Some interesting threads about cantilvers!

[DoctorRad]

The ONLY way to test these 'theories'
Is to use a stock bike set up with canti's,run downhill at a set speed then pull the brakes at a given point/time
Measure the distance they take to stop

Not the ONLY way. I'd be very surprised if there weren't test rigs which would be able to do this in a much more scientific and repeatable manner...

 

[FluffyChicken]

The ONLY way to test these 'theories'
Is to use a stock bike set up with canti's,run downhill at a set speed then pull the brakes at a given point/time
Measure the distance they take to stop

Run the same test with V's

This will clear things up regarding which stops you quicker

Test could be run at a Retro-meet.
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Though i seem to remember that the original discussion was whether canti's were as good as DISCS in the wet :?

Flash backs of my A-Level Physics investigation.
(aka how to go bike riding down spout hill spinning out 48-11 when you should be in school, legitimately)

Except there where no V brakes on test, just M900 brakes and different brake blocks. A multimeter, some wires, little circuit and some very small bead thermistors.


*Spout Hill on google Maps

 

[barry2017]

I have the exact same Dynatech as Russell, and would be happy to set mine up with V brakes and come to a meet. Would be interesting to have a definitive answer.

 

[Farmfield]

The ONLY way to test these 'theories'
Is to use a stock bike set up with canti's,run downhill at a set speed then pull the brakes at a given point/time
Measure the distance they take to stop

Run the same test with V's

This will clear things up regarding which stops you quicker

Test could be run at a Retro-meet.

What did that Mythbusters-wibe come from?

Mail'em, let Tory check it out, seeing he's so good at bunnyjumping and all... xD

It'll fail anyway as properly set up canti's beat a crappy v-brake setup - and the debate which is the proper way will become a multi-page thread in minutes just that... ;^)

I say properly setub, good brake with good pads will make a bike stop - and that's without specifying the type of brake... =)

 

[PurpleFrog]

The ONLY way to test these 'theories'
Is to use a stock bike set up with canti's,run downhill at a set speed then pull the brakes at a given point/time
Measure the distance they take to stop

Not the ONLY way. I'd be very surprised if there weren't test rigs which would be able to do this in a much more scientific and repeatable manner...

It's easy. Put a speedo sensor on a rear wheel, add some weight on the rim, spin up with the rear wheel off the ground, brake. Or a speedo would let you the test on the flat, although less exactly.

I don't know how much use it is though. We already know that cantis and v's can lock wheels. We also know that the braking force of either could be increased by a trivial re-design of the brake lever. Which tells us that the reason to go to V's wasn' increased braking power...

 

[PurpleFrog]

I have the exact same Dynatech as Russell, and would be happy to set mine up with V brakes and come to a meet. Would be interesting to have a definitive answer.

It wouldn't definitive at all, I'm afraid. You'd be measuring one particular canti - plus levers, cables, setup - against one particular V (etc).

However if you are going to do this you should both aim for the edge of a cliff and dare the other to brake first - it'll look so kewl on You Tube!

 

[PurpleFrog]

Though i seem to remember that the original discussion was whether canti's were as good as DISCS in the wet :?

Nope. That was another discussion, based on tests a German magazine did on advanced rim brake pads. And the question wasn't whether cantis could work as well as discs, but how close they could come in wet weather (but not mud) stopping power - the German figures implied, what, only a 30%for wet braking with the best pads they tested in 2005? And what other advantages discs might have.

 

[utahdog2003]

Interseting read

TBH I've always been in the belief that decent pads can really make a set of brakes work well ( if set up properly too)

me too, lots of canti's still have 15-20 year old pads in them, new cables too help quite a bit.

And a decent cable hanger that doesn't mow the hell out of the cable...that helps a bunch.

Cantilevers are just fine, when properly set up.

 

[PurpleFrog]

And a decent cable hanger that doesn't mow the hell out of the cable...that helps a bunch.

What's the hanger in the picture? What other hangers are good?

 

[PurpleFrog]

I also found this interesting design, from a tandem company:

They claim several improvements, but the most interesting is:

http://www.rodcycle.com/articles/bigsqueeze.html

# Lots more power!
In a traditional cantilever design the brake loses power as the saddle (or yoke) raises upwards because the angle of the straddle changes. So, the more you apply the brake, the more your mechanical advantage is diminished. The Big Squeeze™ eliminates this problem by pulling from the bottom of the brake arm.

$125 per wheel though. Although rear brakes are much less worth upgrading, I suppose.