[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-25 Thread Ron Mc
Putting in a plug here for Modern Bike.  Andy has Paul Components in stock 
at about 30% off across the board.  His service is excellent.  

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 1:41:43 AM UTC-6, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 Indeed. Long-reach calipers was the obvious choice, don't think I'd bother 
 though. I question the handling change at 650b on a Sam. 

 On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 3:58:05 PM UTC-8, Leslie wrote:

 Mike, I'm confused  on my 650b Bombadil, I have Motolites, and could 
 raise the pads to run 700c wheels with it, but to go from a 700c to a 650b 
 (as I did w/ my Rambouillet), you have to use long-reach calipers, not 
 canti's ??

 On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 1:37:51 PM UTC-5, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 I think it depends on your bike. Strangely, on my 700C (64cm) Sam 
 Hillborne the brake pads are at the very lowest position in the huge 
 adjustment range on the Motolites. I would love to have gone 650B on my 
 recent wheel re-builds to get a 650X42mm tire, but the strange canti stud 
 placement on the frame won't allow for this. Ask your LBS!



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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-24 Thread Mike Shaljian
I think it depends on your bike. Strangely, on my 700C (64cm) Sam Hillborne the 
brake pads are at the very lowest position in the huge adjustment range on the 
Motolites. I would love to have gone 650B on my recent wheel re-builds to get a 
650X42mm tire, but the strange canti stud placement on the frame won't allow 
for this. Ask your LBS!

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-24 Thread Mike Shaljian
Indeed. Long-reach calipers was the obvious choice, don't think I'd bother 
though. I question the handling change at 650b on a Sam. 

On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 3:58:05 PM UTC-8, Leslie wrote:

 Mike, I'm confused  on my 650b Bombadil, I have Motolites, and could 
 raise the pads to run 700c wheels with it, but to go from a 700c to a 650b 
 (as I did w/ my Rambouillet), you have to use long-reach calipers, not 
 canti's ??

 On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 1:37:51 PM UTC-5, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 I think it depends on your bike. Strangely, on my 700C (64cm) Sam 
 Hillborne the brake pads are at the very lowest position in the huge 
 adjustment range on the Motolites. I would love to have gone 650B on my 
 recent wheel re-builds to get a 650X42mm tire, but the strange canti stud 
 placement on the frame won't allow for this. Ask your LBS!



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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-24 Thread Leslie
Mike, I'm confused  on my 650b Bombadil, I have Motolites, and could 
raise the pads to run 700c wheels with it, but to go from a 700c to a 650b 
(as I did w/ my Rambouillet), you have to use long-reach calipers, not 
canti's ??

On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 1:37:51 PM UTC-5, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 I think it depends on your bike. Strangely, on my 700C (64cm) Sam 
 Hillborne the brake pads are at the very lowest position in the huge 
 adjustment range on the Motolites. I would love to have gone 650B on my 
 recent wheel re-builds to get a 650X42mm tire, but the strange canti stud 
 placement on the frame won't allow for this. Ask your LBS!

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-23 Thread Z
Thanks Ted,

Sorry for the tone.  Maybe pot brownies and internet forum physics lessons 
are things I shouldn't mix?

On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 5:04:47 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Z,

 Thanks for this exposition. I understand this approach. The downside of it 
 is that to get it right you must do some trig to keep track of the 
 variation in the tangent force magnitude. The tension in the straddle wire 
 increase the flatter it gets. Of course you never get near the theoretical 
 infinity but it does increase, and to get the right answer from your 
 approach you have to keep track of that and balance it correctly with the 
 variations of alignment with your axis tangent.

 Please consider another approach that I think is simpler, particularly if 
 you want qualitative insight.
 Keep the other half of the brake in the back of your mind. It's important 
 because it balances the side forces that are inherent in any feasible 
 straddle cable.
 In stead of decomposing the cable force into axial and tangent (or 
 perpendicular), go with up and sideways. You do this with both the straddle 
 and the arm.
 The vertical component of tension in the two halves of the straddle wire 
 must balance the tension in the brake cable. Call the brake cable tension 
 T, then the up force one each brake arm is T/2. This is true regardless of 
 what the straddle cable height is, and that fact is what gives this 
 approach its advantage.
 Now unless the straddle cable is vertical there will be a side force 
 towards the centerline of the bike. The flatter the cable the larger the 
 force.
 To get the torque about the pivot post, decompose the brake arm axis into 
 sideways and upwards components (dx and dy if you like). The net torque is 
 the sum of the up force times the sideways offset plus the side force times 
 the upwards offset. 
 The part of the torque from the up force times the sideways offset does 
 not change when you alter the straddle wire height.
 The part of the torque from the side force times the sideways offset 
 always helps and always get larger when you lower the straddle wire.
 Q.E.D.

 Furthermore, if you look at the sideways and upwards offset lengths of 
 different brakes in light of what you know about the forces induced on them 
 by the straddle cable you get an accurate intuitive sense of what is going 
 on.
 With 720s or Neo-Retros the sideways offset is sizable and the vertical 
 offset is small. Because of this these brakes are relatively insensitive to 
 changes in straddle cable height. 
 With low profile brakes like the Paul Touring model the sizes of the 
 sideways and upward offsets are about reversed. They need the sideways 
 force from the flatter straddle cable to generate significant torque, and 
 the torque you get depends quite a bit on the straddle height.

 High profile cantilevers do not need a high straddle wire to maximise 
 leverage, on the contrary raising the straddle wire always reduces the 
 leverage.
 High profile cantilevers need high straddle wires to clear the 
 tire/fender/rack. Luckily the leverage they get is relatively insensitive 
 to straddle wire height so raising the straddle to clear whatever you need 
 to clear is not a problem.

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:42:22 PM UTC-8, Z wrote:

 Ted,

 Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between 
 the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll 
 call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable. 
  If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1) 
 perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize 
 that any force parallel to The Axis will be working against the rigidity of 
 the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector 
 component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular 
 (90 degrees) to The Axis.  Of course, you want to be maximizing this force 
 vector as the brake pad is touching the rim.  

 It's true that you can apply a great deal of tension to a straight cable 
 by applying a force perpendicular to its axis.  However, the theoretical 
 infinite tension doesn't really affect braking when you consider the brake 
 pivots (and the steel frame to which they attach) resisting most of that 
 tension, which is what you would likely achieve with a high profile 
 cantilever and shallow straddle cable angle.  


 Z

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever 
 will bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and 
 say that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?


[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-23 Thread Philip Kim
I've been thinking about getting a pair as I got dirt drops. Need something 
a bit more stopping power than my campy cx cantis. Do you think they will 
fit 26x2.0 big bens?

On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 11:09:47 PM UTC-5, Mike Shaljian wrote:

 Have you considered getting Paul Motolites? I hated cantis and then 
 switched to V-brakes, but struggled to find a reliable, high-performance 
 V-brake. The Motolite is just that: powerful, reliable and of course 
 pretty. I added a brake booster to the front and they are dynamite now. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-23 Thread ted
Zach,

I thought your tone was fine. Sorry if mine was off. I didn't mean to come 
off snarky or offended or anything. 

