Hi all
Apologies for the long post. I have an old road bike that has cantilever brakes. At some point the front brake on the non drive side must have received a knock and was pushed back towards the fork. This meant the back of the brake pad hit the wheel first and caused vibration and noise. I managed to push the braze on post back to parallel to the wheel. However for both sides, when I pull the brakes the back of both pads hit the wheel first, and everything vibrates. The pads look parallel to the wheel before I pull the brakes. I have no problem with the rear brakes.
The cantilever brakes have no way of adjusting the plane of the brake pad. The only way to change the orientation is:
- bend the post
- bend the arm of the cantilever (I haven't succeeded in doing this)
- fashion a washer to tilt the stem of the pad in the holder. I did this with a piece of electrical wire and it worked but I was very concerned that if I had to brake hard it might not hold, leaving the brake pad ineffective.
The other problem is that the replacement pads I have are too wide and I am obliged to align the cantilever arms way below the horizontal to fit them it. I have checked multiple types and they are all similar. I am sure doesn't help the problem. The only pair I have found that fit are on old pair of mafac ones that I have. But I need new brake pads for them, which cost almost as much as my bike is worth 😁
So I wondered if anyone had any idea of what would be the best course of action:
- replace the front cantilever brakes with something modern and adjustable
- try to find an alternative source of mafac pads (any ideas welcome)
- bend the cantilever posts so they are facing slightly towards the wheel so hopefully when I apply the brakes they touch at least parallel. I am really worried about damaging them. Plus that would leave even less space for the pads.
- fashion a washer by filing down one half of a 1 or 2mm one (is this even possible??) I see some washers available but they are larger than the diameter of my holder.
- only use the back brake 😉
Thank you for taking the time to read. My bike is not worth a lot but is lovely to ride and this whole issue is frustrating!
Photos below.
Many thanks
Gill
Back brake
Front brake with arms almost horizontal
Front brake before I bent the post back
Brakes for info