Setup of Paul's Cantilevers

[Eric Karnes]

Hi all-

I've been having trouble with the cantilever brakes on my SimpleOne (Tektro 720s). I can never seem to get them set up the same way twice. Sometimes they work perfectly, sometimes power is greatly reduced, sometimes they squeal. They. Are. Finicky. Especially for an amateur like me.

That said, I love cantis. When they work, they are fantastic. And the look is right for the SimpleOne with knobby cyclocross tires. So I'm considering an upgrade. I've been reading posts on the board and it seems like the Paul's Touring (or even Neo Retros) get great reviews for ease of setup. Could anyone who has them go into a little more detail as to what makes them easier to set up and adjust? Same with the Mini-Motos if anyone has experience with these.

Thanks!

Eric

[René Sterental]

Lots of posts on this subject. The net summary: get the Paul Touring and set them up with the yoke as low as possible. 

René 

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[Eric Karnes]

haha. good succinct advice! i don't need much convincing to go for them (i've been reading back through many good reviews on here), but what specifically makes the touring cantis easier to set up than, say, a tektro canti? (my apologies if i'm missing info on this that's been posted before).

eric

[René Sterental]

I only have experience with those. Can't speak for the others. I'm sure there are people who can give their recommendations on those as well. Not even sure how they compare price wise. Can just vouch that the Paul's are top quality and top performers and I've been using them for years. Just swapped the front Neo-Retros for the Touring that I've always had in the back. Love them much better!

[BrettG]

I have tektro 720s on my quickbeam and Paul cantis on my simpleone (which were on the quickbeam for years). The Pauls adjust tension using a 15mm wrench a 5mm hex and are a breeze to setup and are noticeably better than the tektros in power and consistency. The tektros as you know are adjusted by a small screw but the tension adjustment is limited and I also find their performance is lacking, but as I'm running fixed most of the time on the QB they are backup brakes anyway. I think the Pauls would be a nice upgrade. I use neo retro front, touring rear.

Brett.

[Ron Mc]

First off, Modern Bike consistently discounts Paul components and carries just about all

Couldn't be easier - first thing you do is set the pads on the bare calipers with the springs unloaded.  

Attach all your cables.  

Last thing you do is set each spring independently with a 15mm box end and 5mm hex key

If you want to add Paul Canti rack studs, they replace the M6 socket heads and you use a 9/16" box plus the 15mm box to set the springs.  

[René Sterental]

Nice!

[Philip Kim]

http://blackmountaincycles.blogspot.com/2013/03/get-most-out-of-your-canit-brake.html?m=1

Black Men Cycles has a great post about canti set up. I would check this out and switch to Look Stop Salmon pads before buying the Paul's

The Tektros have great stopping power and are better than the Neo Retros IME.

Paul Touring cantis might have a better feel than Tektros IME, but I think the stopping power is equal.

Tektros are lighter, cheaper, and theoretically stronger than Paul's via cold forged arms. Tektro has a better straddle hanger too IMO

[Philip Kim]

Black MTN* cycles. Autocorrect on my phone...

[Ron Mc]

unless you spring for the Paul moons.  

I used them first on my Weinmann CPs, where I believe they improve the straddle cable vector on the stock cables, and they very much simplify cable adjustment (and don't crimp cables).  There is an ersatz 8mm head on the back of the moon, so you can tighten bot front and back with one hand grip while keeping the cable straight and tensioned with your other hand.  

[Ryan Ray]

I have Tektro 720s set up on my GR and they work extremely well and have never needed adjustment. I'd probably get them set up at your local bike shop rather than buy Pauls. If you do get Paul's go with the Neo-Retro!

- Ryan

[Ron Mc]

The Paul Touring cantis are the best brakes I've ever used.  But they are tight for a front fender

[ted]

The first cantis I dealt with were 720s. For a while I was unable to get them set up to both not squeal and stop well.

Finally I read someplace that one should a) unhook the springs when setting the pad adjustment, b) also weight the wheel foreword while setting the pads (so that everything shifts in the way it will under hard braking?). When I started doing both those things I got much better results, and Im now perfectly happy with the 720s.

I have since replaced a front canti that Grant told me would always squeal (if not replaced) with a Paul neo-retro. The Paul brakes have much tighter tolerances at the pivot than the 720s. They also have much more adjustable spring tension. I suspect the tighter tolerance pivots help them to work better, and make them less fussy to set up. With the springs unhooked the 720s rattle around much more than the Pauls do.

YMMV

On Monday, October 3, 2016 at 6:50:07 PM UTC-7, Eric Karnes wrote:

[Ryan Ray]

I don't know what magic was used to set mine up but they haven't squealed since I broke in the non-machined rims. I also can stop just fine in the rain. If anything my Compass tires are the issue as I lock up too easy and can lose traction.

Using Atlas 650b/Tektro720/stock-pads.

- Ryan

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[Steve Palincsar]

On 10/04/2016 06:39 PM, Ryan Ray wrote:
> I don't know what magic was used to set mine up but they haven't
> squealed since I broke in the non-machined rims. I also can stop just
> fine in the rain. If anything my Compass tires are the issue as I lock
> up too easy and can lose traction.

Do you think any other brand of tires would be different in that regard?

[Eric Karnes]

thanks all! and thanks ron for the instructions/photos.

i've definitely gotten really good performance out of the 720s when i managed to set them up properly. i just don't have the consistent touch. i might bring them into the lbs and stick with them for a while. but eventually i want to move to the paul's touring as a better choice for crowded bike racks (my fake reason) and for the sweet looks (the real reason).

eric

[Ryan Ray]

Steve I feel like this is a weighted question :)

Do I "feel" like some other tires are better at stopping the rain? Yup. Marathon Supreme is one of them.

Do I want to ride any of those tires? Probably not!

Do I have any science to prove any of my claims? Absolutely not!

- Ryan

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