Regards
Ted

On Monday, February 23, 2015 at 7:41:02 AM UTC-8, Zach A wrote:

 Thanks Ted,

 Sorry for the tone.  Maybe pot brownies and internet forum physics lessons 
 are things I shouldn't mix?

 On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 5:04:47 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Z,

 Thanks for this exposition. I understand this approach. The downside of 
 it is that to get it right you must do some trig to keep track of the 
 variation in the tangent force magnitude. The tension in the straddle wire 
 increase the flatter it gets. Of course you never get near the theoretical 
 infinity but it does increase, and to get the right answer from your 
 approach you have to keep track of that and balance it correctly with the 
 variations of alignment with your axis tangent.

 Please consider another approach that I think is simpler, particularly if 
 you want qualitative insight.
 Keep the other half of the brake in the back of your mind. It's important 
 because it balances the side forces that are inherent in any feasible 
 straddle cable.
 In stead of decomposing the cable force into axial and tangent (or 
 perpendicular), go with up and sideways. You do this with both the straddle 
 and the arm.
 The vertical component of tension in the two halves of the straddle wire 
 must balance the tension in the brake cable. Call the brake cable tension 
 T, then the up force one each brake arm is T/2. This is true regardless of 
 what the straddle cable height is, and that fact is what gives this 
 approach its advantage.
 Now unless the straddle cable is vertical there will be a side force 
 towards the centerline of the bike. The flatter the cable the larger the 
 force.
 To get the torque about the pivot post, decompose the brake arm axis into 
 sideways and upwards components (dx and dy if you like). The net torque is 
 the sum of the up force times the sideways offset plus the side force times 
 the upwards offset. 
 The part of the torque from the up force times the sideways offset does 
 not change when you alter the straddle wire height.
 The part of the torque from the side force times the sideways offset 
 always helps and always get larger when you lower the straddle wire.
 Q.E.D.

 Furthermore, if you look at the sideways and upwards offset lengths of 
 different brakes in light of what you know about the forces induced on them 
 by the straddle cable you get an accurate intuitive sense of what is going 
 on.
 With 720s or Neo-Retros the sideways offset is sizable and the vertical 
 offset is small. Because of this these brakes are relatively insensitive to 
 changes in straddle cable height. 
 With low profile brakes like the Paul Touring model the sizes of the 
 sideways and upward offsets are about reversed. They need the sideways 
 force from the flatter straddle cable to generate significant torque, and 
 the torque you get depends quite a bit on the straddle height.

 High profile cantilevers do not need a high straddle wire to maximise 
 leverage, on the contrary raising the straddle wire always reduces the 
 leverage.
 High profile cantilevers need high straddle wires to clear the 
 tire/fender/rack. Luckily the leverage they get is relatively insensitive 
 to straddle wire height so raising the straddle to clear whatever you need 
 to clear is not a problem.

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:42:22 PM UTC-8, Z wrote:

 Ted,

 Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between 
 the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll 
 call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable. 
  If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1) 
 perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize 
 that any force parallel to The Axis will be working against the rigidity of 
 the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector 
 component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular 
 (90 degrees) to The Axis.  Of course, you want to be maximizing this force 
 vector as the brake pad is touching the rim.  

 It's true that you can apply a great deal of tension to a straight cable 
 by applying a force perpendicular to its axis.  However, the theoretical 
 infinite tension doesn't really affect braking when you consider the brake 
 pivots (and the steel frame to which they attach) resisting most of that 
 tension, which is what you would likely achieve with a high profile 
 cantilever and shallow straddle cable angle.  


 Z

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever 
 will bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and 
 say that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you 

Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-23 Thread cyclotourist
I thought pot brownies complemented all life activities???

On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 7:41 AM, Z ztahr...@uwalumni.com wrote:

 Thanks Ted,

 Sorry for the tone.  Maybe pot brownies and internet forum physics lessons
 are things I shouldn't mix?

 On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 5:04:47 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Z,

 Thanks for this exposition. I understand this approach. The downside of
 it is that to get it right you must do some trig to keep track of the
 variation in the tangent force magnitude. The tension in the straddle wire
 increase the flatter it gets. Of course you never get near the theoretical
 infinity but it does increase, and to get the right answer from your
 approach you have to keep track of that and balance it correctly with the
 variations of alignment with your axis tangent.

 Please consider another approach that I think is simpler, particularly if
 you want qualitative insight.
 Keep the other half of the brake in the back of your mind. It's important
 because it balances the side forces that are inherent in any feasible
 straddle cable.
 In stead of decomposing the cable force into axial and tangent (or
 perpendicular), go with up and sideways. You do this with both the straddle
 and the arm.
 The vertical component of tension in the two halves of the straddle wire
 must balance the tension in the brake cable. Call the brake cable tension
 T, then the up force one each brake arm is T/2. This is true regardless of
 what the straddle cable height is, and that fact is what gives this
 approach its advantage.
 Now unless the straddle cable is vertical there will be a side force
 towards the centerline of the bike. The flatter the cable the larger the
 force.
 To get the torque about the pivot post, decompose the brake arm axis into
 sideways and upwards components (dx and dy if you like). The net torque is
 the sum of the up force times the sideways offset plus the side force times
 the upwards offset.
 The part of the torque from the up force times the sideways offset does
 not change when you alter the straddle wire height.
 The part of the torque from the side force times the sideways offset
 always helps and always get larger when you lower the straddle wire.
 Q.E.D.

 Furthermore, if you look at the sideways and upwards offset lengths of
 different brakes in light of what you know about the forces induced on them
 by the straddle cable you get an accurate intuitive sense of what is going
 on.
 With 720s or Neo-Retros the sideways offset is sizable and the vertical
 offset is small. Because of this these brakes are relatively insensitive to
 changes in straddle cable height.
 With low profile brakes like the Paul Touring model the sizes of the
 sideways and upward offsets are about reversed. They need the sideways
 force from the flatter straddle cable to generate significant torque, and
 the torque you get depends quite a bit on the straddle height.

 High profile cantilevers do not need a high straddle wire to maximise
 leverage, on the contrary raising the straddle wire always reduces the
 leverage.
 High profile cantilevers need high straddle wires to clear the
 tire/fender/rack. Luckily the leverage they get is relatively insensitive
 to straddle wire height so raising the straddle to clear whatever you need
 to clear is not a problem.

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:42:22 PM UTC-8, Z wrote:

 Ted,

 Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between
 the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll
 call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable.
 If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1)
 perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize
 that any force parallel to The Axis will be working against the rigidity of
 the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector
 component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular
 (90 degrees) to The Axis.  Of course, you want to be maximizing this force
 vector as the brake pad is touching the rim.

