ruirui

ok, i've installed it and now noticed that the cable hanger i installed is backwards. (see attached photo) not sure if that has any effect on what i'm experiencing.

it's hard for me to get the brakes center and no only the the manual it came with needed a magnifying glass to read.

i found the online version, but still a bit confused on #17 step. i tried to center it after in install the cable for both arms but noticed even after a couple squeeze here and there.. it would be center first and then later one side of the pad will rub slightly. then i retension the spring cap on that particular side and then after awhile it would rub again (sometimes on the same side and/or opposite side)

is there a dummy proof way to install these canti? coming from road bike, this is definitely a PIA to install and get it right the first time.

also, for the pads, i installed it by having a friend squeezed on the brakes while i make the adjustment and tighten down to prevent any toe in or out against the rim.

dbg

Cable hanger could go either way. Mine are mounted just like yours appear to be. (I don't consider that backwards). And I find these (avid shorty ulitmate) to be about the easiest brakes to mount and configure. One end of the strap is adjustable and the tension springs are infinitely adjustable. I love these brakes.

I like to squeeze the pads against the rims, make sure the cable is pulled thru the hanger as tight as I can get it without setting the screws, and then mark a reference on the cable with a sharpie. Then I undo the strap and set the hanger based on the reference mark.

I love these brakes.

Did I mention how wonderful these brakes are?

ruirui

yea i love them too.. the looks of it and everything. we have the same brake set.

is the brake cable from the lever to the hanger...should that be tight or have some slack?

if only if you can post a vid on how you install it.. that would help tremendously...

wesmamyke

The hanger bit being backwards shouldn't have any effect on the centering, but sometimes even a really well adjusted brake can be thrown off by bumping the little center hanger gizmo. They do make ones that lock in place, but it's not necessary.

I would try to add spring tension to both sides, more to the side that tends to rub. It's easy to under tension with this style of brake, don't be afraid to crank on the spring adjusters, obviously you can go overboard but make sure you have enough to keep them from dragging. Also make sure the adjusters are not slipping back, this style of spring adjuster will tend to slip.

As far as the toe-in or lack of, if no toe in doesn't squeak like crazy then go for it. When they get wet you might change your mind. Almost any brake will feel more firm with little or no toe, it's a game of how little you can get away with to keep them quiet and still feel good at the lever.

Also I believe in the recreational cyclocross/gravel biking forum they have a sticky on Canti brakes. And more pictures of the setup wouldn't hurt, it kinda looks like the cable hanger is too high but hard to tell. It wouldn't cause any centering issues, but you won't get them feeling great with the hanger run too high or low.

ruirui

thanks wemamyke. I'll search for the sticky on canti brakes. i adjusted the tension and now it's not rubbing and then after a couple of good hard squeeze, the hanger seems to now be able to self center.

i'm having this issue with the rear where my redline CX doesn't have a rear barrel adjuster for the brake line, so it seems i had to squeeze pretty hard to stop. how can i shorten the brake lever travel distance? on road bike, i can yank on the brake cable tight before tighten down the bolt. but on canti, i suppose i can raise the hanger higher and maybe use the side tensions on each side of the brake arm to pull it outwards?

wesmamyke

I meant to add that before, bringing the tension up will make the hanger more likely to self center.

Not entirely sure if you mean the lever is pulling to the bar or it's just too hard to pull?

It looks like the cable just needs to be tightened on the rear, you can do that with the main brake cable or the straddle cable. It's hard to tell you what would be best without seeing the brake, the length of the straddle cable and the height of the cable hanger change the feel of the brake quite a bit.

Generally speaking though the straddle cable should make a 90degreee angle and the cable hanger should be about two maybe three finger widths off the top of the tire. When run in the wide mode with the arms sticking out you can run the hanger higher without it screwing stuff up.

Again generally the lower you run the straddle cable and hanger the mushier but more powerful the brake will be. The higher you run it the firmer and less powerful the brake will be.

You can get little inline barrel adjusters and splice them into any piece of housing, very handy. Those Red shifter levers probably have a reach adjustment if that is causing any issues.

ruirui

i currently have it setup as narrow stance. if i set the hanger lower, wouldn't that make the brake lever travel longer to stop it?

i've adjusted the rear hanger to be higher, before it was too low like only 1" from the wheel. now it matches up with the front which is 1.5" above the wheel. i'm running a 35c.



this is before the adjustment for the rear

wesmamyke

[QUOTE=ruirui;16924811]i currently have it setup as narrow stance. if i set the hanger lower, wouldn't that make the brake lever travel longer to stop it?

Edit: I don't think changing the height of the cable hanger will mess with the cable pull, it certainly will change the feel of the brake.

Changing to wide profile mode might change the cable pull some. Old style wide profile brakes like the MAFAC had a slightly different cable pull, but they also had different pivot placement on the frame.

Install looks pretty good so far. One thing Worth mentioning is the cable housing. It's not uncommon to get a mushy feeling brake that pulls to the bar if the housing under the bartape is not seated correctly in the lever. If it's all newly installed including housing and tape make sure the housing is seated firmly and taped down, preferably with strapping tape.

I have chased my tail on more than one brake because of poorly installed housing!

ruirui

wesmamyke: thanks! i'll double check on the housing. i recall using 3M electrical tape to secure it in place... but never hurts to double check again. thanks for the tips!! :beerchug: