jackcoke

I'm putting a cross bike together and I'm having a hard time with these new style yokes...hangers...or whatever you call them. What kind of improvement is this? This is right up there with integrated headsets. Is the whole idea to shave 5 grams and look nicer? I'm thinking of yanking them and putting on old school style dia-comps. Anyone else feel the same?

cachehiker

I yanked them in favor of some NOS Onza Chill Pills and a standard straddle cable. They allowed me to decrease the mechanical advantage a bit to reduce brake squeal too. I still have a few sets left if anybody wants them.

The new link wires always seemed like a solution in search of a problem to me. They supposedly prevent the straddle cable from grabbing the tire if the brake cable breaks.

I've never known anybody who rides a decent cross bike that would fail to notice a brake cable on the verge of failure.

Bekologist

they allow idiots to set the ideal, 90 degree stradle cable angle for low profile cantilevers for maximum braking power.

long straddle cables and high profile cantis are great for cross, where need for high clearance between pad and rim requiring lots of initial brake pull, then a reduction in pull to reduce the grabbing power of the brake due the increasing angle at the brake arm.

I'm assuming you understand how the mechanical advantage thing works in regards the cable angle at the straddle cable hanger in conjunction with the angle at the brake arm.

Are you running high or low profile cantis? It sounds like you're running low profile.

jackcoke

I'm running low profile. I also understand the mechanical advantage part. I won't be racing the bike or doing any serious off-road stuff. My bike is a Ritchey Break Away that is more for travelling. The old style setup will also allow me to remove the brake line without putting a quick disconnect on the line. I think it's the best way to go for me.

Bekologist

totally. I think the new straddles are lame unless you have QR brake levers like the Cane Creeks or the old Dia-Compes. but they do allow pretty consistent angle of the straddle cable.

There are so many old school canti bikes out there with people riding pitifully adjusted straddles and pisspoor braking performance (I wonder if a manufacturer getting sued over this was a cause of the change?) I think the industry decided to 'dummy down' a little bit.

MIN 

who makes those sweet anodized peace sign ones?

bonechilling

This is exactly what I did after fumbling with the stock Tektro yokes for an hour. No one is going to convince me that my braking power suffers for it, I can stock my cross bike on a dime. It's simpler, looks better, and is easier to set up and maintain.

cachehiker

The believe you're talking about the old Ringle Mojo Cantilever Yokes. I wish they were still available as they would look so cool on my Soma. I've seen a couple of NOS ones on ebay fetching unexpectedly high prices over the last couple of years.

MIN 

NOS stuff is spendy. I want anodized Kooka cranks so bad. And a Paul's RD. I saw one go for $300+ on ebAY.

flargle

Two cantilevers walk into a bar . . . you'd think the second one would've seen it coming.

nowheels

i_r_beej

Just FYI all:

The modern "link cable" was designed in response to a lawsuit after a brake cable broke and the straddle cable dropped down into a knobby tire. The person riding the bike went OTB and broke their neck. Initially, the fork-crown reflector bracket was designed to catch the straddle cable but this was too easily circumvented and didn't protect from future lawsuits. Thus the link cable was born!!

Plus it DOES simplify canti set-up somewhat.

*shrug* I grew up with cantilevers-- AT-50's, Deores, Dia-Compe 986's, and finally Sun Tour XC/SE (self-energizing!!) and ran straddle cables all the while blissfully ignorant of the danger I was exposing myself to.

Right now I run the link cable that shipped with my Avid Shortys. It works just fine and I have sufficient braking power and don't feel the need to fix something what ain't broken.

I'm only sorry that I was never able to afford Avid's Tri-Align cantis at the time. (I was in college and piss-poor. Now I'm a dad and saving for my son's college! Damn you, college!!!)