 It's true that you can apply a great deal of tension to a straight cable
 by applying a force perpendicular to its axis.  However, the theoretical
 infinite tension doesn't really affect braking when you consider the brake
 pivots (and the steel frame to which they attach) resisting most of that
 tension, which is what you would likely achieve with a high profile
 cantilever and shallow straddle cable angle.


 Z

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever
 will bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and
 say that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and
 if you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo 

Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread ted
Hey Michael,

Thanks for the nice clarification. I think I get what you mean now.
I would never dream of asking you to move your straddle cable. What works 
works and that's an irrefutable tautology. The explanation or rational 
about why it works, now thats where I have been know to dive badly down the 
rabbit hole and wind up in purgatory. 

regards
ted

On Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 8:22:15 AM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 Sorry for the confusion, I certainly mis wrote that and maybe even mis 
 thought it. My understanding, in a less technical way, is what Ted wrote. 
  In my simple minded way, here's how I envision it.  The longer a lever is 
 from the fulcrum the more mechanical advantage it has, but that also 
 requires moving the lever an ever greater distance across an arch in order 
 to move the other end of the lever.  When a brake lever has too much 
 mechanical advantage it can bottom out before the brake pads have moved 
 enough to stop the rim.  That's what was wrong with the Shimano integrated 
 levers and cantis I once had.  They just needed to pull too much cable to 
 create stopping power.  

 A cable 90 degrees to the end of the brake arm should in theory best 
 transmit upward energy, but since the arm pivots in an arch and the 
 straddle is in the center, that is not possible.  but it would seem to me 
 that the closer you are to that through the entire line of brake arm 
  travel the better off you will be.  The touring cantis are already at 
 about 45 degrees so setting the cable closer to 90 would require a lower 
 straddle for optimum power.

 This explains, to me at least, why my neo retros work best with a hi 
 straddle and confirms Pauls recommendation of 5+ inches.

 I'm happy to try to relearn classical physics  geometry but I ain't moven 
 my straddle cable.
 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 9:35:52 PM UTC-5, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
 bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and 
 say that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
 require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
 stopping power.

 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees 
 has always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for 
 me. With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the 
 cable long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel 
 if I really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. 
 I suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that 
 you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate 
 thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, 
 I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the 
 brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable 

[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread Brewster Fong


On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:26:03 AM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:

 I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my 
 own, that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 
 degrees, to the center of the brake pad lever *when it hits the rim*. 
 You can do this experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. 
 Lay the stick on the ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and 
 then from different acute angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from 
 acute angles, the stick slides, which is energy wasted. If you set up your 
 brakes with a too short straddle cable, you lose feel and the leverage 
 forces change as you apply the brakes. Starts out soft and weak, and 
 increases as you apply the brakes because the angle gets closer to 90 
 degrees. Over 90 degrees, and you get weak brakes. The brake arm is just a 
 lever. It works best, like all levers if you lift from the end at 90 
 degrees. The brake arm pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the 
 straddle cable side, shorter arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all 
 when it comes to straddle cable length. The only lever the straddle cable 
 acts on is the long side. The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot 
 and straddle cable angle is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years 
 plus of running cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in 
 the heyday, a shop manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes 
 now, which are much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon 
 pads. Braking is at near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using 
 brake power alone. The feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. 
 Apply, feel it start to slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I 
 don't like and it is very minor, is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road 
 V-brake levers.  There is far more clearance with panniers and I don't poke 
 my calf anymore. Everyone here loves their cantilevers. They are prettier 
 and match the aesthetic of Rivendell. I get that, but for me the 
 superiority of V-brakes has become beautiful in itself. 


Agree! I too tried cantis (Suntour xc pro) and hated them in the front. 
Tried koolstop salmon pad and no difference. My fork shudder, the brakes 
squealed and if my Campy ergo levers weren't adjusted just right, the lever 
would bottom out. 

Switched out the front Suntour xc pro canti brake for a cheapie Tektro 
926al v-brake, an under $20 brake, and voila, fantastic braking! No more 
squealing, shuddering or bottoming out!!! Made me like riding my cross bike 
again!  So, my next cross bike will be getting canti and I'm leaning 
towards Paul minimotos.  But, if money was an issue, I wouldn't hesitate to 
put on a set of cheapie tektro v-brake!  Good Luck!

 


 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:

 Deacon,

 The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 

 The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal 
 to the tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).
 Lengthening the straddle cable reduces the tension in it as well as 
 changing the angle at which it meets the brake arm. The vertical component 
 of the tension stays the same, and the horizontal component is decreased.
 The net result is less torque around the brake post for a given force on 
 the brake lever.
 For a wide profile brake like the 720, where the end of the arm is barely 
 above the pivot, the decrease in leverage is relatively small. But it is a 
 decrease, not an increase. To get an increase in leverage by lengthening 
 the straddle cable the end of the brake arm would have to be below the 
 pivot.

 Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better 
 for you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased 
 leverage.


 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and 
 that's the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who 
 want the most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the 
 rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to 
 the brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

 With abandon,
 Patrick



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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread Mike Shaljian
Have you considered getting Paul Motolites? I hated cantis and then switched to 
V-brakes, but struggled to find a reliable, high-performance V-brake. The 
Motolite is just that: powerful, reliable and of course pretty. I added a brake 
booster to the front and they are dynamite now. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread ted
Z,

Thanks for this exposition. I understand this approach. The downside of it 
is that to get it right you must do some trig to keep track of the 
variation in the tangent force magnitude. The tension in the straddle wire 
increase the flatter it gets. Of course you never get near the theoretical 
infinity but it does increase, and to get the right answer from your 
approach you have to keep track of that and balance it correctly with the 
variations of alignment with your axis tangent.

Please consider another approach that I think is simpler, particularly if 
you want qualitative insight.
Keep the other half of the brake in the back of your mind. It's important 
because it balances the side forces that are inherent in any feasible 
straddle cable.
In stead of decomposing the cable force into axial and tangent (or 
perpendicular), go with up and sideways. You do this with both the straddle 
and the arm.
The vertical component of tension in the two halves of the straddle wire 
must balance the tension in the brake cable. Call the brake cable tension 
T, then the up force one each brake arm is T/2. This is true regardless of 
what the straddle cable height is, and that fact is what gives this 
approach its advantage.
Now unless the straddle cable is vertical there will be a side force 
towards the centerline of the bike. The flatter the cable the larger the 
force.
To get the torque about the pivot post, decompose the brake arm axis into 
sideways and upwards components (dx and dy if you like). The net torque is 
the sum of the up force times the sideways offset plus the side force times 
the upwards offset. 
The part of the torque from the up force times the sideways offset does not 
change when you alter the straddle wire height.
The part of the torque from the side force times the sideways offset always 
helps and always get larger when you lower the straddle wire.
Q.E.D.

