I've got a set of Suntour XC-LTD cantilevers I took off a bike a number of years ago. I dug them out again recently only to discover that one side of each brake has a larger than normal pivot hole! I assume these must have had an extra bronze bushing or something in there that I've long since lost. I've been planning to sometime take the brakes and a digital caliper to the hardware store and see if I can scare up a bushing sleeve that works, but thought I'd find out what anyone else knows about these.


(FWIW, they came off when some plastic part broke and a bike dealer sold me a set of Nexave V-brakes ... except that those never worked right because he didn't advise me that they needed different levers! Now I can't think for the life of me why it'd have been that huge a problem for the plastic boot protecting the return spring to have been broken ....)

Yeah, on the XC-LTD, one side was different than the other. The spring on the "big" side didn't plug into a hole in the frame, it plugged into the part you're missing, which I seem to recall was chromed steel. That missing part could be rotated to vary the spring tension on that side, serving as the brake-centering function. When the brake arm was clamped to the frame, that part was immobilized, locking in the spring setting.

Thanks! Now at least I have a better idea of what exactly is missing ... if I ever come across those bits again.

Though come to think of it, did this system rely on little plastic shells to keep the spring bits together? If so, maybe that's what broke when I removed them in the first place. I definitely seem to recall being under the impression that the one brake didn't work anymore....

The plastic bits were strictly cosmetic or dirt covers. The spring was supported on the adjustable "top hat" bushing which could be adjusted with a 19mm cone wrench, then locked in place. SunTour used the system throughout their brake line, and I have it on the XC-Pros on my commuter. I find it a very effective easy to use adjustment system.

Dia Compe also used a similar 'top hat' bushing on some of their later cantilevers like the 986 and 987.
Of course, you'd have to test fit the D/C bushing to see if it will work with the SunTour spring and
arch. As I recall the adjustment flats on the D/C bushing were smaller than the SunTour bushing.

The wrench flats don't matter, but length and diameter of the section where the brake arm sits are critical. OTOH, there's a good chance they'll fit because various companies often share vendors and use similar parts.