CX 50/70 brakes?

[Ron Cramer]

Thoughts? Love them or hate them?  I had them on my Atlantis. Took them off. Couldn't get the straddle cable set up. Suggestions on setup? Thanks 

[Garth]

If you like the brakes themselves simply use a basic Dia-Compe straddle carrier and straddle cable. Nothing beats them for simplicity and effectiveness, something Shimano engineers seem to have assumed they could improve. Not !

[Ted Durant]

On Friday, September 13, 2024 at 3:22:50 PM UTC-5 cramer....@gmail.com wrote:

Thoughts? Love them or hate them?  I had them on my Atlantis. Took them off. Couldn't get the straddle cable set up. Suggestions on setup? Thanks 

Best canti's ever, though TRP Revos were close. The key features are 1) road bike shoes, and 2) varying spacers that make them work with any (in the relevant range) stud spacing and rim width. Also, the ability to release the springs so easily is a big help.

As noted, you can use them with any straddle cable and hanger, but I have had no trouble setting them up with their standard hardware. First be sure you have the right spacers/washers so the pads are contacting the rims with the  shoe-mount arms perpendicular to the ground. Then run the cable through the round thingie down the plastic tube to the arm with the cable clamp. You should just be able to fit the "quick release" end of the hanger into the other brake arm recess, and the plastic tube should cover the cable all the way to the brake arm. After getting the cable adjusted right (and not before!) bend the cable out over the little arm at the back of the round thingie and into the slot between the arm and the round thingie. (Sorry, that's the best description I can come up with.)

Pad setup is incredibly easy. Release the spring on the side you're adjusting, so the spring on the other side pulls the pad you're adjusting to the rim. Loosen the bolt, move the shoe to where you want it, put a credit card between the trailing end of the pad and the rim, and tighten the bolt. Replace the spring. 

I have them on a 1983 Santana Tandem (first time I've ever had confident braking on that bike), three Sam Hillbornes, and a Heron Touring. I highly recommend replacing the stock CX50 shoes with replaceable cartridge shoes and some good pads. The pads on CX50s are shockingly bad in the wet.  

[RichS]

Ted explained the setup perfectly. I ran CX-70s on a previously owned Riv and currently have CX-50s on a Mercian. The finish was nicer on the 70s but the gray finish on the 50s was not a deal breaker. As Ted noted, the three spacers of varying lengths that come with the brakes are a big plus. The straddle cable Shimano provides works fine; and yes, lose the stock pads.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[Ted Durant]

On Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 12:23:01 PM UTC-5 Ted Durant wrote:

Then run the cable through the round thingie down the plastic tube to the arm with the cable clamp. 

I took a look at CX50s on Great Lakes Sam and realized the "round thingie" is more like a "triangle thingie" with rounded corners. 

Ted Durant

Milwaukee WI USA 

[Cormac O'Keeffe]

Hey Ted,

I've been using the CX-70s for a few weeks now.  I found them easy to set up. Nice positive braking, easy to toe-in, and they look great. That said, when I first set them up, I had a terrible time aligning them as I had put the rear wheel in off-centre (I'm squeezing the stays to fit 130mm wheels).

Once that user-generated issue was solved, they work great. 

[Ted Durant]

On Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 1:59:25 PM UTC-5 okeeffe...@gmail.com wrote:

I've been using the CX-70s for a few weeks now.  

We need to see more pictures of that bike!

[Cormac O'Keeffe]

Hey Ted ,

Here you go https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/AA2UYzZ3ivY/m/7SqDHzafAwAJ 

Thanks for asking!

[Philip Williamson]

I like them a lot. I have CX-50s on my Quickbeam, and I put CX-70s on a Trek 930 I build for my sister in law. I could have put the 70s on the QB, but the 50s work perfectly. 

The Quickbeam now has Paul Moon Units and a straddle cable replacing the stock straddle, but I sized the new cable to exactly match the Shimano setup. 

The key is using the setup chart. Measure rim width and canti stud width to see which pad spacer will optimize the leverage when the pad hits the rim. I think I used different spacers front and rear due to a narrower rim on the rear. 

Philip

Sonoma County