which brakes will work on this 'cross frame

[Likes2ridefar]

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[christian]

There's no boss on the rear brake bridge and you'd need huge reach on a front caliper, leading to poor brake-arch stiffness and performance. That bike is, for all intents and purposes, is mini-v or canti-specific.

[R2D2]

there's no boss on the rear brake bridge and you'd need huge reach on a front caliper, leading to poor brake-arch stiffness and performance. That bike is, for all intents and purposes, is mini-v or canti-specific.

+1

[Likes2ridefar]

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[4Rings6Stars]

thanks...

so, if you were spending my money what would you buy?

v brakes with problem solver or a cantilever.

i've only used shorty 6's and was not impressed. they stopped but were not quiet about it and generally were a hassle to maintain.

is there anything that comes remotely close to how simple a nice dual pivot road brake is?

My experience has been no, there isn't.

But I have only tried a few different model cantis, I am anxious to see other responses and be persuaded.

[AngryScientist]

i've posted this before, and i still believe that my Paul brakes, regular canti in the front and touring in the rear function fantastically. no fork shudder, no brake squeal, no drama. fitted with kool stop pads, they get the job done without me thinking about them, no problems to report.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnDgankPOIg/UaKbnzwdvWI/AAAAAAAABO8/3qtNxo4XPU0/s640/100_0143.JPG

[Likes2ridefar]

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[christian]

If you want a set of Paul Neo-Retro/Touring combos I have a set on my Zanc (with Koolstop slimline pads). Happy to trade for TRP 8.4s. They're black and in great shape. PM me if you're interested. We can work out a fair trade.

[zennmotion]

YMMV, but I've never had a serious issue with canti brakes on a road bike- but I think it's important to consider where you're riding. If you are in mountain terrain where you have frequent and prolonged braking then mini-v's are a better choice- the cantis will slow and stop you, but with less power than mini-v's and hand fatigue can be an issue. Outside the mountains, I think cantis work fine- set up properly with good pads like the pink kool stops I use. I've always liked the bargain priced but well designed Tektro CR 720 wide profile brakes- at 50 bucks complete set front/rear. They are very easy to set up, toe in, adjust the straddle cable, and each arm can be adjusted independently for tension. They're not Pauls but then they cost less than 1/4 the price and they stop your bike just as well. I'd try them out before investing in expensive cantis- the Tektros may not have the bling, but I don't think they are inferior in performance in any way to other models. For reference, I've descended lots of hairpin roads in the Appalachians, some effing scary steep rutted mountain "roads" in E. Africa, and 10,000 ft/ 30 mile descent of Haleakala volcano in Maui with the Tektros. Tired hands at times, but plenty of margin for safety- they work just fine for my needs- I have them on two cyclocross racing bikes and my Ritchey breakaway cross travel bike that sees mostly road riding.

http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=5&sortname=Brake&sort=1&fid=2

[Likes2ridefar]

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[zennmotion]

thanks for the info.

she needs to be able to do quick stops commuting in NYC, and rides in very hilly terrain in northwest CT. But descents are usually only 2 or 3 miles long max.

Cantis would work fine IMO unless she has hand strength problems like carpal tunnel. They play much more nicely with fenders than Mini-v's as well. The wide profile CR 720s can be adjusted for mechanical advantage as well- something not very easy to do with narrow profile cantis. Set the straddle cable high=more stopping power, but a squishier "feel" (they're not road calipers, they feel spongy set up like this, but they have plenty of power to can easily lock up a wheel) Set the straddle height lower and you get better modulation at the expense of some power. It can take a little time to find the sweet spot- cantis are higher maintenance and need adjusting as the pads wear. So there are tradeoffs- but they'll work fine if you learn to set them up. But, except for the fender clearance issues, mini-v's should work too given a little more patience.

[Mark McM]

i've posted this before, and i still believe that my Paul brakes, regular canti in the front and touring in the rear function fantastically. no fork shudder, no brake squeal, no drama. fitted with kool stop pads, they get the job done without me thinking about them, no problems to report.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnDgankPOIg/UaKbnzwdvWI/AAAAAAAABO8/3qtNxo4XPU0/s640/100_0143.JPG

I'd hesitate a bit before recommending a switch from mini-Vs to high profile cantilevers like these. High profile cantilevers have a much lower leverage ratio, and require much more hand force than mini-Vs (based on the dimensions, I'd estimate about twice as much hand force for the same braking force).

A better bet might be low profile cantilever brakes, which if set up properly, can have a higher leverage ratio - somewhere between high profile cantilers and mini-Vs.

On the front brake I'd also recommend a fork crown mounted brake hanger, which provides better cable routing and can eliminate brake shuddering.

Something along these lines:

http://three91.com/bike/conquest/IMG_1228.JPG

Many fork crown mounted cable hangers have barrel adjusters, for easy compensation for pad wear:

http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/assets/images/rhguvkxrjg4dkz8_b.jpg