Furthermore, if you look at the sideways and upwards offset lengths of 
different brakes in light of what you know about the forces induced on them 
by the straddle cable you get an accurate intuitive sense of what is going 
on.
With 720s or Neo-Retros the sideways offset is sizable and the vertical 
offset is small. Because of this these brakes are relatively insensitive to 
changes in straddle cable height. 
With low profile brakes like the Paul Touring model the sizes of the 
sideways and upward offsets are about reversed. They need the sideways 
force from the flatter straddle cable to generate significant torque, and 
the torque you get depends quite a bit on the straddle height.

High profile cantilevers do not need a high straddle wire to maximise 
leverage, on the contrary raising the straddle wire always reduces the 
leverage.
High profile cantilevers need high straddle wires to clear the 
tire/fender/rack. Luckily the leverage they get is relatively insensitive 
to straddle wire height so raising the straddle to clear whatever you need 
to clear is not a problem.

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:42:22 PM UTC-8, Z wrote:

 Ted,

 Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between 
 the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll 
 call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable. 
  If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1) 
 perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize 
 that any force parallel to The Axis will be working against the rigidity of 
 the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector 
 component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular 
 (90 degrees) to The Axis.  Of course, you want to be maximizing this force 
 vector as the brake pad is touching the rim.  

 It's true that you can apply a great deal of tension to a straight cable 
 by applying a force perpendicular to its axis.  However, the theoretical 
 infinite tension doesn't really affect braking when you consider the brake 
 pivots (and the steel frame to which they attach) resisting most of that 
 tension, which is what you would likely achieve with a high profile 
 cantilever and shallow straddle cable angle.  


 Z

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
 bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and 
 say that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when 

Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread Michael Hechmer
Sorry for the confusion, I certainly mis wrote that and maybe even mis 
thought it. My understanding, in a less technical way, is what Ted wrote. 
 In my simple minded way, here's how I envision it.  The longer a lever is 
from the fulcrum the more mechanical advantage it has, but that also 
requires moving the lever an ever greater distance across an arch in order 
to move the other end of the lever.  When a brake lever has too much 
mechanical advantage it can bottom out before the brake pads have moved 
enough to stop the rim.  That's what was wrong with the Shimano integrated 
levers and cantis I once had.  They just needed to pull too much cable to 
create stopping power.  

A cable 90 degrees to the end of the brake arm should in theory best 
transmit upward energy, but since the arm pivots in an arch and the 
straddle is in the center, that is not possible.  but it would seem to me 
that the closer you are to that through the entire line of brake arm 
 travel the better off you will be.  The touring cantis are already at 
about 45 degrees so setting the cable closer to 90 would require a lower 
straddle for optimum power.

This explains, to me at least, why my neo retros work best with a hi 
straddle and confirms Pauls recommendation of 5+ inches.

I'm happy to try to relearn classical physics  geometry but I ain't moven 
my straddle cable.
Michael

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 9:35:52 PM UTC-5, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
 bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and say 
 that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
 require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
 stopping power.

 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees 
 has always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for 
 me. With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the 
 cable long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel 
 if I really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. 
 I suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that 
 you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate 
 thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep 
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm). 
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward 
 to 
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-21 Thread 'clayton bailey' via RBW Owners Bunch
If you like your brakes, THAT is how you should run them. Everything comes down 
to what you like in the end. After all, they are just bicycles..CRACKA TAKA 
BOOM!  Damn, just had to duck a thunderboltlol.
Clayton (Bend)

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Deacon Patrick
Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles 
and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I 
made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy 
brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and 
salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents 
(long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that 
point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free 
trails so I can try them out!

With abandon,
Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Ron Mc
my next purchase after I sell a couple of more rods (hopefully this weekend 
at TroutFest).  Only I'm using the touring on both ends to keep the width 
down

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v728/bulldog1935/Raleigh/Viner/aP2190001.jpg


On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 5:53:31 PM UTC-6, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
Deacon,

I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I 
suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you 
understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
they still steered you to something that worked for you.

The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large brake 
lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it was 
likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing 
from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
travel.


On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles 
 and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I 
 made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy 
 brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and 
 salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents 
 (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that 
 point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free 
 trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick


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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Mark Reimer
Deacon,

I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has
always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me.
With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable
long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I
really wanted.

Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud
clearance as well.

As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees as
you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim.

To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to regurgitate,
take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's.

In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome.

On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted.ke...@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large brake
 lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it was
 likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles
 and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I
 made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy
 brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and
 salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents
 (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that
 point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free
 trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Mark Reimer
Ok. I'm out of my element. Going riding [?]

On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:52 PM, ted ted.ke...@comcast.net wrote:

 Mark,

 From the BQ writeup you cite

 The angle of the straddle cable also af- fects the mechanical advantage. A
 low straddle cable means that the pads travel less for a given brake lever
 pull. Less travel means more power.
 and

 Unless the straddle cable is at a right angle to the brake arm, the
 effective length of the brake arm is shortened, which in turn reduces the
 braking power.

 The first is pretty straight forward, but the second overlooks the fact
 that, for a given brake, the tension in the cable changes when you change
 the angle. As you raise the angle towards 90 you reduce the tension which
 counteracts the increase in effective length.
 I think its much simpler to work out if you decompose the cable tension
 into vertical and horizontal components and stay away from notions like
 effective length.

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 2:25:28 PM UTC-8, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has
 always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me.
 With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable
 long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I
 really wanted.

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud
 clearance as well.

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim.

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's.

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome.

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it)
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm).
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
always the best plan

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 2:54:52 PM UTC-8, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Ok. I'm out of my element. Going riding 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:52 PM, ted ted@comcast.net javascript: 
 wrote:

 Mark,

 From the BQ writeup you cite

 The angle of the straddle cable also af- fects the mechanical advantage. 
 A low straddle cable means that the pads travel less for a given brake 
 lever pull. Less travel means more power.
 and

 Unless the straddle cable is at a right angle to the brake arm, the 
 effective length of the brake arm is shortened, which in turn reduces the 
 braking power.

 The first is pretty straight forward, but the second overlooks the fact 
 that, for a given brake, the tension in the cable changes when you change 
 the angle. As you raise the angle towards 90 you reduce the tension which 
 counteracts the increase in effective length.
 I think its much simpler to work out if you decompose the cable tension 
 into vertical and horizontal components and stay away from notions like 
 effective length. 

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 2:25:28 PM UTC-8, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees 
 has always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for 
 me. With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the 
 cable long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel 
 if I really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. 
 I suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that 
 you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate 
 thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep 
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm). 
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward 
 to 
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread 'clayton bailey' via RBW Owners Bunch
I learned this over 20 years plus of using and working on cantilever brakes. I 
set up brakes for mountain bike race teams in the late 80's and early 90's. I 
am sorry, but your armchair theory does not translate to real bikes in my 
experience. I run canti's on my Crux. The greatest feel and max leverage is at 
90 degrees. 

