Background: I found these used Velo Orange Grand Cru cantilever brakes in a parts bin at Gear Hub here in Portland, Maine. They looked special, and for USD $5 it was hard to say no. Two years later, I am ready to be done with them. They are next-to-impossible to adjust properly (the posts slip when tightening down the 13 mm nut that secures them), the springs corrode after not-very-prolonged exposure to moisture and cause the brakes to seize and rub on the rims (bad for winter commutes), the screws that hold the straddle cables in place have corroded, and for all that you get pretty mediocre stopping power.
So here's the question (which you already know from the title of this post): Is there a good but inexpensive cantilever brake option available?
It doesn't take a lot of searching to find people recommending TRP RevoX's or Avid Shorty Ultimates, but those cost more than I spent on the frame of this particular build and that seems a little extravagant. I'd love to keep costs around USD $50 if I can get away with it. The key thing is they need to have some real stopping power, but I would also love something with more than two axes of adjustment that I could properly toe in (even if it's of a pain to do).
I know mini-V brakes are an option, but for the time being I want to keep to cantis. Your thoughts are appreciated.
by inthemeadowoftheend
16 Comments
Brakes more expensive than the frame, that’s the basis of this sub, right? 🤪
Sorry, I can’t help you, I would have thought the Velo Orange grand cru were of good quality…
Tektro Oryx is my vote
My tektro oryx are okay, can be bought for less than 50usd
The are tons of Canti brakes on the used markets. It sounds like you would prefer narrow profile Cantis for their better stopping power. Also think about a nice hanger since that basically dictates how easy they are to set up.
I own a pair of BR-M900 (imo the nicest canti brakes ever made) as well as some basic br-m520. Stopping power is roughly the same when both use kool stop eagle 2 salmon pads and the posts are smooth and greased well. The set up is very easy when using a shimano link wire the correct length. What i love about setting toe in on these older post mount brakes is that you can use an allen key as a lever to directly dial in the angle, while you use a ring spanner to tighten them. I much prefer it over the spacer washer mount style used on newer brakes like BR-CX-50 where you have to hold the toe-in with the same allen key that you are turning to tighten it.
I also have some modern CR720s on another bike and stopping power is considerably worse the higher the yoke is set. But they are very light and have greater mud clearance. It is because of these that i don’t think Avid shorty ultimates would have any better stopping power than BR-M900s or any other narrow profile brakes.
So i’d guess any midrange narrow profile canti brake would suffice for you. Link wire makes it easy to set up. But it is important to research if you need the A, B or C version.
Since the brakes usually survive if a frame gets trashed or upgraded to v-brake or disc, there should be plenty available used. BR-M450, 454 series are a classic and are the predecessor of the modern br-cx50. BR-M520, CT10, CT11, MC10, MC12, MC15, MC30, MC32, M290, M350, M565 are also just fine and this style can be bought new for very little as BR-CT91. BR-C700 or M737Â are the nicer finished XT versions of the latter design and BR-M900 is the top of the line with PTFE bushings.
If you can find them, BR-M900 will make you very happy as the finish makes them a pleasure to work with and they won’t corrode or seize easily due to the high end materials used.
Dia Compe DC980 Are great looking, classic cantos that are easy to set up, works great and are very reasonable.
Where I live 90s shimano cantis are dirt cheap second hand. I’ve seen front-rear deore LX or DX sets for less than 10$. Bit of a pain to set up imo, but you do get toe in. With good pads they’re really solid.
I have 80s deore MT60s on a bike, and they have a cool little dial for toe in adjustment. I wonder why they dropped that, it makes it so much more pleasant to set up.
In my experience the levers themselves aren’t as important as good pads and an adjustable bridge. That’s where the braking power comes from.
Any shimano low profile canti in my opinion. I like the later ones that allow one to use wire links (or unit links). You can use these links with older low profile designs, too, but then the way the cable is clamped to the brake arm does not let the housing part of the link rest on the brake arm uniformly.
Of course, stopping power (or lack thereof) depends on the way they are set up. Sometimes the canti posts on the frame or fork are brazed on so low that proper mechanical advantage is hard to achieve. That’s also the case when a fender hinders the straddle cable to sit low enough for example. Sometimes a normal (not mini) V Brake is simply the better choice.
Avid Shorty’s for performance, Dia-Compe for looks. If you can find them the TRP ReVox look super industrial cool
Came here to recommend Tektro CR720, but it seems they have been discontinued. Is that correct?
How are Shimano STX BR MC-32 brakes to use? I’ve got a set on a bike but haven’t tried to set them up yet.
I would just go back to that parts bin where you found the last pair and look for another pair of brakes.
Mini Vs is the real answer.
I bought two sets of Shimano Deore ones from aliexpress for like 15 euros each. They’re fine and look good.
Then I got fed up with all the cantilever limitations and installed a set of Magura HS. It’s another league of braking.
Whatever is on my ’86 Diamondback boat anchor, if they can stop that they’ll stop anything.
You have to be prepared to maintain the stuff you run.
I know winter commuting sucks. I know it takes effort. But, rust means the bike wasn’t prepped to handle it. It means it wasn’t kept clean as it should have been.
Cantilever adjustments are very particular. You can set them up to be the strongest rim crushers available. But any Mafac copy can be pushed around and off its adjustment. If you don’t keep mindful of it, just slamming a bike in and out of a bike rack or whatever will push them around and off their adjustment.
Basically, if you want to have an option to winter commute without any hassle. Get a Honda Civic.
Choosing to ride a bike in the winter is a serious choice and dedicated one. You need a bunch of things that work for you and are a series of planned compromises that work for the situation.
One of them is setting the bike up, prepping it properly, lubricating it, and maintaining it. That becomes much more important, and difficult in the winter.
No matter what cantis you choose, you’re going to develop the same issues if you don’t take care of them.
I looked up the brakes on question, and the pad posts look different on the product page. [https://velo-orange.com/products/grand-cru-long-arm-cantilever-brakes?srsltid=AfmBOoq9qAVxJzmv5OxXJwxxBbVcw7OyLjjRQ7JdGV3CndCYyx1O0Dgh](https://velo-orange.com/products/grand-cru-long-arm-cantilever-brakes?srsltid=AfmBOoq9qAVxJzmv5OxXJwxxBbVcw7OyLjjRQ7JdGV3CndCYyx1O0Dgh) Are there other posts you can get to prevent the issue?
https://preview.redd.it/0sckxebw93sf1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=e2ccc8564e626a436d58a7419d1f1717f3ab3b85
Edit: wondering if reaching out to velo orange would be a good idea