upgrade cantilever brakes vs 2nd hand

iancalderbank
iancalderbank Posts: 32
edited September 2017 in MTB workshop & tech
I have 2x GT tempest first gen MTBs from 1998 or so (21 and 18 frames). fully rigid, cantilever brakes. all silver frames in very good nick. gears obviously worn but still rideable.

I could use a london bike to leave overnight at euston station and the GT is the only candidate from what I own. I am not going to ride london traffic with cantilever brakes as they are truly rubbish (being used to hydraulic disks now!)

options
- upgrade at least the front brake on the GT. attempt centre-pull / V's on same fork and lever, or upgrade fork to disc then need levers and shifter too (they're integrated) and a wheel :-( But only want to spend absolute minimum of money, it needs to not have any value in it as it will be left at a mainline station. not sure if its actually worth spending on bits, comparison being that bargain basement new for an entire bike is only £150
- buy something scruffy 2nd hand that has decent brakes and forget about tinkering with the GT, perhaps sell it if it has any "classic" value
- stick with what I'm currently using which is santander hire boris bikes... crap but do the job

any thoughts if this is do-able really cheaply?
ta
MTB: Giant Trance X2 2009 (yes, its a 26er. For twisty singletrack in woburn woods, it still rocks)
road: specialized tricross elite 2011
hybrid: giant roam 0 2014
garaged project: gt tempest 1998
borrowed: whoosh sirocco cdl e-bike

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Cantis work fine if they're set up properly, or just get some decent V brakes - you'll need levers and calipers as the pull is different.
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  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    New cables, a decent set of pads and a bit of time spent setting them up and your cantilever brakes should be more than adequate for riding the mean streets of London.
    “Life has been unfaithful
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  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Set up with decent parts, Canti's can work OK, but a swap to V's is dead easy, as mentioned you'll need levers as well, or if you are using small road tyres, mini v's work well and you can keep the canti levers.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.