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 2:34 PM, ted ted.ke...@comcast.net wrote:
   

 Clayton,
Your reasoning is mostly wrong, and your stick analogy does not apply.I think 
you are forgetting that the straddle wire provides mechanical advantage. A 
small side force on  a relatively straight cable produces a large tension in 
the cable. In theory, if the cable is straight the leverage is infinite. If you 
correctly analyze any cantilever brake setup you will find that making the 
straddle wire flatter increases the net leverage. Unless of course the cable 
attachment point is at or below the pivot, but I don't think anybody makes 
brakes like that.

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:26:03 AM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:
I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my own, 
that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 degrees, 
to the center of the brake pad lever when it hits the rim. You can do this 
experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. Lay the stick on the 
ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and then from different acute 
angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from acute angles, the stick slides, 
which is energy wasted. If you set up your brakes with a too short straddle 
cable, you lose feel and the leverage forces change as you apply the brakes. 
Starts out soft and weak, and increases as you apply the brakes because the 
angle gets closer to 90 degrees. Over 90 degrees, and you get weak brakes. The 
brake arm is just a lever. It works best, like all levers if you lift from the 
end at 90 degrees. The brake arm pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the 
straddle cable side, shorter arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all 
when it comes to straddle cable length. The only lever the straddle cable acts 
on is the long side. The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot and 
straddle cable angle is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years plus of 
running cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in the heyday, a 
shop manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes now, which are 
much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon pads. Braking is at 
near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using brake power alone. The 
feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. Apply, feel it start to 
slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I don't like and it is very minor, 
is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road V-brake levers.  There is far more 
clearance with panniers and I don't poke my calf anymore. Everyone here loves 
their cantilevers. They are prettier and match the aesthetic of Rivendell. I 
get that, but for me the superiority of V-brakes has become beautiful in 
itself. 

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:
Deacon,
The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 
The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal to the 
tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).Lengthening the straddle 
cable reduces the tension in it as well as changing the angle at which it meets 
the brake arm. The vertical component of the tension stays the same, and the 
horizontal component is decreased.The net result is less torque around the 
brake post for a given force on the brake lever.For a wide profile brake like 
the 720, where the end of the arm is barely above the pivot, the decrease in 
leverage is relatively small. But it is a decrease, not an increase. To get an 
increase in leverage by lengthening the straddle cable the end of the brake arm 
would have to be below the pivot.
Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better for 
you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased leverage.

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:
Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's the 
set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the most 
power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.
Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's what it 
looked like:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ 32311885@N07/14450777149/in/ 
set-72157645649878184

With abandon,Patrick


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Tom Harrop
I'm also pro V-brake but they just don't work with 60 mm tyres and fenders. 
It's gotta be cantis for me!

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
Clayton,

Your reasoning is mostly wrong, and your stick analogy does not apply.
I think you are forgetting that the straddle wire provides mechanical 
advantage. A small side force on  a relatively straight cable produces a 
large tension in the cable. In theory, if the cable is straight the 
leverage is infinite. If you correctly analyze any cantilever brake setup 
you will find that making the straddle wire flatter increases the net 
leverage. Unless of course the cable attachment point is at or below the 
pivot, but I don't think anybody makes brakes like that.


On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:26:03 AM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:

 I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my 
 own, that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 
 degrees, to the center of the brake pad lever *when it hits the rim*. 
 You can do this experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. 
 Lay the stick on the ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and 
 then from different acute angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from 
 acute angles, the stick slides, which is energy wasted. If you set up your 
 brakes with a too short straddle cable, you lose feel and the leverage 
 forces change as you apply the brakes. Starts out soft and weak, and 
 increases as you apply the brakes because the angle gets closer to 90 
 degrees. Over 90 degrees, and you get weak brakes. The brake arm is just a 
 lever. It works best, like all levers if you lift from the end at 90 
 degrees. The brake arm pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the 
 straddle cable side, shorter arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all 
 when it comes to straddle cable length. The only lever the straddle cable 
 acts on is the long side. The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot 
 and straddle cable angle is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years 
 plus of running cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in 
 the heyday, a shop manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes 
 now, which are much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon 
 pads. Braking is at near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using 
 brake power alone. The feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. 
 Apply, feel it start to slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I 
 don't like and it is very minor, is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road 
 V-brake levers.  There is far more clearance with panniers and I don't poke 
 my calf anymore. Everyone here loves their cantilevers. They are prettier 
 and match the aesthetic of Rivendell. I get that, but for me the 
 superiority of V-brakes has become beautiful in itself. 

 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:

 Deacon,

 The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 

 The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal 
 to the tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).
 Lengthening the straddle cable reduces the tension in it as well as 
 changing the angle at which it meets the brake arm. The vertical component 
 of the tension stays the same, and the horizontal component is decreased.
 The net result is less torque around the brake post for a given force on 
 the brake lever.
 For a wide profile brake like the 720, where the end of the arm is barely 
 above the pivot, the decrease in leverage is relatively small. But it is a 
 decrease, not an increase. To get an increase in leverage by lengthening 
 the straddle cable the end of the brake arm would have to be below the 
 pivot.

 Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better 
 for you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased 
 leverage.


 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and 
 that's the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who 
 want the most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the 
 rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to 
 the brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

 With abandon,
 Patrick



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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
Mark,

From the BQ writeup you cite

The angle of the straddle cable also af- fects the mechanical advantage. A 
low straddle cable means that the pads travel less for a given brake lever 
pull. Less travel means more power.
and

Unless the straddle cable is at a right angle to the brake arm, the 
effective length of the brake arm is shortened, which in turn reduces the 
braking power.

The first is pretty straight forward, but the second overlooks the fact 
that, for a given brake, the tension in the cable changes when you change 
the angle. As you raise the angle towards 90 you reduce the tension which 
counteracts the increase in effective length.
I think its much simpler to work out if you decompose the cable tension 
into vertical and horizontal components and stay away from notions like 
effective length. 

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 2:25:28 PM UTC-8, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has 
 always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me. 
 With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable 
 long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I 
 really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees as 
 you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net javascript: 
 wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I 
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles 
 and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I 
 made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy 
 brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and 
 salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents 
 (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that 
 point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free 
 trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Mark Reimer
Oops, here's the BQ article:

http://www.bikequarterly.com/images/BQCantiSetup.pdf

On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:25 PM, Mark Reimer marknrei...@gmail.com wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has
 always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me.
 With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable
 long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I
 really wanted.

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud
 clearance as well.

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees as
 you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim.

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's.

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome.

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted.ke...@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles
 and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I
 made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy
 brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and
 salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents
 (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that
 point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free
 trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Philip Williamson
It's good for big-foot heel clearance, too. I have Tektro 720s on the front 
of my Quickbeam, and the original low-profile brakes on the rear. The rear 
CR720s hit my foot sometimes, so I switched that brake back to stock. 
I'd call the CR720s pretty (I like the look more than the Pauls), and 
adequate with a high straddle carrier and Kool Stop pads. I'd do Patrick's 
Paul setup, but I gathered from list eavesdropping that it's hard to make 
the M12 rack work with them. And I love that rack. 

