SSP

I'm building up a Surly LHT, and have a pair of Shimano BR-R550 cantis for it.

It looks like the Surly has a built-in hanger for the rear canti, but nothing for the front.

Any ideas/recommendations for what to use for a front brake cable hanger?

Thanks in advance.

cs1

Ebay. They're full of them:

https://cgi.ebay.com/1-1-8-Cantilever...QQcmdZViewItem

https://cgi.ebay.com/Tektro-1-Cantile...QQcmdZViewItem

https://cgi.ebay.com/Clamp-on-Cable-H...QQcmdZViewItem

https://cgi.ebay.com/Ritchey-Logic-1-...QQcmdZViewItem

You aren't looking hard enough. Good luck

Tim

Cyclist0383

Loose Screws and Nashbar also sell them.

SSP

I'm new to this and wasn't sure what I should be looking for...thanks for the links.

It looks like all of those require adding the hanger as a spacer in the headset stack.

Has anyone had experience with fork mounted hangers? I found this "CAH59 Fork Crown Housing" on the Sheldon Brown website:
https://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1805

I'm inclined to give the Sheldon Brown hanger a try, because I'd rather not dirty of the headset stack with a hanger, and I'm worried that the headset hanger would be mounted so high (relative to the brakes) that it would require a tight bend in the cables.

Metaluna

I'm using one of those on the rear of my Cross-Check. Why Surly didn't see fit to braze a rear hanger onto this frame is a mystery to me, and if you think the cable routing on the front of an LHT is bad, try using one of those little hangers that attaches to the seatpost clamp bolt, which is what Surly ships with the Cross-Check.

Anyway, the "Sheldon Brown" (actually Tektro) hanger works well for me on the rear, but I tried one on the front, and it didn't have enough clearance to avoid rubbing on the lower headset cup. The LHT fork crown might be different though, and it probably depends on the size of your headset also (I use a Chris King headset which has large-ish cups). If you can get one to fit on the front though, I'd definitely give it a try. Not only will it help cable routing, but some people claim that these hangers can reduce brake squeal and chatter (something about a shorter feedback loop between the brake cable and frame).

Also, if the Tektro fork crown hanger doesn't work out for you, IRD makes a "deep drop" hanger that hangs a cm or two lower than the more conventional steerer-tube mounted designs. It's expensive though...usually around $30.

masiman

The bend can be tight. The ones linked to by cs1 clamp on to the fork post. You may not have enough room to fit a cable hanger there. They do sell ones that go on the stack. However the ones I have seen are made to fit threaded forks, i.e. they have a key. You could file that key off and have it fit.

Also, there is a deeper drop hanger available at bikeman.

SSP

Thanks...I've order the Tektro from Sheldon. Hopefully it will fit - my LHT has an FSA Orbit headset which is pretty low profile. If it doesn't work out, I may bite the bullet and order the IRD (even though it's twice as expensive as the Tektro).

I've also emailed Surly asking them for advice/recommendations.

I had hoped to complete the LHT build over the weekend, but got hung up on the brakes. I even tried mounting a set of Ultegra sidepulls, but the mounting hardware is too large in diameter for the holes in the Surly fork and rear bridge. Arrrrgh!

SSP

OK - an update. The Tektro hanger would not work on the fork of my LHT. I'm using an FSA Orbit X headset, and the lower cups interfere with mounting of the Tektro hanger.

So I went by the bike shop today and picked up that expensive IRD deep drop hanger. I'll try and mount it up this evening, but it looks like a no-brainer install.