Surly Disc Trucker or Long Haul Trucker w/canti's
06-29-15, 08:15 PM
#26
Senior Member
My understanding is that a big issue with cantilever brakes can be if the fork is insufficient and then vibrates. That's not really a brake issue but is a problem with the fork. If that doesn't do it, then I think the trick is a brake bridge with a spot to mount the brake cable or to go to v-brakes that are set up for road levers (same issue - the fork and taking the brake cable out of the vibration loop due to fork flexing). But that sounds extreme and not what your problem is. You'd feel that in the handling of the bike.
J.
06-29-15, 08:20 PM
#27
Senior Member
I'll tell you what, mini-V brakes sound like a cheaper solution than a new fork! I'll try out the Swiss Stops first.
06-29-15, 08:45 PM
#29
Senior Member
06-30-15, 04:06 PM
#30
2 Fat 2 Furious
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: England
Posts: 3,996
Bikes: 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc, 2009 Specialized Tricross Sport RIP
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I used to have two bikes - a 2009 Specialized Tricross with canti brakes and a 2009 Specialized Rockhopper with hydraulic disc brakes. The Tricross went to the repair shop in the sky when I broke the frame, but not before giving me much faithful service.
Overall I found the brakes on the Tricross were fine, although in conditions that were damp but not hugely wet they became progressively less effective. Once the rims were coated with a layer of sludge from the roads they sounded pretty awful and didn't stop very well. A paper towel wiped away a layer of medium gray sludge, but you can only stop and wipe the rims so many times before it becomes quicker to walk.
The brakes on the Rockhopper are brutal, so much so that having ridden the Tricross exclusively for a time I had to remind myself just how quickly they stopped the bike. The issue I had there was that if I forgot myself I'd lock the wheels and slide. On one occasion I misread a driver's intentions on the approach to a junction and had to brake very hard, and very nearly slid out of control under the wheels of something else (I'm still not quite sure how I avoided running into or under anything). In the wet they squeal a lot too.
Another downside with discs is that the clearance between the disc and the brake pad tends to be very small, so you don't need much of a piece of crud in there for it to rub. If the pistons operating the brakes don't fully return, or if they are only slightly mis-adjusted, your brakes can rub. Not only is the sound annoying but it wastes the energy you're putting into the pedals. And when hauling a Clyde ass up a big hill the last thing you want is to be wasting energy.
Overall I found the brakes on the Tricross were fine, although in conditions that were damp but not hugely wet they became progressively less effective. Once the rims were coated with a layer of sludge from the roads they sounded pretty awful and didn't stop very well. A paper towel wiped away a layer of medium gray sludge, but you can only stop and wipe the rims so many times before it becomes quicker to walk.
The brakes on the Rockhopper are brutal, so much so that having ridden the Tricross exclusively for a time I had to remind myself just how quickly they stopped the bike. The issue I had there was that if I forgot myself I'd lock the wheels and slide. On one occasion I misread a driver's intentions on the approach to a junction and had to brake very hard, and very nearly slid out of control under the wheels of something else (I'm still not quite sure how I avoided running into or under anything). In the wet they squeal a lot too.
Another downside with discs is that the clearance between the disc and the brake pad tends to be very small, so you don't need much of a piece of crud in there for it to rub. If the pistons operating the brakes don't fully return, or if they are only slightly mis-adjusted, your brakes can rub. Not only is the sound annoying but it wastes the energy you're putting into the pedals. And when hauling a Clyde ass up a big hill the last thing you want is to be wasting energy.
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