cantilever brakes-differences??
 

Hey folks: I need to replace my cantis on my mid 80's Miyata 1000. I notice huge differences in the price of cantis. Would all of the cantis work for my old touring bike with road brake levers. I use the bike as my everyday commuter and self supported tours so stopping power is important. Any recommendations on brand and model? I was thinking about the cane creek mid level price @$30-40/brake.
http://www.ebikestop.com/cane_creek_...ack-BR5130.php

Don't mind going cheaper though. Thanks for your input. Charlie

I just picked up 2 sets of the Tektro CR720.

mid 80's miyata 1000 are considered by some to be the best production touring rigs of their time. it might be worth getting some "good" quality brakes for it. paul touring or neo retro cantilever brakes would be pretty sweet on your bike.
direct pull (v-brakes) would further increase your braking power. you can use travel agents to compensate for the extra pull they need to work, or with long pull drop bar levers, if they exist (i seem to think i've seen them at some point)

just FYI, I wasn't able to mount CR-720 with a miyata 615 fork and 20mm outer width rims.
I did make sure the short side was on the inside, but there just wasn't enough room.

@AEO - if it was close, you could always try Kool-stop's thinline pads, they're made for such situations.

Other than that, one consideration when choosing a canti is wide- vs. low-profile. Many people prefer low profile in the rear because of heel clearance. Long wheelbase frames (like mine) can tolerate wide-profile cantis on the rear, but a lot of modern bikes can't.

Otherwise, the only other major consideration is you want a set that take threaded pads. The CR720's by Tektro mentioned are pretty good, I have them.

I'd stay away from Pauls unless you have a lot of extra money. You can get all the braking power (but none of the bragging rights) with the CR720's. Even lower end models, like the Oryx will skid you, if you set them up right.

the post mounts for the miyata fork are set closer to the rim than what you can find on modern CX and touring bikes, so those thinlines could be the key.

Tektro Oryx are the exact same as the Cane Creek (Cane Creek is just re-branded Tektro) for less money. They come in silver and black also and are fine brakes.

http://bikeisland.com/images/qtektrooryxsil.jpg

Paul's canti's are more money than most folks are willing to spend, but I gotta say after using them, there's no comparison to any Tektro cantilever brake (I've used both the CR720's and the Oryx, too).

Are Paul's canti's necessary to stop? No. Are they better brakes? Yes. If you want crazy-strong brakes that also modulate quite well, that is. They are the nearest thing to discs, in a rim brake, I've ever encountered, including very nice v-brakes as well. They are amazing. And terribly expensive, too.

You can get a bikes worth of CR720's at Jenson for $40.
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...ver+Brake.aspx

Thanks everyone. Wish I could afford the Pauls but seems lots of good Tektro comments. Hope they fit but we'll see. I'll post back with results. charlie

i use these on my 82 miyata 1000
http://www.ebikestop.com/shimano_alt...ire-BR8787.php

$10 and the pads don't even squeal!

Another vote for the CR720 cantis. I use them on my brevet bike and can't say enough good things about them.

Another one I've seen with my rando club, which looks similar in design to the Paul NR, is the Grand Cru canti from Velo-Orange. (Although the tacky Mafac old-school gold bling-y-ness of them is a bit offputting, they do work well.)

I prefer canti's with the smooth post, as it offers that extra dimension for fitting because not every canti braze-on is perfect, and you need a more adjustable reach than the threaded post type can offer. They can be more challenging to set up . . . but so what. . . learn how to do it and you're fine. My favorites are the Suntour XC Pro and Shimano BR-MC70 . . which are early 80's Deore. These Canti's from Shimano are the King of adjustability, especially for those running 700c wheels on 27" wheeled frames.

There are still some made these days. . . Velo Orange sells some and TRP makes some nice ones too. Shimano and Tektro both have $10 ones if you want inexpensive.

This is probably a very good choice. You'll find on the Miyata that there is very little vertical distance between the mounting post and the center of the rim, and most canti's won't fit. Make sure you can return them if the pad can't be adjusted low enough to hit the rim squarely.

I had clearance issues with travel agents and the racks on my bike. Might not be a problem for everyone, but it is an issue worth thinking about. I'll throw my hat into the cr720 ring. I use them and like them.

long pull (v-brake compatible) drop bar brake levers do exist: dia-compe 287 and the tektro rl520. peace out travel agents!

Travel Agents are available in an inline version as well. In theory, you should be able to stick that one pretty much anywhere.