1996 Klein V-Brake Front & Canti Rear?

[s4gobabygo]

The 1996 Klein catalog lists a number of bikes as coming with v-brakes in front and cantilevers in the back paired to v-brake levers. none of the photos show this, and i've never seen it elsewhere. is this a typo? something they considered then nixed? were some bikes actually delivered with v-brake levers operating a rear cantilever brake?

 

[PurpleFrog]

The 1996 Klein catalog lists a number of bikes as coming with v-brakes in front and cantilevers in the back paired to v-brake levers. none of the photos show this, and i've never seen it elsewhere. is this a typo? something they considered then nixed? were some bikes actually delivered with v-brake levers operating a rear cantilever brake?

I'm just building a Zaskar like that and I can think of a reason why they'd do it:

- A vee is one way of avoiding the cable vibration problems that can create squeal and reduce modulation in a canti

- But the canti at the back might have been a Pedersen Self Energizer - also sold as Dia Compe and Suntour; these are *powerful*. There are other reasons besides squeal for not putting them on the front - they can jam tight on bent rims and interacted poorly with some early suspension forks, eg http://www.johnforester.com/Articles/Bi ... ebrake.htm

An SE on the rear and vee at the front makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[hamster]

It also makes sense if they were trying to work out how to sell-out old frames which didn't have a solution for the cable stop for V...

 

[s4gobabygo]

i'm mostly curious if it ever actually happened... v levers on canti brakes really sucks, and all the klein hardtails with internal routing i've seen pictured from that year came with cantis front and rear paired with short pull levers, like all the pictures in the catalog.

 

[PurpleFrog]

Re:

Yes, the lever combination would suck if left "raw". But surely they'd have install something like Travel Agents to convert the pull? (Except in reverse to a TA, if v-levers were used with cantis.) A company like Klein would have no problems have a batch of little pulley gizmos made. Is there any sign of something like this?

 

[T'boo Ted]

It also makes sense if they were trying to work out how to sell-out old frames which didn't have a solution for the cable stop for V...

yeah, the older frames couldn't run the cabling for v's due to the internal cable rounting...?

 

[cce]

It also makes sense if they were trying to work out how to sell-out old frames which didn't have a solution for the cable stop for V...

yeah, the older frames couldn't run the cabling for v's due to the internal cable rounting...?

I doubt they sold many like it. Who'd want to pay Klein money for a half-arsed bodge?

 

[hamster]

I doubt they sold many like it. Who'd want to pay Klein money for a half-arsed bodge?

People who bought them for the look and paintwork...?