Cantilever brake recommendation

[hida yanra]

V's will be vastly better- on setup/annoyance/power/shudder, but if you'd really rather work w/ cantis.... Campy or Spooky.

[bfd]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Tri-Aligns are/were awesome, but sourcing them may be a challenge. I really like Suntour XC-Pro canti's (not the self-energizing variant). They have an internal spring (like Pauls) and use post mount pads, a definite plus for optimum set-up. Include the Suntour Power Hanger and you'll have about the best canti setup possible IMO. Older Shimanos are good as well. As with any "good" canti, set-up (pad alignment, arm angle, yoke height) is the real challenge and at the end of the day they'll never be as powerful as V's, but will work fine and have better modulation.

In contrast, I had a terrible experience with Suntour xc-pro cantis! I got nothing but squealing and shuddering from the fork. I tried toe-ing in the pads and that help for a bit, then it was back to the squealing and shuddering. I tried different pads, Kool-stop salmon, and again that helped a bit, but always went back to the squealing and shuddering!

Finally, swapped out the front Suntour for a cheapie Tektro mini-v brake (Tektro 926al) that cost about $20 and wow, what a difference! Felt like I had $500 brakes on the bike! No more squealing or shuddering. They just worked! Of course, YMMV! Good Luck!