How risky are old skool canti brakes?

[jimo746]

Run slick tyres?

 

[Kieran-b]

Somebody raised this with me a couple of years ago, so I checked:


Can't guarantee it for all bikes and tyres, but you can check!

 

[dirttorpedo]

I'm in the process of reverting one of my Dynatechs back to period correct high profile cantilever brakes, and I'm not feeling as immortal as I was back in the 90s, so the thought crossed my mind about what would happen if my front brake cable snapped and the straddle cable and triangle hanger thingy fell onto the front tyre. The fact that brake cables are a it thinner than they were back in the day is a bit of worry too. Are we talking instant over the bars faceplant + some expensive dentist bills? I've never heard of this happening to anybody I know, but it must've happened to someone out there.

Is it just a case of never using the front brake in anger at speed unless it's to avert flying over a raging 100-foot vertical cliff?

I had a classmate break both arms in a front cable hanger incident in the late 80's. Mounting a reflector bracket on the front fork sounds like a good insurance policy to me.

 

[bikeworkshop]

I've seen quite a few broken, some causing injury.

A good condition cable with quality and well fitted hanger isn't the problem - it's almost always an old, neglected setup where the cable is chewed up by the pinch bolt, then ignored for years.

A poorly aligned cable that straightens under stress will fatigue, too.

But any kind of cable catcher eliminates that risk if you're concerned.

 

[Woz]

Another idea are these. Shimano solved this problem years ago. If there is any cable failure they "fail safe".