Philip
www.biketinker.com

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's 
 the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the 
 most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
 brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

 With abandon,
 Patrick


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Michael Hechmer
I also appreciate how easy it is to rebuild Paul's brakes.  All the parts 
are available at a reasonable cost. Last a life time. Once you get past an 
initial learning curve they are pretty easy to adjust and hold their 
adjustment very well.

Many years ago, while commuting home I was involved in a crash which was 
largely caused by a pair of inadequate Shimano cantis (and a crazy women in 
a pick up truck.).  After that I switched to a pair of neo retros.  Soon 
after that I was staring at a car that had made a right turn directly in 
front of me.  The neo retros lifted the rear wheel off the ground but 
stopped the bike on the spot.  I've never considered any other brakes 
since.  Worth every penny.

Michael

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:53:31 PM UTC-5, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Z
Ted,

Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between 
the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll 
call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable. 
 If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1) 
perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize 
that any force parallel to the axis will be working against the rigidity of 
the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector 
component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular 
(90 degrees) to The Axis.  The iron cross analogy of infinite tension 
doesn't really work when you consider the brake pivots (and the steel frame 
to which they attach) resisting most of that tension.

Z

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
 bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and say 
 that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
 require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
 stopping power.

 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees 
 has always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for 
 me. With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the 
 cable long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel 
 if I really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. 
 I suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that 
 you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate 
 thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep 
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm). 
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward 
 to 
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
Michael,

I am confused.
Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
bottom out, or that too much will?
Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and say 
that 45 degrees gives the most power?
Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
you are how do you define them?
What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher straddle 
cable?
Could you please elaborate?

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
 require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
 stopping power.

 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has 
 always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me. 
 With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable 
 long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I 
 really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I 
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep 
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm). 
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to 
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread ted
Of course you should like what you like, and may believe whatever you like.
However as it seems you realize, good brakes are about more than just 
mechanical advantage. Though your experience has taught you that 90deg. 
gives the best brakes it does not follow that 90deg gives maximum 
mechanical advantage.

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 3:09:18 PM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:

 Oh... I forgot to mention that brake feel is more important than outright 
 power anyway. Bikes have a small contact patch. It's important to know 
 exactly when your tire is at max adhesion at maximum braking, and not past 
 it. I bow out now...bye.

 Clay


   On Friday, February 20, 2015 2:34 PM, ted ted@comcast.net 
 javascript: wrote:
  

 Clayton,

 Your reasoning is mostly wrong, and your stick analogy does not apply.
 I think you are forgetting that the straddle wire provides mechanical 
 advantage. A small side force on  a relatively straight cable produces a 
 large tension in the cable. In theory, if the cable is straight the 
 leverage is infinite. If you correctly analyze any cantilever brake setup 
 you will find that making the straddle wire flatter increases the net 
 leverage. Unless of course the cable attachment point is at or below the 
 pivot, but I don't think anybody makes brakes like that.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:26:03 AM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:

 I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my 
 own, that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 
 degrees, to the center of the brake pad lever *when it hits the rim*. 
 You can do this experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. 
 Lay the stick on the ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and 
 then from different acute angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from 
 acute angles, the stick slides, which is energy wasted. If you set up your 
 brakes with a too short straddle cable, you lose feel and the leverage 
 forces change as you apply the brakes. Starts out soft and weak, and 
 increases as you apply the brakes because the angle gets closer to 90 
 degrees. Over 90 degrees, and you get weak brakes. The brake arm is just a 
 lever. It works best, like all levers if you lift from the end at 90 
 degrees. The brake arm pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the 
 straddle cable side, shorter arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all 
 when it comes to straddle cable length. The only lever the straddle cable 
 acts on is the long side. The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot 
 and straddle cable angle is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years 
 plus of running cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in 
 the heyday, a shop manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes 
 now, which are much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon 
 pads. Braking is at near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using 
 brake power alone. The feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. 
 Apply, feel it start to slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I 
 don't like and it is very minor, is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road 
 V-brake levers.  There is far more clearance with panniers and I don't poke 
 my calf anymore. Everyone here loves their cantilevers. They are prettier 
 and match the aesthetic of Rivendell. I get that, but for me the 
 superiority of V-brakes has become beautiful in itself. 

 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:

 Deacon,

 The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 

 The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal 
 to the tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).
 Lengthening the straddle cable reduces the tension in it as well as 
 changing the angle at which it meets the brake arm. The vertical component 
 of the tension stays the same, and the horizontal component is decreased.
 The net result is less torque around the brake post for a given force on 
 the brake lever.
 For a wide profile brake like the 720, where the end of the arm is barely 
 above the pivot, the decrease in leverage is relatively small. But it is a 
 decrease, not an increase. To get an increase in leverage by lengthening 
 the straddle cable the end of the brake arm would have to be below the 
 pivot.

 Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better 
 for you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased 
 leverage.


 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's 
 the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the 
 most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
 brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:
 

[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Mark Reimer
Paul brakes are the best! I race cross with a pair of neo retro's. Can't 
imagine ever needing more brake. I can easily lock up the wheels if I wanted 
too. Nice and smooth modular braking. I tried using trp cx8.4's and hated them 
compared to the Paul's. I'd love a pair of touring brakes on my Atlantis 
someday. Only brakes you'll ever need. 

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Z
Ted,

Envision one half of a cantilever brake setup.  There is an axis between 
the points where the straddle cable attaches and the brake pivots.  We'll 
call this The Axis.  Now envision a force vector along the straddle cable. 
 If you conceptually break down that vector into components which are 1) 
perpendicular to The Axis and 2) parallel to The Axis, you will realize 
that any force parallel to The Axis will be working against the rigidity of 
the cantilever brake mount.  So, you really want to maximize former vector 
component... that is, by applying the straddle cable's force perpendicular 
(90 degrees) to The Axis.  Of course, you want to be maximizing this force 
vector as the brake pad is touching the rim.  

It's true that you can apply a great deal of tension to a straight cable by 
applying a force perpendicular to its axis.  However, the theoretical 
infinite tension doesn't really affect braking when you consider the brake 
pivots (and the steel frame to which they attach) resisting most of that 
tension, which is what you would likely achieve with a high profile 
cantilever and shallow straddle cable angle.  


Z

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 7:35:52 PM UTC-7, ted wrote:

 Michael,

 I am confused.
 Are you saying that not enough mechanical advantage causes the lever will 
 bottom out, or that too much will?
 Do you agree with Mark that 90 deg. gives the best stopping power, and say 
 that 45 degrees gives the most power?
 Are you distinguishing between pure power and stopping power, and if 
 you are how do you define them?
 What exactly is the hence that makes neo retros require a higher 
 straddle cable?
 Could you please elaborate?

