Rear Cantilever brake install

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- August 13, 2013 at 1:59 pm
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

I’ve got a set of early 90’s cantilever brakes that I’m trying to move over to my ’94 A2E. The challenge I’m faced with is that the rear pivot fitting is designed to be mounted rather than floating. Just wondering if anyone has used this type of setup on one of these frames and how they did it. Here’s some pics of the hardware I’m trying to use, as it was mounted on my Crestone Peak VO2Max frame (which cracked).

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- August 13, 2013 at 3:21 pm
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vpc66
Member

I think a simple yoke cable with a rear cable hanger would work fine. The ends are the same, you would just cut out the mount in the center and it would be the same as the other brands make theirs.
- August 13, 2013 at 3:29 pm
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neo_pop_71
Member

Everyone was looking to increase the braking power, think downhill racer using 100 year old technology. Your brakes are a good design but limited to that era and that particular frame feature. You can simply get a standard straddle cable and a seat post bolt cable stop like the one Surly makes.
- August 13, 2013 at 4:03 pm
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

@neo_pop_71 wrote:

You can simply get a standard straddle cable and a seat post bolt cable stop like the one Surly makes.

This is what you are referring to, yes?

http://www.jensonusa.com/Surly-Brake-Hanger
- August 14, 2013 at 4:13 am
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neo_pop_71
Member

You got it Brad, that’s the one I’m speaking about using. I assume you’ll use a standard seat clamp, you’ll back the clamp bolt out and insert the Surly hangerin the opening and reinstall the clamp bolt. The hanger is made to dangle but once you have the housing and brake cable installed, it’s the perfect upgrade to the silly brake cable donut that came on most ‘Cuda frames for the rear canti cable. Plus the additional barrel adjuster is nice to have on top of it being stainless steel, so it’ll always look nice. I ran the same hanger on my ’88 Schwinn Cimarron LE restoration… a nice clean solution!
- August 14, 2013 at 12:28 pm
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

@neo_pop_71 wrote:

it’s the perfect upgrade to the silly brake cable donut that came on most ‘Cuda frames for the rear canti cable.

Ah, I was just wondering about that “donut” yesterday – posted a pic of it in this thread where I was raising the same overall topic…

http://forums.mtbr.com/brake-time/moving-early-90s-cantilver-brakes-new-frame-barracuda-a2e-870506.html#post10604467

So on the factory setup the brake housing gets braced there and then has to make a 90-degree turn downward?

Back to the Surly hanger, it would seem it doesn’t get clamped per se, but just loops through the clamp bolt and lets the cable housing position it out in the desired direction, yes? No issues with it rattling around on the bolt?
- August 14, 2013 at 2:40 pm
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

Okay, just ordered a straddle cable, carrier, and Surly hanger from Jenson, along with some other stuff I needed. I’ll try to remember to come back and update this post w/ pics.
- August 15, 2013 at 1:13 am
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neo_pop_71
Member

@DPDISXR4Ti wrote:

@neo_pop_71 wrote:

it’s the perfect upgrade to the silly brake cable donut that came on most ‘Cuda frames for the rear canti cable.

Ah, I was just wondering about that “donut” yesterday – posted a pic of it in this thread where I was raising the same overall topic…

http://forums.mtbr.com/brake-time/moving-early-90s-cantilver-brakes-new-frame-barracuda-a2e-870506.html#post10604467

So on the factory setup the brake housing gets braced there and then has to make a 90-degree turn downward?

Back to the Surly hanger, it would seem it doesn’t get clamped per se, but just loops through the clamp bolt and lets the cable housing position it out in the desired direction, yes? No issues with it rattling around on the bolt?

The rear canti brake on these frames is the only gripe point for me! The housing doesn’t even get braced, the housing stops a few inches behind the head tube with a cable stop on the top tube, then the fully exposed brake cable runs the length of the top tube and through the donut to eventually pull the brake straddle. It’s a lame design that has always bothered me because it feels like an afterthought in the design.

