Cheap CX brakes?

[phcollard]

I have a Lemond Poprad that I need to build. It's not going to race CX in any way, just riding around the city and the dirt road sometimes.

I am bit lost regarding brakes. I know nothing about cantilevers! And I would prefer to keep the cost down. I have read so many reviews going all over the place that I though "I'm gonna ask the expert dudes and dudettes at Serotta Forums" :)

So I narrowed it down to :
- Cane Creek SCX-5 (same as Tektro Oryx?)
- Tektro CR720 (but they look funny?)
- Avid Shorty 4 (seems like everyone agrees they s*ck?)
- The new Shimano CX50?

Or do you have another option that I am not aware of?

Thanks a lot for your input!

[fourflys]

the Tektro CR720's are great brakes for the $... also consider a set of the Tektro Mini'V's, they are pretty cheap as well... something like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Tektro-V-Type-Brake-Front-Black/dp/B000C17NPC
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/319Q75cJWrL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[rwsaunders]

the Tektro CR720's are great brakes for the $.]

+1...I have them on my Poprad too and they do the job.

[TimmyB]

the Tektro CR720's are great brakes for the $
What he said. Hard to beat considering the price.

My new project will feature a set if I can ever find a used pair :bike:

[comptechgsr]

get the 720s and add Koolstop Salmons! =) :cool:

[fatallightning]

I had the cr720 on my cross bike, if you're not going to be racing, and don't need tons of clearance for mud, I would do mini Vs. Tektro 926al work well and are cheap.

[GregL]

I've got Avid Shorty 4s with Kool Stop Salmon pads on my Poprad. Cheap, effective, and easy to wrench.

- Greg

[Der_Kruscher]

Tektro Oryxs and the Cane Creeks are exactly the same - they're good enough for Mr. Sachs and his cx team. I've used them and liked them. The CR720's are also good but a little more fiddley to set up. I currently have the newer version of the Shorty 4/6's on my CX bike and I like them a lot. Easy to set up and powerful. CX Magazine reviewed them and found them to be one of the more powerful cantis available. Oh, the newer ones don't squeal.

[Hank Scorpio]

If you are interested I have a set of 926al I would let got for real cheap I will include one set of salmon thinlines and one pair of black with adjustable noodles. 20 shipped?

[carlineng]

I picked up a pair of CR-720s for 20 bones apiece at my LBS. They work a lot better than the Oryx I had on before. Would definitely recommend. I don't think they look that funky either. I use em for city riding, randonneuring and some light touring.

[phcollard]

I currently have the newer version of the Shorty 4/6's on my CX bike and I like them a lot. Easy to set up and powerful. CX Magazine reviewed them and found them to be one of the more powerful cantis available. Oh, the newer ones don't squeal.

Interesting! Which ones are the newer ones? :confused:

[Der_Kruscher]

The old ones have a shape similar to the Oryx/Cane Creek. The new ones have a completely different shape: http://www.sram.com/avid/products/shorty-4-rim-brake - I like them but they're more expensive than either of the Tektro offerings. I use them with Kool Stop salmons.

Oh - I should add that the "new" design is a few years old.

Interesting! Which ones are the newer ones? :confused:

[Aaron O]

The Avid 4 Shortys do suck, but the one nice thing I found is that they aren't nearly as annoying on my Poprad as they were on the JTS. Less squeal. The pads also play a role...the pads that came on the 4's were horrendous. Kool Stops make a difference.

I've been looking for an excuse to put on the Pauls I bought for a while now. If you want some Avids, I have them.

BTW - I agree with the above on the mini-v's. AWESOME stopping power for the dollar.

[that guy]

The Cane Creek ones are terrible.

720s are pretty much the best canti option in the price range.

The new, new Shimanos will not work well. They require the slightly longer cable pull of the newest Shimano levers.

I have Mini Vs on my bike, FWIW.

[fourflys]

The Avid 4 Shortys do suck, but the one nice thing I found is that they aren't nearly as annoying on my Poprad as they were on the JTS. Less squeal. The pads also play a role...the pads that came on the 4's were horrendous. Kool Stops make a difference.


a big factor could be the difference in forks... the Kool Stop pads will help, but if you have a flexy fork there is more chance of squeal...

The Mini-V's will pretty much fix that though...

[Steve in SLO]

Another vote for mini-Vs.
Great stopping power and cheap. They work well with road levers.
Not lots of rim clearance but that can be improved if you use a lever that can be released like a Campy.

[jpw]

Got the Shorty 6 on the back with green Swiss Stop pads - they're OK (disc on the front - super).

[jonnyBgood]

I used the "old school" Shimano LX cantilevers for years on my cyclocross bike and they worked awesome with Shimano Dura-Ace 7800 and 7900 shifters. PLUS SUPER CHEAP. I used them until I got the new Avid Ultimate cantilevers.

I have big calfs so I end up cutting and banging the heck out of my right calf when riding off road.

I've tried the TRP's and a few others but they stick out to far for me.

[William]

I switched to the v's on the Effin Cross Bike as well. I won't ever be going back to canti's.





William

[FlashUNC]

Another no vote for Shorty 4's. Not sure about the redesign, but the pair I have on my Redline are completely terrible.

[Mr Cabletwitch]

Love my cr720s with Kool stop pads and they are easy to set up... The oryx brakes I had were horrible compared. If I didn't use my cross bike on singletrack I would probably just use mini Vs

[Litespeed_Mike]

Tektro CR720's. Lightest, cheapest and best brake for the $$$$. Nothing comes close, ATMO, IMHO... etc.

[Vinci]

I have 720's on my cross/commuter and they work well with Koolstops, but I haven't been able to tune the squeal out of them. No amount of toe has made much difference.

[cataño]

A very cheap and totally decent option (if you're a fan of mafac-style, old-school cantis) are the origin-8 pro force. They're incredibly cheap, and they work quite well once you ditch the stock pads. I've had them on my commuter bike for the past year with absolutely no complaints - honestly, they probably stop better than the spookys i have on my race cx bike that cost 2 or 3 times as much.

http://maddogcycles.com/images/library/large/origin8_proccanti_black_11_m.jpg

I imagine these are exactly the same brakes from the same factory as the velo orange option sans francophile pretensions.

I've also had great luck with the CR720s and have heard nothing but glowing reviews of the mini Vs.