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:40:16 PM UTC-8, Michael Hechmer wrote:

 I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
 bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
 when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
 require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
 stopping power.

 Michael

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees 
 has always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for 
 me. With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the 
 cable long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel 
 if I really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees 
 as you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. 
 I suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that 
 you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate 
 thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the 
 angles and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) 
 before I made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went 
 from slushy brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm) and salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep 
 descents (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake 
 arm). 
 But that point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward 
 to 
 snow-free trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread 'clayton bailey' via RBW Owners Bunch
Oh... I forgot to mention that brake feel is more important than outright power 
anyway. Bikes have a small contact patch. It's important to know exactly when 
your tire is at max adhesion at maximum braking, and not past it. I bow out 
now...bye.
Clay 

 On Friday, February 20, 2015 2:34 PM, ted ted.ke...@comcast.net wrote:
   

 Clayton,
Your reasoning is mostly wrong, and your stick analogy does not apply.I think 
you are forgetting that the straddle wire provides mechanical advantage. A 
small side force on  a relatively straight cable produces a large tension in 
the cable. In theory, if the cable is straight the leverage is infinite. If you 
correctly analyze any cantilever brake setup you will find that making the 
straddle wire flatter increases the net leverage. Unless of course the cable 
attachment point is at or below the pivot, but I don't think anybody makes 
brakes like that.

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 10:26:03 AM UTC-8, Clayton wrote:
I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my own, 
that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 degrees, 
to the center of the brake pad lever when it hits the rim. You can do this 
experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. Lay the stick on the 
ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and then from different acute 
angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from acute angles, the stick slides, 
which is energy wasted. If you set up your brakes with a too short straddle 
cable, you lose feel and the leverage forces change as you apply the brakes. 
Starts out soft and weak, and increases as you apply the brakes because the 
angle gets closer to 90 degrees. Over 90 degrees, and you get weak brakes. The 
brake arm is just a lever. It works best, like all levers if you lift from the 
end at 90 degrees. The brake arm pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the 
straddle cable side, shorter arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all 
when it comes to straddle cable length. The only lever the straddle cable acts 
on is the long side. The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot and 
straddle cable angle is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years plus of 
running cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in the heyday, a 
shop manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes now, which are 
much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon pads. Braking is at 
near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using brake power alone. The 
feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. Apply, feel it start to 
slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I don't like and it is very minor, 
is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road V-brake levers.  There is far more 
clearance with panniers and I don't poke my calf anymore. Everyone here loves 
their cantilevers. They are prettier and match the aesthetic of Rivendell. I 
get that, but for me the superiority of V-brakes has become beautiful in 
itself. 

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:
Deacon,
The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 
The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal to the 
tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).Lengthening the straddle 
cable reduces the tension in it as well as changing the angle at which it meets 
the brake arm. The vertical component of the tension stays the same, and the 
horizontal component is decreased.The net result is less torque around the 
brake post for a given force on the brake lever.For a wide profile brake like 
the 720, where the end of the arm is barely above the pivot, the decrease in 
leverage is relatively small. But it is a decrease, not an increase. To get an 
increase in leverage by lengthening the straddle cable the end of the brake arm 
would have to be below the pivot.
Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better for 
you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased leverage.

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:
Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's the 
set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the most 
power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.
Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's what it 
looked like:https://www.flickr.com/photos/ 32311885@N07/14450777149/in/ 
set-72157645649878184

With abandon,Patrick


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread 'Clayton' via RBW Owners Bunch
I have to jump in here.. I have always been taught and discovered on my 
own, that the straddle cable should be as close to perpendicular, or at 90 
degrees, to the center of the brake pad lever *when it hits the rim*. You 
can do this experiment on your own. Get a stick. Tie a string to it. Lay 
the stick on the ground and lift the string. Lift perpendicularly and then 
from different acute angles, inline with the stick. If you lift from acute 
angles, the stick slides, which is energy wasted. If you set up your brakes 
with a too short straddle cable, you lose feel and the leverage forces 
change as you apply the brakes. Starts out soft and weak, and increases as 
you apply the brakes because the angle gets closer to 90 degrees. Over 90 
degrees, and you get weak brakes. The brake arm is just a lever. It works 
best, like all levers if you lift from the end at 90 degrees. The brake arm 
pivot placement is basic too. Long arm on the straddle cable side, shorter 
arm on the rim side. It does not matter at all when it comes to straddle 
cable length. The only lever the straddle cable acts on is the long side. 
The distance between the pivot and rim, and pivot and straddle cable angle 
is fixed and you can't change it. After 20 years plus of running 
cantilevers and being a mechanic for YETI cycles back in the heyday, a shop 
manager and mechanic, I finally gave up.  I run V-brakes now, which are 
much more powerful, especially with long Cool Stop salmon pads. Braking is 
at near disc power. I can easily do a nose wheelie, using brake power 
alone. The feel is so good, I can anti-lock brake the front. Apply, feel it 
start to slide, let loose and rebrake. The only thing I don't like and it 
is very minor, is the hood shape on the Cane Creek Road V-brake levers. 
 There is far more clearance with panniers and I don't poke my calf 
anymore. Everyone here loves their cantilevers. They are prettier and match 
the aesthetic of Rivendell. I get that, but for me the superiority of 
V-brakes has become beautiful in itself. 

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:33:03 PM UTC-8, ted wrote:

 Deacon,

 The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 

 The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal 
 to the tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).
 Lengthening the straddle cable reduces the tension in it as well as 
 changing the angle at which it meets the brake arm. The vertical component 
 of the tension stays the same, and the horizontal component is decreased.
 The net result is less torque around the brake post for a given force on 
 the brake lever.
 For a wide profile brake like the 720, where the end of the arm is barely 
 above the pivot, the decrease in leverage is relatively small. But it is a 
 decrease, not an increase. To get an increase in leverage by lengthening 
 the straddle cable the end of the brake arm would have to be below the 
 pivot.

 Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better 
 for you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased 
 leverage.


 On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and 
 that's the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who 
 want the most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the 
 rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to 
 the brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

 With abandon,
 Patrick



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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Justin August
Clayton-
I too, have a love for non-canti's. Paul's MiniMotos make my heart sing. 

However I was set to go with Tektros (even after a bad experience with them 
years ago) and this thread made me rethink. I searched locally and found a 
cross racer moving to Vs on his CX bike and he offloaded his Neo/Touring setup 
to me at a price that was far more than fair. So now my resurrected SimpleOne 
will be sporting Neos up front and Touring in the rear. 

I personally feel that unless you are racing there's no reason not to go with 
Paul brakes. I've (almost) never heard a critique about their primary function 
(braking) in any of their multiple forms. Plus there's a wide variety to fit 
nearly any frame (including disc coming soon!). 

