The math indicates that all wide profile cantilevers have a very flat response to straddle height. In other words straddle height doesn't matter with Paul Neo-Retros. If that's the only variable you change you'll probably get frustrated because the result won't change much. If they feel great, lucky you because small changes in straddle height will leave them feeling great. If they feel lousy, bummer, because you may feel like you are "fiddling" all day and nothing is changing.
The math indicates that all narrow profile cantilevers have a very steep response to straddle height. In other words straddle height is super important with Paul Touring Cantilevers. If you change straddle height to avoid your front rack you may get frustrated because the resulting brake feel will change completely. I've got lots of set up experience with both, but neither is in my current stable. I also find that the rim/brakepad interaction is terribly underrated. Too many people think koolstop salmon solves all problems, and I've found that is not necessarily the case. Virtually nobody talks about the rim as a contributor, save as a consumable wear-item. I think some rims make poor brake rotors, and I know some rim/brakepad combos are not good. My anectdote, which is no more than an anectdote, is my 650B Atlantis. I chose to run black Cliffhangers (from Riv) because Riv runs them on alot of builds and I trust them. I blindly upgraded the stock Shimano pads in CX70 brakes to KoolStop salmon inserts and the braking sucked (for lack of a better word). They went from nothing to grabby, and the only thing that modulated was the pitch of the howl. Please take my word for it, I know how to set up brakes. I blamed in part the black anodized non-machined sidewalls of the Cliffhanger rims. Rather than buy new rims to prove my own diagnosis, I switched back to the stock Shimano pads and everything was remarkably improved. From howling to silent, from grabby to controllable modulation. Now the braking is among the best I've used. So for that machine, KoolStop salmons were the wrong choice. Your mileage may vary. Bill Lindsay El Cerrito, CA On Tuesday, July 28, 2020 at 12:16:27 PM UTC-7 John Phillips wrote: > Hi, my question is: > > * If, and only if, you are happy with your Paul Neo-Retros, what is the > height of your straddle cable / cable carrier in relation to the pivots of > your brakes?* > > I'm trying on adjust my Neo-Retro canti's to brake as well, or close to > as well, as the Paul Touring cant's I have on the back of my Hunqapillar. > I'm using Paul Canti levers with both. I've read through the info on the > Black Mountain Cycles blog, and the pdf document Mike Varley has a link to, > but I'm still not getting the braking I'm hoping for. I'd like to keep the > straddle cable at least high enough to clear the hole in my fork crown, and > the Nitto front rack mounted there, if only for safety's sake. > > I've read here that some people found Neo-Retro's frustrating, but some > people love them. So, I'm hoping your anecdotes and testimonials will point > me in the right direction, 'cause I'm puzzled. > > Thanks for your help, > John > -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/36afa200-5cc5-4060-b826-6444cf1eb1bfn%40googlegroups.com.
