Originally Posted by
Rick
I am quite heavy and my touring bicycle came with the Spyres. I have Spyres, Spyke and HY/RD disk calipers sitting in my tool box. They are made light and flimsy. I have the Paul Klampers and wished I had had them from the start. You can order them with long, short or Campi caliper length arms. They are expensive and worth every penny that I paid for them. I also use Yokozuna compressionless brake cable housing. It is the best compressionless housing. The Paul Klampers have no play in them and they are not flimsy. Although I would only by Paul products if you like to stop.
The reason to switch to disk in the back, other than long cable run, is that I can't tell how hot the rear rim is getting during sustained braking on the rear of a tandem. The front rim I can tell by touch if nothing else. I am blinded with respect to the rear rim.
No rear rim brake can ever get around that problem. I had the long defunct Strange brake on the rear and they worked quite well as a rim brake once I got the slack out. I doubt if Paul Klampers will change that even though they maybe really really good cantilever brakes.