# Favourite canti brake?



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Brakes and levers..


----------



## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

M-900 is near the top of my list, but I also like the simplicity of the Dia-Compe 986. My preferred lever is the Dia-Compe SS-5.


----------



## CCMDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

Grafton Mag Lite(or Speed Controller)/Re-Entry
Dia Compe 986/SS-5
Shimano XTR/Rapidfire


----------



## unicrown junkie (Nov 12, 2009)

I love my SS7's combined with my Suntour XCPro canti's on the front of my Stumpy Sport. Works damn good. Otherwise, U-brakes all the way!


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

986/ss5


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

I had ss5 levers and now it's 94 xt slr levers w/out shifters. I much prefer the solid feel of slr. Brakes are xc pro, gold w/ kool stop and ritchey pads.
Have 987 cantis on another bike and somehow it's the best feel i ever had from brakes. way better than avid vees.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

M900 brake and lever is hard to beat.


----------



## hollister (Sep 16, 2005)

ones that are setup correctly


----------



## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

hollister said:


> ones that are setup correctly


I was thinking the same thing but only you can do it in so few words.


----------



## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

Hummmm...... I guess I'd say......:drumroll:


----------



## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

Record OR, Ritchey Logic, but can't find any faults with a M900 setup.


----------



## uphiller (Jan 13, 2004)

Brake levers are more important than brakes. The best levers are anything with SLR Plus- Shimano M900, M910, M737, and some LX. They outperform all other canti brake levers, maybe with the exception of Alteks. I've said it many times, but SLR Plus makes a bad brake OK, an OK one good, a good one very good, and so on. The only reason to run anything else is availability, lack of money, or blind nostalgia for what you rode back then.
Odyssey Straddle Rods are considered lame, but make almost all canti brakes work better.
Machine Tech Zero Flex look rad, work well, have good geometry, and are easily adjustable and light. 
Low profile cantis are a fundamentally bad idea. Medium profile 986's and Ritchey Logic look sharp, but a lot of people complain that their pad hardware slips, sets, and finally cracks. For that reason I say the best combos mechanically are aesthetic and chronological mismatches- any SLR Plus lever, plus Machine Tech or early 90's Shimano XT M-732, with Straddle Rods (or maybe the equally hated Cannondale Force 40) and a booster.


----------



## CS2 (Jul 24, 2007)

BR MT62, way underrated. They're basically the same as the XT but with steel mounting hardware.


----------



## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

I'd have to go with M900's (brakes and levers) too, with perhaps Avid Tri-Aligns and Ultimate levers coming in a close second....


----------



## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Although I loved the 986-SS5 combo, I'm with Mendon. Tri-Aligns and Ultimates. Hard to beat that combo.


----------



## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

I've setup my favorite rider with M900 shifters/brake levers and 986 Canti's / Ritchey pads

Not period correct for a '90 but its about the ride :smilewinkgrin:


----------



## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

I like the way these feel....


----------



## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

Supporting pics.....


----------



## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

SS-5 & IRD Widget.


----------



## mainlyfats (Oct 1, 2005)

Another vote for SS5/M900. I like Ritchey/Ritchey and Paul NeoRetros/CantiLevers too.


----------



## CCMDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Supporting pics.....


Ooooohhhhhhh!!!!

Like ogling the hotties in certain magazines ...

I might have to pin those photos up on the wall ...

Sigh ...


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Mendon.. the Specialized is heavy on the bike porn.


----------



## CCMDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

colker1 said:


> Mendon.. the Specialized is heavy on the bike porn.


I don't think he's far from WGI - I might have to make a little detour next time


----------



## rigidftw (Mar 21, 2010)

my vote for suntour multimount levers and 732 xt brakes (black for the looks).


----------



## uphiller (Jan 13, 2004)

I appreciate the Widget and Switchback brakes... but I don't think they qualify as cantilevers! If they do, then I will choose the Wasatch Clamp, of course with SLR Plus levers. They work a million times better if you use a thin V-Brake pad on the link side, and a thick Eagle Claw pad on the other- allows the brake to close more completely, giving far more leverage.
My old brake:
https://www.blackbirdsf.org/brake_obscura/images/mtb/wasatch.jpg


----------



## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

uphiller said:


> I appreciate the Widget and Switchback brakes... but I don't think they qualify as cantilevers!


for the sake of argument, what are widgets then, if _not_ cantis? direct-pull? technically, by definition-and-mechanics, direct-pull brakes _are_ cantilevered brakes. but widgets aren't technically direct-pull brakes, because the cable doesn't attach to both arms, and the pull isn't at all linear (due to the widget, natch).

so what are they then?

based on where the pads are, in relation to where the bosses are on the frame, i'm gonna stick with cantis. it's the safest ground.


----------



## misterdangerpants (Oct 10, 2007)

Kooka Racha/M900


----------



## uphiller (Jan 13, 2004)

rockychrysler said:


> for the sake of argument, what are widgets then, if _not_ cantis? direct-pull? technically, by definition-and-mechanics, direct-pull brakes _are_ cantilevered brakes. but widgets aren't technically direct-pull brakes, because the cable doesn't attach to both arms, and the pull isn't at all linear (due to the widget, natch).
> 
> so what are they then?
> 
> based on where the pads are, in relation to where the bosses are on the frame, i'm gonna stick with cantis. it's the safest ground.


