantage (~braking force):

MAITOY: Cantilever Brake Geometry

If you want something simple, you can use a Z Link cable like this:

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...ls.php?id=9739

The 63mm size would give you the most stopping power, though the lever feel would be a bit firm.

Antiacus

Perfect. Thanks. Now that i think about it there is no question i have it set up way wrong. Can't wait to get home and get to work on it.

You guys are fantastic.