Ref the Shimano Deore XT V brakes, I just rebuilt a 1997 Klein MTB that I've not been on since 2004. I cleaned the brake tracks, sanded the pads and was astounded at how great those brakes are (in the dry). Using shorty levers, I'm talking one finger operation per brake. A nice feature of the old XT Vs is how wide the open, easily clearing 2.2 inch wide tires.
The old XT V brakes have more stopping power than the Ultegra 6600 sidepulls I have on a couple of bikes (flex?). Having recently taken a ride on a gravel bike with TRP Spyres, I would say the old XT V brakes are only a few hairs behind, about equal with Avid BB7s (in the dry). On of my riding buddies has Shimano CX-70 canti brakes on his all-rounder and those things are pretty awesome with the stock Shimano pads. My CX has wide cantis (Kore branded, but a lot like FSAs) with Koolstop CX pads setup with low straddle (the way most CX racers run wide cantis) and they are pretty good at slowing the bike down, but not as good at stopping. Levers are Ultegra 6600 STI. If you can't run discs and need stopping power the old XT V brakes would be hard to beat (having never tried Paul or Compass centerpulls) for the money. Cheers, Bill in Roswell, GA On Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 2:40:16 PM UTC-4, Brian Campbell wrote: > > This is why I no longer use cantilever brakes. V-brakes work and have > allowed me to stop futzing. I know the purists are taught to hate V-bakes > because they don't "look" the part, or you are lacking in mechanical skills > if you don't enjoy spending time with them.....In the real world they work > better, are easier to set up, easier to maintain and easier to service > (especially on the road if need be). I recently set up a set of Shimano SLR > mid profile canti-s on a 1983 Schwinn Voyageur SP and while they work ok, I > was reminded that they are a good bit more finicky ( and the Shimano brakes > are pretty well designed and easy to set up as far a canti's go) and > require more time that V-Brakes. > > I say go with the mini-motos' (if possible) and don't look back. You will > more than likely not have think about whether or not the brakes have been > "optimized" ever again...... > > FWIW, I used a set of Shimano XT V- brakes (silver) when I built up the > Hunqapillar frame you provided me (I am keeping it BTW, figured out my fit > issue)and the brakes were set up at the time of the build and have needed > nothing since. More powerful that any canti brake I have ever used. > > On Saturday, August 27, 2016 at 2:00:24 PM UTC-4, René wrote: > >> Here is the source of my original confusion; extracted from the article >> linked by Alan: >> "*Straddle cable and yoke position* >> To get the most out of your canti brake, it's crucial to get the straddle >> cable carrier (yoke) installed in the right position based on the type of >> brakes you are running. Simply put, you want to try to achieve a 90 degree >> angle between the pivot bolt/cable anchor/straddle cable. The angle formed >> if you drew a line from the pivot bolt to the cable anchor on the arm and >> along the straddle cable should be around 90 degrees. This gives you a >> good combination of modulation and power. It's possible to alter this >> angle to get more power, giving up modulation. A rough rule of thumb is >> low-profile brakes require a low straddle cable carrier position, wide >> profile brakes require a high straddle cable carrier position. Going even >> lower on a low-profile brake will give you more power, but the modulation >> will be lower and the brake pads will need to be set closer to the rim. >> This position also will feel a little mushy at the lever. Most lower >> profile canti brakes I see have the straddle carrier set too high. This >> might feel good at the lever; solid feeling, you might say, but when you >> need to hit the brakes you won't have the power needed to stop." >> >> See the sentence that starts with "A rough rule of thumb..." >> >> So I checked my Neo-Retro yoke position; it wasn't too high, limited by >> the crown fork cable hanger, probably around 1 - 1.5" above the fender >> (recent photo: https://flic.kr/p/Huku4A). Lowered it to almost touching >> the fender, just 5 - 6mm away, and though the feeling increased slightly, >> the braking is still less powerful than the rear Touring brake. >> >> Next step is to remove the rack (hassle!) to install the Touring brakes >> and check if the MiniMoto fit or not. >> >> Stay tuned... >> >> René >> >> On Thursday, August 25, 2016, adam leibow <ad...@lightvision.net> wrote: >> >>> >>> http://blackmountaincycles.blogspot.com/2013/03/get-most-out-of-your-canit-brake.html >>> >>> On Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 4:49:20 PM UTC-7, René wrote: >>>> >>>> Hi all, >>>> >>>> I've had Paul Cantis on my Atlantis (and Hunqapillar) since I acquired >>>> them. Paul Centerpulls on the Homer after using the original Silver >>>> brakes, >>>> and now will have Compass brazed Centerpulls on the custom. I've also read >>>> everything I could find, including BQ's excellent volume on brakes to >>>> understand how to adjust these brakes properly. >>>> >>>> The question is regarding the brakes on my Atlantis. On the front it >>>> has the Paul Neo-Retro and on the rear the Paul Tourer. Per my education, >>>> the Neo-Retro needs the cable yoke to be as high as possible and the >>>> Tourer >>>> as low as possible for optimal function. >>>> >>>> When braking, the rear Tourer brake which by design should be less >>>> powerful, feels excellent, both in braking power and modulation. In fact, >>>> I >>>> can brake really well with it alone, and use it primarily to slow down >>>> prior to turns. >>>> >>>> Braking with the front Neo-Retro feels as if it has very little power >>>> and is very hard to stop the bike unless you press really hard. It doesn't >>>> feel as if it modulates, it's just that it's hard to stop the wheel. >>>> >>>> My experience before was usually the opposite, where the rear brake >>>> wasn't enough on its own, but you had to be careful with the front. >>>> >>>> I changed the pads on both brakes to see if that made a difference, but >>>> it didn't. >>>> >>>> Is there anything I'm missing? Is that just how these brakes work? I'm >>>> tempted to switch the front Neo-Retros for a set of Tourer brakes that >>>> were >>>> in the rear of my Hunqapillar, but am concerned I won't be able to get the >>>> cable yoke low enough with the front rack attachment. >>>> >>>> Any feedback would be appreciated. >>>> >>>> René >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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