Canti or V Brakes for Winter Trainer

rfreese888

I am converting my Fuji Absolute 2.0 (see link below) from a flat handlebar hybrid to a drop handlebar road bike. It can only take V-Brake or Cantilever brakes as the clearance between the forks and the wheels is too high and the bolts for the brakes are on either side of the forks. I currently have Tektro Mini-V forged alloy brakes but I want to upgrade.

I have bought Tiagra STI road shifters and a set of Deda drop handlebars. I will use the bike as a winter trainer on wet and rainy roads in Ireland, and for commuting in all weather. I have Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels with Gatorskin tires. I want to be able to stop at short notice in traffic when required but also descend on a weekend ride without 'on-off' braking i.e. I want some modulation.

What are the pros and cons of cantilever vs. v-brakes given above requirements?

Would the TRP CX9 or Revox Alloy brakes work with this setup? Or Avid Shorty Ultimate? I have heard switching from flat bar to drop bar levers can be an issue so can you advise on which to choose so I don’t buy the wrong thing? :?

Any thoughts on brake pads as well?

Many thanks in advance for the help!!

http://archive.fujibikes.com/archivebik ... lute%202.0

PS - don't suggest I go buy a road bike instead! :evil:

handful

I did a similar thing against the advice of many on here (so I know what you mean with your last comment ) , converted my Moda Chord into a drop bar with Rival STIs to good effect I believe. Ended up with a bike that rides extremely well at a weight of 9kgs and has done me fine. I had Avid single digit brakes on mine when it was a flat bar and found the only brakes that had the required drop were the Tektro Mini Vs that you want to take off! I find them ok, certainly not brilliant but all the better for Swisstop red/black pads. I'd be surprised if you can get more modulation from anything else to be honest, most of the best brakes won't fit I don't think, not sure about cantis though as I don't have much experience of those I'm afraid.

I'm about to retire mine to winter use and will be fitting some mudguards on in the next few weeks.

Monty Dog

I run TRPs mini-vees and cantis. Mini-vees shade it in terms of power and ease of set-up, whereas the cantis provide better control (less on-off) and more mud clearance. Recently took my CX bike with mini-vees to Scotland and spent a great time riding most of the XC routes at Glentress and Innerleithin - having a whale of a time chucking myself down Spooky Woods and Caddon Bank. Takes a bit of tweaking with the allen key to get them tuned, but no problems thereafter. Softer pads certainly help on the 'technical' stuff - I overtook some MTBs on a 'black' at Glentress and was glad to have the control over the rocks and roots.

rfreese888

Here is the reply I got from TRP customer service:

Thank you for your inquiry. First off, back in my shop days, I don’t know how many people I told that what you’re attempting is not a good idea.  Were you able to get 9-spd Tiagra shifters? If not, I think they changed the amount of cable pulled for each shift when they went to 10-spd, so it’s not a matter of just adjusting out a click. Also be careful the first few times riding it. Because you changed the geometry of the bike, it may not be as stable.

But anyway, putting my nose back in my business, to answer the questions you actually asked…
Yes, both the RevoX and the CX9s would work with your setup. The CX9 is going to be slightly more powerful and be a little more streamlined, while the RevoX will have more clearance for mud, fenders, etc. Both brakes are made to work with the pull ratio of a drop bar lever, so you shouldn’t have compatibility issues.

cartejo5

I run trp cx9's front and rear now, initially I had cantis on the rear however the mini v's simply have more stopping power.
In the past on tourers I've used full v brakes which in honesty are simply better than either, the only problem is you need specific brake levers and also need to use separate barend or down tube shifters.

derosa

TRP Revox dogs do-dah's on my commuter - would recommend.

maddog 2

the choice is between miniVs and cantis. Normal Vs need more cable pull than STI provide.

I'd go miniVs every time. Easier to setup.

thecm

Have never been happy with cantis on my VN Amazon, swapped to some TRP EuroX but I've lost patience with them and swapping to discs with the new 105 mech/hyd brifters.

So another vote for mini-Vs

BenderRodriguez

A big issue with cantilever brakes is that they can induce dreadful juddering in the front forks. This is because any cable that runs from the top of the head set or stem will be placed under a varying degree of tension as the front forks flex, with the brakes being pulled on tighter as the forks flex backwards, causing grabbing and juddering. The longer the cable run between the hanger and the brake straddle wire the worse the problem is likely to be. I had this issue on my cross bike and had to fit a Tektro fork mounted cable hanger in order to prevent it happening.



Alternatively, use a Tektro 'Power hanger' like this:



Careful selection of pads is also needed, otherwise I find that cantilever brakes hardly work in the wet.

whoof

I've got old style cantis on my touring bike. This is an old mountain bike now with road dropped bars. One problem is setting the blocks close to the rims to get good(ish) braking means it is then almost impossible to open the brake and get the wheel out. I have overcome this with Tektro brake levers than incorporate a release mechanism.
You might want to read this as well
http://sheldonbrown.com/canti-trad.html

cartejo5

Fwiw I've tried virtually every brand of cantis including Paul's neo and classics, frog legs, ultegra cx range and several avid varieties on both tourer and several cx bikes. Try as I might I could never get cantis to work properly for any extended period of time

On my steel tourer I eventually went with full v brakes and bar end shifters, on my current cx bike\tourer I have trp mini v's. In an ideal world I would go with discs but that would mean new frame, forks, wheels etc etc.

rfreese888

So got the drop bars, shifters, stem, tape, rear derailleur, brake pads and new chain put on. Rolling with the tektro mini-v's that were already on the bike. Surprisingly good conversion and feels more comfortable and more responsive than before. Brakes take a bit more tugging on the levers but plenty of stopping power.

Will live with this for a while before making final decision on mini-v upgrade or canti. I think the canti's look more pro! but won't make a final decision on that only.