Sure, Widgets and Switchbacks and anything that fits on a canti stud is a cantilever from a mechanical standpoint. But what would you have said if people started saying "Avid Arch Supremes are the best cantilevers ever"? V-Brakes or direct pull or linear pull or whatever you want to call them brakes, are not in common parlance referred to as cantilevers, mechanics notwithstanding. To me a cantilever has a cable hanger and short arms (which makes the Switchback a canti I admit.) 
I'd call Widgets and Crosstops linkage brakes.


----------



## MendonCycleSmith (Feb 10, 2005)

colker1 said:


> Mendon.. the Specialized is heavy on the bike porn.


Thanks guys :smilewinkgrin:

Wish it were bigger at a 19", but I'll keep it....

One more just for fun.


----------



## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

uphiller said:


> I'd call Widgets and Crosstops linkage brakes.


caliper, cam, cantilever, disc, hub, coaster... even rod. but not linkage.

linkage is not a kind of brake. "linkage" brakes are cantilever brakes.


----------



## Benzosol (Mar 31, 2012)

*Caramba in the front...*

These Caramba do the job. Got some Critical Racing in the back. These are pretty though.

B


----------



## CCMDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Thanks guys :smilewinkgrin:
> 
> Wish it were bigger at a 19", but I'll keep it....
> 
> One more just for fun.


Sure,

Make me lust for it even more now knowing it is likely closer to *my size* rather than yours.

Enjoy the heck out of as I'm sure you are

HAPPY INDEPENCE DAY to all of my American brothers and sisters and thank you to all who have served.


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

the only cantilevers I use are rollercams


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

bushpig said:


> the only cantilevers I use are rollercams


snob!


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Benzosol said:


> These Caramba do the job. Got some Critical Racing in the back. These are pretty though.
> 
> B


allen bolts over hex anytime!


----------



## CCMDoc (Jan 21, 2010)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Thanks guys :smilewinkgrin:
> 
> Wish it were bigger at a 19", but I'll keep it....
> 
> One more just for fun.


Sure,

Make me lust for it even more now knowing it is likely closer to *my size* rather than yours.

Enjoy the heck out of as I'm sure you are

HAPPY INDEPENCE DAY to all of my American brothers and sisters and thank you to all who have served.


----------



## phattruth (Apr 22, 2012)

*XTR V's*

The XTR "V" Brakes are the best stopping canti brakes ever made. So good in fact that they stop better than some disc brakes.


----------



## EBasil (Jan 30, 2004)

The XTR canti's (not vees), matched to canti servowaves were very good, but my vote for "favorite" combo is Dia-Compe 986's, SS7's and finned Mathauser pads. Easy to set up, worked great. My wife's got a set on her SS parts bike.

Best vee was an Avid... our 11 year old has Supremes on his hand-me-down HT. He has no idea.


----------



## uphiller (Jan 13, 2004)

Yeah, the SLR Plus short pull levers matched to any decent V-Brake were out of this world. I had those levers with Shimano carbon boosters and Mavic ceramic rims- the arch, along with the harder ceramic pads, helped reduce the mush factor. The downsides of the setup were that it was so powerful that you needed to get used to it, and that a little pad wear necessitated a partial turn of the barrel adjuster after almost every ride.


----------



## unicrown junkie (Nov 12, 2009)

How in the heck did anyone get their 986s to work so well?! I tried them again and again, even after Dia Compe gave me the new improved conical washers at the '94 Worlds in Vail they still sucked. So not much later in early '95 I switched to 987s on the rear, and they were an_ instant_ improvement. BTW, rims were Campy's if that makes any difference.


----------



## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

unicrown junkie said:


> How in the heck did anyone get their 986s to work so well?! I tried them again and again, even after Dia Compe gave me the new improved conical washers at the '94 Worlds in Vail they still sucked. So not much later in early '95 I switched to 987s on the rear, and they were an_ instant_ improvement. BTW, rims were Campy's if that makes any difference.


987s gave me the best braking so far either w/ shimano slr levers or drop bar levers. don't know why but it's always easier to adjust and nicer working,


----------



## kitts21j (Feb 25, 2011)

MendonCycleSmith said:


> Supporting pics.....


"OT"
I was quick scrolling to look at the pics and I saw this one and I said "hey that looks like the Mendon shop" Didn't even think to look at the name of the poster until I saw some one mention it later in the tread. :thumbsup:


----------



## -Anomie- (Jan 16, 2005)

Do Magura HS-11/22/33 count? Those, with Altek replacement lever blades, are the best combo I've used that fit on canti studs. If it has to be a cable-actuated canti, my favorites are thus in order of preference (and availability/cost):

Levers '89 & earlier: Tommaselli Racer (I'll use Magura Shorty's if I have to, but the Tom's are way nicer.)

Levers '90+: Box (not the Taiwanese ones), Altek, Pauls

Brakes '89 & earlier: Deerhead, Mafac (high profile brakes are just better brakes, better stomping power, better modulation)

Brakes '90+: eh, not a huge fan of any of them, Avid Tri Aligns are decent, almost all the rest are a fiddly pain in the ass to maintain. Which is why I used Maguras from '95 on, set them up once and never touch them again.


----------

