canti brakes on MTB?

[victoryfactory]

I have an old school rigid steel MTB with V brakes that I can't get
to stop squealing. I have got temporary relief from fiddling with the
pads and bridges etc. discs not an option.

But I'm wondering if I can install cable hangars and canti's ?
Is there a cable pull issue?
Am I missing something?
thanks

VF

[Peter P.]

V-brakes and cantilever brakes do have different pull ratios.

If you're cost conscious, try the cantilevers with the existing brake levers before you buy matching levers.

One little known reason why you might still have brake squeal is sloppy brake pivots. Try greasing the pivots. Sounds like you've already tried all the usual setup tweaks.

[mossman]

cantis on a mtb sucks.
cantis squeal as much, if not more, than vbrakes.

clean brake tracks, set pads equally, toe in, try different pads, find a good mechanic

cantis are not your solution here.

[gdw]

Try another pair of v brakes and the usual tricks. If that doesn't work the last generation Shimano XT or LX cantilever brakes were pretty good and almost on par with V's when paired with Avid's cantilever levers. They also worked quite well with Dia Compes Power Control levers.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dia-Compe-PC...item3a7c9960ea

[xjoex]

Canti's will drive you crazy. For love of god don't do it. I say this as someone who worked in shops during all of the 90s!

If they are squealing really badly try cleaning the brake track with a green scotch brite pad. Next scotch brite the pads themselves. This works 90% of the time.

The other source is not enough toe in.

-Joe

[Ken Robb]

My 1989 Bridgestone MB-3 came with Shimano 7 speed indexed group with canti brakes. They have always worked fine with no squealing. I have had other bikes with cantis that required fiddling to eliminate the squeals. I've had a set of cantis that squealed on one bike but not another. Swapping to a different set of cantis on the first bike eliminated the squealing. It seems to be an art not a science.

[Chance]

Would first try cleaning rims, then adjusting pads, then sanding pads, and finally replacing pads. Would consider new brakes only if all these steps failed to correct problem. Would not go to cantis regardless. Not a big fan of cantis in general.

[jds108]

Originally Posted by Chance

Would first try cleaning rims, then adjusting pads, then sanding pads, and finally replacing pads. Would consider new brakes only if all these steps failed to correct problem. Would not go to cantis regardless. Not a big fan of cantis in general.

All of this plus check for play in the brakes. You may be toe-ing in the pads, but they may be sitting flat against the rim if there is too much wear and free play in the brakes.

[victoryfactory]

thanks for all the ideas.
I guess I'll get out the scotchbrite and the Allen wrenches one more
time.
One good thing though is it scares the hell out of dog walkers and squirrels!

VF

[gdw]

What brand and model v are you using? Factory brake pads?

[victoryfactory]

The front is old Avid arch rival 50 with cool stop pads
the rear is newer Avid single digit 7 with factory pads.

confession: I had two MTB frames and a pile of parts. I built one to
sell which got the better frame and components and built the other
as a bad weather keeper.
btw, the other bike has a similar "pair" of brakes but they don't squeak
I kept the squeelers . Ha!

[gdw]

Is the front the loudest? I had similar problems with the arch rivals and salmon pads. They were replaced by SD 7s, I kept the salmon pads, and the problem went away. Try greasing the posts and if that and the other tips you've received here don't work, get new brakes.

[djg21]

before you spend big money, try some Kool Stop salmon pads. IME, this often resolves problems with noise.