I'm not into being devoted to brands but when the pattern of quality is there...

Thanks Deacon for this thread and spurring me to look for Paul's on the cheap!

-J

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Deacon Patrick
Great find, Justin!

With abandon,
Patrick

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Re: [RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-20 Thread Michael Hechmer
I too agree. Mechanical advantage is important to avoid having the lever 
bottom out before the brake fully engages, but pure power will be maximized 
when the straddle cable is 45 degrees to the arm.  Hence the neo retros 
require a higher straddle cable than the touring cantis to maximize 
stopping power.

Michael

On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 5:25:28 PM UTC-5, Mark Reimer wrote:

 Deacon,

 I agree with you on this. Getting the straddle as close to 90 degrees has 
 always been the position which yielded the greatest stopping power for me. 
 With my neo-retro's (Aka the 'weaker' of the paul canti's) I have the cable 
 long and up high, and I have enough power to lift up the back wheel if I 
 really wanted. 

 Lower straddle usually results in less power, and obviously less mud 
 clearance as well. 

 As I understand it, the idea is to get the cable as close to 90 degrees as 
 you can WHEN the brakes are in contact with the rim. 

 To read a much more exhaustive explanation than I'm willing to 
 regurgitate, take a look at BQ's great write-up on setting up canti's. 

 In the end, I'm sure we can all agree that Paul canti's are awesome. 

 On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 4:18 PM, ted ted@comcast.net javascript: 
 wrote:

 Deacon,

 I am glad that you were able get your brakes to work the way you want. I 
 suspect you were told the opposite of what I am telling you, and that you 
 understood what they were saying. Sadly they told you wrong. But happily 
 they still steered you to something that worked for you.

 The phrase slushy brakes suggests to me low effort producing large 
 brake lever travel with little braking effect. If that's what you had it 
 was likely due to elasticity in the brake system, which is a separate thing 
 from leverage. If you experience that sort of thing, look for what moves 
 when you squeeze the lever hard after the pads hit the rim. For example, I 
 found the steel front cable hangers flex a lot. Replacing mine with the 
 aluminum ones improved the feel of my brakes significantly. Cables that 
 change shape as the brakes are applied can be another source of excess 
 travel.


 On Friday, February 20, 2015 at 4:21:44 AM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Ted, et al engineer types: I happily bow to your knowledge on the angles 
 and leverage, though I was told the opposite (as I understood it) before I 
 made the change. Interestingly, either way, the experience went from slushy 
 brakes (short saddle cable,  90˚ intersection with the brake arm) and 
 salmon pads, to passable strength except in single track steep descents 
 (long saddle cable, close to 90˚ intersection with the brake arm). But that 
 point is mute now, as the Paul's are wonderful! I look forward to snow-free 
 trails so I can try them out!

 With abandon,
 Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Dave Johnston
The old Tektro pad material was truly horrible, I'm not sure if they have 
improved it in the last few years, as even though I still buy Tektros I 
replace the pads before they even go on a bike. 

I have Paul Neo-Retros (kool stop blk pads) on the Heron and CR720's with 
Salmon pads on the rSogn and think both work great. Can't tell much 
difference. The fork and stays on the rSogn seem beefier though, so that 
may help reduce flex during breaking.

-Dave

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:53:31 PM UTC-5, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Tom Harrop
I also didn't really like the CR720s. Tried them on two bikes, always Kool 
Stop salmon pads, and in the end I switched to Shimano CX70s, which are 
much more flexible (in theory you could set them up with more or less MA 
than the Tektros) and have a lot less slop on the posts than the CR720s. 
It's a shame 'cos I like the way the Tektros look.

From my understanding Ted is correct about the difference in leverage—and 
sometimes decreasing leverage is what you want. When I first set up the 
CX70s I had too much MA (lever bottoming out against bar) so I raised the 
straddle until it was right.

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Deacon Patrick
Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's 
the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the 
most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.

Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
what it looked like:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

With abandon,
Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Kieran J
Hey Deac, any brake judder on the Neo front? 

KJ

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:53:31 PM UTC-5, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Justin August
Well this answers my question about if I should go cheap to rebuild the 
SimpleOne...

-J

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 3:53:31 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Deacon Patrick
No brake judder in the initial wee test, and there would have been with the 
Tektros on that same test. I'm stunned with the difference.

With abandon,
Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Kellie
Curious why you went with the retro up front and the touring in the back? I 
switched to Paul center pulls from side pull. I had the same experience; 
they
are wonderful! What are the pedals you have there in the photo?

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 3:53:31 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Thanks to Peter for the new to me brakes, I just replaced the Tektro 
 (720?) brakes (whatever was stock) on the Quickbeam with Paul Touring canti 
 in the rear and Neo-Retro front. I still have a bit of adjusting to do with 
 saddle cable length on the front, but Wow! What a difference! Absolutely 
 amazing difference on my very short test ride (though I did a very steep 
 section and they handled the down hill beautifully!). Smoother, steadier, 
 more solid. The install a feeling of confidence. I like that in a brake. 
 Grin.

 With abandon,
 Patrick

 *www.MindYourHeadCoop.org http://www.MindYourHeadCoop.org*
 *www.OurHolyConception.org http://www.OurHolyConception.org*
  


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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread Deacon Patrick
Kellie, the pedals are VO pedals. I've returned them for a refund due to 
bearing issues with two attempts. They worked fine for a few rides, then 
began clacking. Not build for single speed hill climbing on Pikes Peak, I 
guess. Sardonic grin. VO was great to work with in getting a second pair 
and then a refund.

With abandon,
Patrick

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[RBW] Re: Paul Brakes -- Wow!

2015-02-19 Thread ted
Deacon,

The thing is, that definitely does not increase the leverage. 

The the vertical component of the tension in the straddle cable is equal to 
the tension in the brake cable (well half on each side).
Lengthening the straddle cable reduces the tension in it as well as 
changing the angle at which it meets the brake arm. The vertical component 
of the tension stays the same, and the horizontal component is decreased.
The net result is less torque around the brake post for a given force on 
the brake lever.
For a wide profile brake like the 720, where the end of the arm is barely 
above the pivot, the decrease in leverage is relatively small. But it is a 
decrease, not an increase. To get an increase in leverage by lengthening 
the straddle cable the end of the brake arm would have to be below the 
pivot.

Again I'm not claiming that the longer straddle cable didn't work better 
for you, just that the cause of the better can't have been increased 
leverage.


On Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 6:56:40 PM UTC-8, Deacon Patrick wrote:

 Kellie, I went with touring in the back because I got them used and that's 
 the set up that was available. It's a set up common to folks who want the 
 most power for the front brake, and clearance for panniers in the rear.

 Ted, lengthening the saddle cable make the angle of the brake cable to the 
 brake arm closer to 90˚, and that definitely increased leverage. Here's 
 what it looked like:

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/32311885@N07/14450777149/in/set-72157645649878184

 With abandon,
 Patrick


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