switching from V brakes to Canti's hanger advice

petemadoc
petemadoc Posts: 2,331
edited March 2011 in Workshop
I've never like the V brakes that came with my cross bike, there's no where near enough pull on the sti levers to make them work properly and the time has come to make the change to canti's . . . . so

Just purchased these from ribble

TEKTBRAR500_1_large.jpg

Now I need a rear and front hanger for the cable, from what I've read the best for the front is an uphanger fitted into the mudguard mount hole like this one

1809-5136-main-uphanger-17.jpg

The rear seems to be a seatpost clamp hanger such as this

SC_AM_L_zoom.jpg

Does anyone have any experience of this and am I on the right lines? There are front hangers that act as a spacer under the stem. :?

Tanks a bunch

Comments

  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    You're exactly on the right lines - you can get headset-mounted cable hangers, but considered view is that fork-uphanger is better at preventing fork judder. Sometimes it relies on a bit of ingenuity to make it all work - cable routing and set up is a lot more critical for cantilevers - the best piece of advice is "two fingers-width" between the top of the tyre and the straddle wire.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Mister W
    Mister W Posts: 791
    Fitting the hangers and getting the spacing right can be a bit tricky, particularly if your bike is small. I started with a front hanger that acts as a spacer but getting a smooth cable run is difficult and it restricts the positioning of the bars. Now I have the hanger in your first photo, which is better but is only just high enough for the brakes to work properly. If you have a long straddle cable then you might have problems. On the back I don't have enough space for a hanger at all, as the bike is so small, so I have a mini-v instead.

    If I was building the bike again I wouldn't bother with the cantis. I'd use a good set of mini-v brakes instead. They work properly with road brake levers, unlike standard v-brakes.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Thanks for the info guys

    I didn't go for mini V's because I switch wheels quite frequently and they seem to be a right bugger to get the noodle unclipped when you run the pads as close as possible to the rim.

    Monty, in what way does the cable routing affect things? What should I look out for apart from the straddle height.

    Oh and does anyone know of anywhere that sells both the front and rear hanger, I don't want to pay postage on two websites for two sub £10 products because I'm a tight ar5e :D
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    The cable run is quite critical because sometimes there is a need for tight turns - as Mister W says, it gets more challenging on smaller frames where you dont have long headtubes and seatubes. On my CX race bike I run Nokons because they are the best for tight turns - the fact that the cables are fully shielded is good too. For the front brake, I also route the cable along the back of the bars and over the top. I run TRP 950 cantis - they are simply the best rim brake I've ever used - for cross, mini-vees run too close to the wheel and would clog with mud.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Monty Dog wrote:
    The cable run is quite critical because sometimes there is a need for tight turns - as Mister W says, it gets more challenging on smaller frames where you dont have long headtubes and seatubes. On my CX race bike I run Nokons because they are the best for tight turns - the fact that the cables are fully shielded is good too. For the front brake, I also route the cable along the back of the bars and over the top. I run TRP 950 cantis - they are simply the best rim brake I've ever used - for cross, mini-vees run too close to the wheel and would clog with mud.

    Sounds complicated, what have I got myself into :shock:

    No doubt I'll be back here asking questions when all the parts have arrived
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Recently put the front uphanger thing on my girlfriend's tourer/commuter and it made a world of difference to the braking - no judder at all, really powerful. WAY better than a stem spacer mounted one.

    I got it from Spa Cycles - who I am sure do the rear hangers as well.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    Well it I took my time but the cantis are fitted

    canti%20brakes.jpg

    I can't believe I didn't switch sooner, the difference using the sti levers is amazing.
  • doonhamer69
    doonhamer69 Posts: 11
    Good effort Pete.

    Thanks for posting the photo, it'll be useful as I'm putting together a cx bike at the moment.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    For future reference, you might want to decrease the distance between the straddle wire and the wheel to give a bit more 'bite' - you'll obviously need to fit a new brake inner
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    I went with the two fingers width but it is hard to.keep the hanger in place as you tighten it up. I did keep another inch of cable in case I wanted to lower it. And also I think the angle of the photo makes it look higher than it is.

    Anyways regardless of the height of the thing, they had a 50 mile test ride today with a 45mph decent down a windy road. I'm really impressed, I can't believe that Focus would supply a cross bike with sti levers and v brakes, I now realize that they didn't really work.

    Job done, thanks for the help peeps

    Oh and one more thing, not even a hint of brake squeal :D

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