Cantilevers!!!

[Iwasgoodonce]

Does anyone have a photograph of perfectly set up cantilever brakes? I have never stuggled like this in the past but it has been a while. They are the medium profile DX bakes, XC Pro lever and (wait for it) an original 2mm Shimano cable rescued from the parts bin. I think the problem may be the straddle. this is an early job that clamps to the cable and has a setting for whether its on the back or front. I seem to recall these on the original wide profile set?

Thanks all.

 

[jango]

Here you go Fella.....this setup got me round the Peaks

 

[8lezard]

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

Thanks both! There's a lot to setting up cantilevers isn't there. It probably explains why it used to feel I was going so fast, I couldn't damn well stop!

 

[jango]

There's a lot to setting up cantilevers isn't there.

Yes!.....thet can be a right faff, but it's worth it, once you've got it sussed they work fine and with more feel than V-brakes.

Experiment a little, it depends how you like your brakes to feel, mess about with straddle height and the width of the cantis.......you will get everything from mushy to very sharp.

My set-up in the pic...low straddle and wide cantis (less than 90deg between canti and straddle) gives a fairly sharp initial bite, especially with the XTslr levers I'm using, but they got me round the Peaks with no more than winding out the barrel adjuster......lesss than 1mm leading pad edge left by the finish :shock: but pop in some new cartridge pads, wind in the barrel adjuster and they're as goood as new...no more adjustment necessary