Oryx vs. Avid Shorty 4 and Shorty 6

Steven Martin

Hello,

Looking to build up a bike with cantis and have no idea which are good and bad etc.

So, Tektro Oryx vs Avid Shorty 4 vs Avid Shorty 6.

The bike will be an everyday bike but may see an odd excursion onto a cross race if I am feeling daft/energetic/brave.

Cheers

Steven

jpembroke

Avids are notorious squealers. I'd avoid them if I were you. I have 2 sets of Tektro Oryx (on my cross bike and fixie) and really rate them: nice looking and cheap (try Dotbike.com - £17.99 per set). An alternative worth considering is the Shimano 550 brake. a friend has them; they look the business and work well.

fatfreddy

I have Avid 6s on my Kaffenback. Very happy with them.

FF

Steven Martin

Thanks very much.

tyskie

I've got Avid Shorty 4's and once the front brake is set toe-in properly they don't squeal. However, the stopping power is not the greatest.

jpembroke

You can improve braking performance of your Avids by replacing the supplied link wire with a traditional, wide yoke and straddle cable. This will allow you to move the straddle down towards the tyre in order to increase mechanical advantage.

jhinds

I have recently converted from Avid shorty 4 ( could not stop them squealing ) to Campag Mirage mini vees ( parallel cantis in Campag speak ) following advice on this forum. Much improved power and no squealing. However due to leverage ratio blocks need to be set very close to rims with STIs otherwise you run out of lever movement.

acorn_user

If you are looking for nice cantis, there are quite a few about. The new Tektro CR720 and CR520 look great. There are some more expensive options too. But for a cheap option, there are loads of great mtb cantis for very little. The old Shimano Deore cantis are great (the wide profile ones). A friend has them on an old Raleigh Randonneur, and they stop magnificantly. My cross bike is getting Suntour XC Pros though.

aracer

The old Shimano wide angle cantis can be made to work OK with STIs, but they're a complete pain in the backside to set up with the old-fashioned non-threaded pads and umpteen degrees of freedom on the single bolt you use to clamp the pads. That was one of the major reasons I switched to Avid Shortys from those on the tandem, and I'm very happy with the performance. Subsequently bought another set to replace the rubbish brakes which came with the crosser.

Can't believe Campy mini-Vs would be that great for a crosser, as you really don't get much tyre clearance.

pieinthesky

I purchased 2 pairs of Avid Shorty 6 Cantis as I couldnt stop my Shimano V brakes from squeeling. Guess what, they are just as bad.

Steven Martin

Thanks all, went for the Oryx, got them for the bargain price of £9.99 per set, so that helped in the decision making.

jpembroke

Good choice but I suggest changing the pads at some point to Koolstop ones. Definitely an improvement on the stock pads both in terms of braking power and rim friendliness.