V brakes vs cantis (Was: Lance Armstrong Stripped of Tour de France Title)

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PATRICK MOORE

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Aug 27, 2012, 4:46:02 PM8/27/12
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Vs are very nice but I found the IRC wide profile cantis that Riv
installed on my former Sam Hill to be just as powerful with no more
lever pressure required, and they modulated noticeably better -- not
that the modulation issue is a huge issue for me; just that the IRCs
may well have been the nicest feeling hand brakes I've used. Since
I've never been able to set up cantis and drop levers and get them to
work right, I can't say what makes the difference; given that the old,
wide-profile XTs on the Trike also worked very nicely (not as nicely
as the IRCs, though), perhaps it is simply a wide profile thing. Oh,
nope: the Mafac cantis on the Herse -- both the shorter armed regulars
and the wider armed tandems, were useless dogs, even with modern aero
lever, decent housing stop hardware and housing and salmon pads. Beats
me.

Just brought the Novara Fusion home; Tektro mechanical disks. *Very*
nice -- better than the BB7s on the Fargo -- tho' the Tektros of
course are pulled with tourist bar levers, not drop levers. Still,
smoother, grippier, easier to modulate. Wonder what the difference is
if it's not the levers?

On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 12:28 PM, dougP <doug...@cox.net> wrote:
> I really like V-brakes on my Atlantis, with over 800 touring miles
> this summer, after using Tektro 720 cantis for a few years. The
> ultimate stopping power is comparable BUT the Vs requiring far less
> force at the lever. On long downhills, the cantis leave my forearms
> numb, especially with a load. The only fussy bit about the Vs is the
> pad/rim clearance but it's no big deal.
>
> Based on the title, I almost skipped this thread. Thankfully we'll
> always have brakes to discuss...and 2TT...and luggage...and racks...
>
> dougP
>
> On Aug 25, 12:11 am, Tom Harrop <twhar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I'm with you Brewster, I just switched from cantis to Vs and I'm never
>> going back! All with the stock Shimano pads that came with the V-brakes,
>> too. My problems were most likely caused by my inability to set the cantis
>> up properly, but the squeal and shudder is gone and I have 100× better
>> stopping power. NB this is on a 68 cm Bombadil so the enormous head tube
>> could also have been part of the problem.
>
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--
"Believe nothing until it has been officially denied."
-- Claude Cockburn

-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
-------------------------

Bill M.

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Aug 28, 2012, 8:12:17 PM8/28/12
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You do mean IRD canti's, right Patrick?

Bill

PATRICK MOORE

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Aug 28, 2012, 11:13:21 PM8/28/12
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http://tinyurl.com/8qkzzvg

Yes, must be IRD.

Peter Morgano

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Aug 29, 2012, 12:04:11 AM8/29/12
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So would high profile cantilever like the cr720 be as good as the Paul touring? I have both and thought my foot was hitting the brakes (why I swapped them) but it is actually clipping the chainstay,a whole different issue.

Garth

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Aug 30, 2012, 8:53:45 AM8/30/12
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The stock pads of the cr-720 are the worst I've ever encountered.  I used brand new ones on new Mavic rims and it was like using sandpaper to stop with.  They really need Kool Stop Salmon pads , which make all the difference.  No more sandpaper grit and aluminum bits in my pads !  

If you're going to compare any brake ... the same make of pad needs to be used. 

Peter Morgano

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Aug 30, 2012, 9:17:34 AM8/30/12
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Oh, the Kool stops are the only pads I use too. I do the swap when i get new brakes.

On Aug 30, 2012 8:53 AM, "Garth" <gart...@gmail.com> wrote:

The stock pads of the cr-720 are the worst I've ever encountered.  I used brand new ones on new Mavic rims and it was like using sandpaper to stop with.  They really need Kool Stop Salmon pads , which make all the difference.  No more sandpaper grit and aluminum bits in my pads !  

If you're going to compare any brake ... the same make of pad needs to be used. 

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Eric Platt

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Aug 30, 2012, 8:30:46 PM8/30/12
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Will often use the Yokozuna pads that Rivendell sells.  Put them on my wife's bike and they are on at least one of mine.  They are also quite nice and seem to pick up less metal and junk during Minnesota winters.  That's one downside I've seen with the Kool Stops.  They also don't always play nice with Paul cantilevers.  On my Surly Cross Check the brakes really squealed and shuddered before going to Yokozunas.  Possibly too much braking force?
 
