Replacement brakes on a CX frame

dal105

I've recently bought a new Cannondale CAADX cyclocross bike, with the aim of using it as multipurpose winter commuter/ light touring / occasional off-road machine. It came with a set of Tektro cantilever brakes, and to be honest, they are awful. I've tried lots of fiddling with them, changing the position of the straddle etc and even changing the pads to koolstop V-brake pads - but they're still not convincing, especially downhill when I'm loaded up with a pannier etc.

The frame has cantilever mounting braze-ons on the front and rear forks. The front fork also has what looks like a threaded hole for a standard dual-pivot road bike type caliper (eg. directly above the wheel). So, if I want to improve the braking, would fitting a medium reach dual pivot on the front help (e.g. Shimano R451) and, more importantly, would it fit? I'm running Vittoria Randoneur pro 700x35C tyres and no mudguards. Not too bothered about mud build up, as I'm probably not going anywhere muddy!

Any thoughts welcome!! Thanks
Dan

Kerguelen

dal105 wrote:

I've recently bought a new Cannondale CAADX cyclocross bike, with the aim of using it as multipurpose winter commuter/ light touring / occasional off-road machine. It came with a set of Tektro cantilever brakes, and to be honest, they are awful. I've tried lots of fiddling with them, changing the position of the straddle etc and even changing the pads to koolstop V-brake pads - but they're still not convincing, especially downhill when I'm loaded up with a pannier etc.

The frame has cantilever mounting braze-ons on the front and rear forks. The front fork also has what looks like a threaded hole for a standard dual-pivot road bike type caliper (eg. directly above the wheel). So, if I want to improve the braking, would fitting a medium reach dual pivot on the front help (e.g. Shimano R451) and, more importantly, would it fit? I'm running Vittoria Randoneur pro 700x35C tyres and no mudguards. Not too bothered about mud build up, as I'm probably not going anywhere muddy!

Any thoughts welcome!! Thanks
Dan

Have you thought about V-brakes?

Tregolwyn

Just bought a CAADX myself and shop suggested an upgrade to mini v brakes. Might be worth having a chat with your lbs to check fitting and cost. I think my lbs suggested £20 to £30.

So far I haven't found a need to upgrade but one scary descent might change my mind

Monty Dog

TRP CX 9.0 or 8.4 are probably the best mini-vees out there - I have some 8.4s on one of my CX bikes - I can lock my wheels easily. If your brakes use one-piece moulded blocks, would probably be worth swapping them for cartridge holders and replaceable pads - softer pads like Koolstop salmon will help on the braking front.

dal105

I had another scary ride home on Friday - no stopping power and horrific shuddering on the front wheel when they finally did start to bite....... so I've ordered a set of the CX 9 mini-V brakes. Hopefully they will make a difference.

MichaelW

CAADCX uses Tektro CR720 and an up-hanger, which is about the best cantilever setup you can find.
The STI brake levers pull too little cable so you have to setup the straddle cable/main cable carefully to optimise the pull.

Monty Dog

I disagree - 720s are OK and fitted to many pre-built CX bikes but the best cantilevers are either Avid Ultimates or TRP 950s. I run CX950 cantis on one bike and CX8.4 mini vees on another.

Clank

I stuck a set of Tektro RX5 mini-Vs on mine and I haven't looked back.

I wouldn't recommend them for racing as there's not a lot of mud clearance when running with STI levers, but for commuting and touring they've been absolutely excellent. 45mph on rainy downhills - plenty of braking power.

Moving away from cable hangers removes the typical CX brake judder problem, too (I couldn't fit an uphanger on my forks, anyway).

dal105

Well my TRP CX9 linear pull V-brakes arrived yesterday. Nice and easy to fit and they look great too. I had my first ride with them this morning (loaded up with 2 panniers) and they're SO much better than the old cantis.....a bit sqeaky but hopefully a bit of adjustment for toe-in on the pads will sort that out.

Anyway, it will give me a lot more confidence when I attempt to ride from Surrey to Cornwall in a few weeks time!