As far as the Surly hanger, once your brakes are hooked up and adjusted there is so much tension on that rear brake cable that the hanger wants to stay in place. The loop on my Cimarron is snug with the seat post in place, there is really no play or slop. For what it’s worth, anyone running canti brakes on their Cuda could benefit from the use of the Surly hanger. Please do post pics, it might sell a few of these purists that there is a better solution then stock!
Ha-Ha… 😆
- August 15, 2013 at 2:17 am
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vpc66
Member

Well I know that I’am not part of that group, the only thing I like about the Cuda bike is the frame and always felt that factory setups could stand improvement with aftermarket items, and that goes with more than just bikes. But I must say there are some very nice looking period correct Cuda here, yet I hope to see what you feel the bike should look like as you do rebuild pictures….best wishes on the rebuild!
- August 15, 2013 at 1:49 pm
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neo_pop_71
Member

Oh man, I totally agree with you that there are some fabulous period correct bikes in various collections on this site… my gripe with purely a technical performance one and has nothing to do with aesthetics. The idea that running a single cable stop up front and an almost fully exposed brake cable (that’s prone to wear and rusting) to a silly little metal ring and then expecting it to perform well with a harsh bend… pretty stupid design!

Look how far around the backside of the seat tube the donut is welded on my A2L, a straight line through the opening points down to the rear derailleur! How can that be the proper angle for a center pull brake? Plus, the angle of the opening set against that interior edge of the donut acts like a razor in stressing and eventually cutting the brake cable… pretty stupid design!
- August 15, 2013 at 2:27 pm
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

@neo_pop_71 wrote:

Look how far around the backside of the seat tube the donut is welded on my A2L, a straight line through the opening points down to the rear derailleur! How can that be the proper angle for a center pull brake? Plus, the angle of the opening set against that interior edge of the donut acts like a razor in stressing and eventually cutting the brake cable… pretty stupid design!

It’s such a bad design I wasn’t sure what it was there for! And then even once I understood, I never gave it any consideration. The one thing I could have done, and considered doing, was to fabricate a spacer/adapter so that I could have used that bolt-on yoke that I used on the previous frame. But I’ve already invested too much time trying to get this thing built. At this point, “good enough” is indeed good enough.
- August 15, 2013 at 4:21 pm
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vpc66
Member

One good thing about mine being a second generation…plus the cables are switched around and V-brakes. Looking at the pictures of early frames I thought the mount look different to mine. Sometimes trying to be different is a bad thing, because that old Specialized frame I used for my singlespeed has the canti cable arch like most of the bikes from that time and the cable run on it is very clean, the canti brakes just suck compared to the V’s on the Cuda….and if I had the chance to ride a bike with disc I am sure I would feel the same about the v’s. Evolution is funny that way!
- August 16, 2013 at 2:22 am
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DPDISXR4Ti
Member

@vpc66 wrote:

the canti brakes just suck compared to the V’s on the Cuda….and if I had the chance to ride a bike with disc I am sure I would feel the same about the v’s. Evolution is funny that way!

Yep! When I realized I wasn’t going to be able to make things work with what I had in front of me I briefly considered just getting some XT V’s so that I’d have the same stuff on both of my Mtn Bikes. But I’m kinda digging the purple components against the black frame, so I decided to stick with it and get the bits I needed to make it work. I should have this as a functional bike by next week!
- August 16, 2013 at 3:14 am
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vpc66
Member

I like v brakes more than the canti brakes but Neo posting pic’s of bikes he has built got me hung up on single speed bikes and in doing so I did a old specialized mtb frame and wanted to keep it somewhat vintage style ….nice QUIET ride….My wife hate it when I am staring at his build pictures because she just know that the squirrel is spinning the rusty old wheel !
- August 16, 2013 at 7:31 am
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neo_pop_71
Member

@vpc66 wrote:

…My wife hate it when I am staring at his build pictures because she just know that the squirrel is spinning the rusty old wheel !

Is that code for makin’ the sweet lovin’ ? ? ?
- August 16, 2013 at 12:59 pm
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vpc66
Member

HAHAHAhahah….NO….. 😆