Agree with the less than optimum performance of the stock 720 pads.  Even run of the mill Shimano pads seem much better, IMO. 
 
Eric Platt
St. Paul, MN

dougP

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Aug 30, 2012, 8:47:24 PM8/30/12
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+1 for the Yokozuna pads performing equally well as Kool Stops. As to
the Tektro CR720s, the pads wore out surprisingly quickly. Mine were
cartridge shoes (?) so it was simple to replace with Kool Stop pads.

dougP

On Aug 30, 5:30 pm, Eric Platt <epericmpl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Will often use the Yokozuna pads that Rivendell sells.  Put them on my
> wife's bike and they are on at least one of mine.  They are also quite nice
> and seem to pick up less metal and junk during Minnesota winters.  That's
> one downside I've seen with the Kool Stops.  They also don't always play
> nice with Paul cantilevers.  On my Surly Cross Check the brakes really
> squealed and shuddered before going to Yokozunas.  Possibly too much
> braking force?
>
> Agree with the less than optimum performance of the stock 720 pads.  Even
> run of the mill Shimano pads seem much better, IMO.
>
> Eric Platt
> St. Paul, MN
>
> On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 8:17 AM, Peter Morgano <uscpeter11...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
> > Oh, the Kool stops are the only pads I use too. I do the swap when i get
> > new brakes.
> > On Aug 30, 2012 8:53 AM, "Garth" <garth...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> <http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en>The stock pads of
> >> the cr-720 are the worst I've ever encountered.  I used brand new ones on
> >> new Mavic rims and it was like using sandpaper to stop with.  They really
> >> need Kool Stop Salmon pads , which make all the difference.  No more
> >> sandpaper grit and aluminum bits in my pads !
>
> >> If you're going to compare any brake ... the same make of pad needs to be
> >> used.
>
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>
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Garth

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Sep 2, 2012, 11:28:15 AM9/2/12
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I find the KS Salmons can get squeally too !    About every 2 weeks I wipe the pads with some window cleaner and if they appear a bit glossy I give them a light rub of fine grit sandpaper , just enough to remove the gloss.  Then I clean the rims with the window cleaner too.   Squeal gone !   For a few weeks ... lol.   I love the pads ... but the squeal ... not so much.   With a softer compound this may be a "side effect" .   I use two different canti's with KS pads and they both squeal the same.  It's the only pad I've ever used that has squealed in 30 years of canti's.   It's not the brakes .. or the angles ... it's the pads ..lol.   But so what ..lol .... a little squeal is far from the end of the world  :)    They work well !!! 

clyde canter

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Sep 2, 2012, 12:37:17 PM9/2/12
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I find them more prone to squeal than other pads too. They stop
extremely well though. Cantis are prone to squeals.,That's their
nature. A brake hole type hanger stopped a long battle against squeal
and shudder on my Hillborne's front brake recently, now the rear has
started honking like a dam goose. I think (hope) it's the usually high
humidity forming moisture as the bike moves through the damp air.
That or I just chased it to the rear. Even with all the fuss, I still
prefer them to Vees. which IMO are way too sensitive, ie....all or
nothing, no modulation.
BEst,
Clyde
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Jay in Tel Aviv

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Sep 2, 2012, 1:11:56 PM9/2/12
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My LBS showed me a great trick to get rid of brake squeal - a few
squirts on the pads from a water bottle and then ride.
Works like a charm.

Jay

On Sep 2, 7:37 pm, clyde canter <clyde.can...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I find them more prone to squeal than other pads too.  They stop
> extremely well though. Cantis are prone to squeals.,That's their
> nature.  A brake hole type hanger stopped a long battle against squeal
> and shudder on my Hillborne's  front brake recently, now the rear has
> started honking like a dam goose. I think (hope) it's the usually high
> humidity forming moisture as the bike moves through the damp air.
> That or I just chased it to the rear.  Even with all the fuss, I still
> prefer them to Vees. which IMO are way too sensitive, ie....all or
> nothing, no modulation.
> BEst,
> Clyde
>

clyde canter

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Sep 2, 2012, 1:35:49 PM9/2/12
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I'm for sure going to give that a try Jay. That would absolutely win
prize for least amount of effort. You do have plain ole water in that
bottle?
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