Avid Speed Dial 7 Levers and Trad. Cantilever Brakes
 

I found a 1995 GT Timberline in the garbage and it's in pretty good shape. I think I need to replace the all-in-one shifters and brake levers and I was thinking about the Avid Speed Dial 7 brake levers. Do these work with traditional cantilever brakes, specifically these.

BTW, I did a cursory search, but was not able to really find out anything.

Thanks for helping a newb out.

They will 'work' but they won't be ideal.

The speed dial 7 levers are designed for linear pull aka v brakes and are made to pull more cable than the lever that was designed to be used with those canti brakes. They are 'long pull'. You can set them up to work but they will feel like you have to squeeze the levers extra hard once the pads are engaged to get the appropriate braking force.

what you want are 'short pull' levers.

Some levers like these

I will add that any short pull lever will work but when buying pay attention to the clamping diameter and make sure they will work with your bars.

C Law,

Thanks for the great information and advice.

I'm thinking about setting up this bike as a beater/commuter, so eventually I'll add fenders. With this in mind, do you think I should keep the cantilever brakes that are on them now, or should I just make the switch to v-brakes.

My experience is that most canti's will fit better in and around fenders.

Most V brakes have a tendency for the horizontal cable run (from brake arm to brake arm) interfere where it goes over the top of the fender. This is especially true when using the fat fenders ie. Planet Bike.

With all that in mind, Shimano and Tektro each have at least one V brake model that is specifically designed for fender clearance.

for a commuter, I'd probably go with whichever is the cheaper route. Since you already have the calipers, obtaining some levers that will work would be pretty inexpensive.