V-brakes vs. cantilevers

V's are more powerful yes, although I have cantis on my Saracen and they stop me fine... just requires a little more effort. We all managed with cantis BITD though, didn't we?
 
I get lulled into this sense that canti's and u-brakes aren't that bad really when I've been riding the Karakoram a lot.

Then I get on the Orange with V's and I realise I've been a poor deluded fool! :D
 
FairfaxPat":1g3s9a26 said:
V Brakes are much more powerful than Canti's as discs are more powerful than V's-it's called progress!

very true... my Hayes Nine discs on my Trailstar are awesome, one finger stoppage (?)
 
No comparison, V's are so much better and a lot easier to set up too.

Think they are number 1 in my list of improved components
 
BITD piling down out of the Pentland hills, me on my new Saracen Dirttrax with V-Brakes, my mate on his Cannondale M400 Acera-X Canti brakes we realised the pro's and con's of both systems.

I slammed on the brakes to avoid sheep, major potholes etc and much to my surprise easily decreased speed, and had some great skids due to locked up wheels, big grin factor :D :D :D

My friend vanished in my wake only to eventually show up cursing the fact he could not stop even with knuckles white from gripping the levers he also admitted crashing one or two times.

He then immediately went out and bought some of the then new LX paralell push v-brakes.

Canti's may look period correct on certain bikes but V-brakes will actually stop you :shock:
 
V brakes take the art out of setting up canti's.
I have in the past spent ages on a set of canti's costing £100 +, adjusting the straddle angle, toeing the brake shoe in etc.

Then my MIL came around with a £60 halfords special asking me to check it over, the plastic moulded V brakes nearly had me over the bars.

Still Canti's look ace and are de-rigeur on any retro bike I think.
 
I agree. I recently stuck a pair of 20 V brakes on the front of my Saracen as I couldn't get the hanger on the old wide profile canti's to not foul the stop on the Judy forks. The difference is staggering. The action is light and powerful.
That's why we remember the old pros from BiTD going so fast, the poor sods couldn't slow down.
Having said that my current project will have cantis.
 
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