Canteliver Brakes

2007-06-24

I just got an old bike with canteliver brakes.

I have got the front one working okay, but am struggling with the back one.

I have connected the cable from the brake lever to the wire that acts as a bridge between both sides of the canteliver brake.

Then I tightened the cable connecting the 2 sides of the canteliver brakes, so that when I pull the brake lever, the brakes tighten and stop the back wheel.

My problem is that one side of the brake (the one which doesn't have the allen key fastening the cable to the brake itself) is pulling so tightly into the rim that when I lift the wheel and pedal, the pressure of the brake on the rim stops the rim really fast.

There is an adjusting screw on the brake which has the allen-key fastening on it - if I tighten it all the way in, the theory is that it should relieve the pressure on the other side, and stop the brake pushing into the rim. But even when fully tightened, it doesn't make any difference.

Compared to the side-pull brakes that I used to have, these seem like a real pain in the backside. Even when adjusted they don't seem to have the same stopping power as the old side pulls.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks

Steve Austin

that allen screw that is missing is what you need, but i think you know that

2007-06-24

Sorry - I don't understand!
Are you saying that the adjusting screw should work - it's not missing - it's just that even when fully screwed in, it's not making any difference.
Thanks

gkerr4

i'd say get shot of the brakes and replace them with V-brakes - cantis are nothing but a pain in the @rse!!

My LBS has a cheap set of 'v's for, i think , £12 - surely better than pulling your hair out over a set of cantis??

god I hate setting up cantis

2007-06-24

Thanks Graham. I'm sorry to waste your time.

This evening I put on an ancient pair of weinmann side pulls from my old bike. Went on okay, except the back brake doesn't quite let the brake blocks sit far enough down so I had to cut some of the blocks off to stop them cutting into the tyre.

Nothing like getting a new 2nd hand bike and then completely trashing it by doing daft things like that...

I know what you mean about cantilever brakes. They seem very un-straightforward.

jumbolugs

Don't think you said in your OP whether the bike has flat-bar levers or drop-bar levers.

I'll assume it is an old MTB/hybrid with flat-bar levers. In this case my advice would be to replace them with v-brakes since they are generally easier to set up and more powerful - but you need to be careful that you use the right type of brake levers.

You might already be aware of this (and if you are I apologise) but v-brakes are NOT COMPATIBLE with levers that were originally made for cantilever brakes. V-brakes have a high mechanical advantage, thus require levers that pull a lot of cable. Cantilever brakes have a low mechanical advantage thus require levers that pull a lot less cable (but with much more force).

If you try to use v-brakes with "cantilever" brake levers you will probably find the levers will hit the handlebars before the brake blocks actually hit the wheel rims. I've heard of people who've asked their LBS to fit v-brakes onto old MTBs and the bike mechanic either through laziness or ignorance has not replaced the levers with appropriate ones. The danger is that it's possible to set the brakes up in this way so that they seem to work OK at first, then you find one day you're going down a steep hill and the blocks have worn down a bit and suddenly there just isn't enough travel and your brakes don't work.

2007-06-24

Tony - thanks for the advice.

I have drop handlebars and aero levers.

The V-Brakes sound good - but presumably they don't work with drop bars and racing bike levers...

Thanks again

fossyant

If you've got a good set of canti's then they should work perfectly. Your 'canti' cable could be bent or the 'pull bracket' thingy catching/not centred. I got some nifty trangular alloy 'pulls' which have a plastic sheath that the canti wire sits in and has room to move. The brake cable is then secured with two alen grub screws.

Have you made sure the springs are of the right tension, as the adjusting screws should sort everything out or you.

V brakes are better though !

ghostynlr

Have you tried taking the offending canti off and moving it up one notch on the frame studs? This will increase the tension on one side and enable you to use the small 2/3mm allen key to decrease the tension on the canti you've just move, that in turn should allow an equal brake towards the rim.

alfablue

2007-06-24 wrote:

Tony - thanks for the advice.

I have drop handlebars and aero levers.

The V-Brakes sound good - but presumably they don't work with drop bars and racing bike levers...

Thanks again

I believe that Campag Veloce mini V type brakes will work with aero levers.

term1te

I agree with Ghostynlr, check that the brakes on both sides have the springs in the same hole on the stud. There are often three holes, so try both in the middle hole if they are different. Then readjust the tennsion screws until both sides pull an equal distance from the rim when you’re not pulling on the brakes. If one side is still being pulled onto the rim, either remove it and put the return spring in the hole furthest from the rim, or remove the other brake and place it in the hole nearest the rim.

Depending on the type of canti brake, you may be able to adjust the position of the brake pad in relation to the arm, check that the distance the brake pad is from the retaining bolt is the same on both sides.

I’ve got some old Suntour canties on my touring bike and they work fine. Good luck.

gkerr4

2007-06-24 wrote:

Thanks Graham. I'm sorry to waste your time.

This evening I put on an ancient pair of weinmann side pulls from my old bike. Went on okay, except the back brake doesn't quite let the brake blocks sit far enough down so I had to cut some of the blocks off to stop them cutting into the tyre.

Nothing like getting a new 2nd hand bike and then completely trashing it by doing daft things like that...

I know what you mean about cantilever brakes. They seem very un-straightforward.

Sorry Jim - I wasn't trying to be funny with you - I have just been through the same thing with an old mountain bike - trying to set them up is a nightmare - and as you say - even when set up sweetly, they still aren;t that powerfull in the stopping dept.!

I was shocked to see a pair in the bike shop round the corner for £12 and thought "bloody hell - all that anger / frustration / pain / bblood and swearing etc - I could just have bought those and set them up in a couple minutes and had better stoppers too!!"

sorry - I didn't mean to be flippant in my response.

graham

2007-06-24

Hi Graham - when I said "sorry to waste your time", I wasn't clear. I meant that in the meantime I'd given up on the cantilevers and put side pulls on.

I didn't think you were being flippant at all!

Thanks

Jim