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Why don’t road bikes use cantilever brakes?

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  • October 26, 2014 at 1:53 pm #22639
    darrenleroy

    I’m sure I’m missing something obvious but if XC bikes work fine with cantilever brakes (fine being relative) why aren’t they fitted as standard to road bikes as they look lighter and less fiddly than the standard road bike brake.

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Viewing 9 replies - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • October 29, 2014 at 4:59 pm #819041
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    fenix

    My cantis are OK but nowhere
    My cantis are OK but nowhere near as good as my DA calipers. The advantage of them on a cross bike is the massive clearance. I can live with it because of that.

    October 28, 2014 at 9:29 pm #819039
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    Matt eaton

    My cantis seem OK to me and
    My cantis seem OK to me and actualy I think they offer a lot of flexibility in their set up. Perhaps because the set-up is less obvious it’s considered ‘fiddly’ but it’s not that bad is it? I’ve even considered changing the direct pull canti on my BMX cruiser for a canti as I think they feel better.

    Still, I wouldn’t want them on a roadie, yuk!

    October 28, 2014 at 8:15 pm #819037
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    crikey

    And yet some canti brakes are
    And yet some canti brakes are really good. They do tend to repay careful set up, but are easily good enough for races like the 3 Peaks.

    Avid Shorty 6 are a very good example.

    October 28, 2014 at 8:09 pm #819035
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    surly_by_name

    Because cantis are terrible
    Because cantis are terrible at doing what brakes are supposed to, ie stopping you. Marginally better than putting the soles of your shoes on the ground.

    The only bikes that use cantis do so because they have to by virtue of tyre/mud clearance. Its no surprise that as soon as an alternative comes along, those bikes stop using them. I have fond memories of riding mountain a bike with cantis. This is odd because when I recently rode a cross bike with cantis on it I was reminded just why we were all so blown away by V brakes and why disc brakes have become ubiquitous in mountain biking.

    October 28, 2014 at 4:15 pm #819033
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    Gordy748

    In the good old days,
    In the good old days, cantilevers were more fiddly AND more powerful than sidepull brakes. Then somebody called Shimano introduced a dual pivot sidepull and the power issue went out the window.

    Cantis have some advantages that keep them on touring and CX bikes. They don’t clog up with mud, they can easily be used with large tires, and they work well with road brake levers.

    Interestingly, they’re making a bit of a comeback on TT bikes. The Kestrel 4000 and Specialized Shiv both have canti-style brakes, though this is more for aerodynamics.

    October 28, 2014 at 3:55 pm #819031
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    Chuck

    I suppose they might be
    I suppose they might be lighter but IME they’re far more fiddly than calipers. When I retired my canti-equipped Galaxy I was glad to see the back of them! So given that calipers have more than enough stopping power there’s no real reason for them, assuming you don’t need to worry about mud clogging everything up of course. I think the issues with V-brakes and drop-bar levers is the only reason they still exist at all.

    October 28, 2014 at 11:17 am #819029
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    unclebadger

    Some do, namely tourers
    Some do, namely tourers although these days they seem to have switched over to disks.

    October 27, 2014 at 12:15 pm #819027
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    edster99

    Theres a few reasons I can
    Theres a few reasons I can think of :

    They are more fiddly to set up (I’d say).
    They can be more tricky to fit around mudguards and racks etc.
    They poke out and are more likely to be / cause damage.

    On the other hand, they used to be very common on touring bikes, and they have the issue of racks, guards etc. I think they were used because they were better at stopping all that weight, too.

    More than anything, I think the momentum is with standard caliper brakes.

    October 27, 2014 at 10:47 am #819025
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    rogermerriman

    CX bikes yes?
    Dual pivots are
    CX bikes yes?

    Dual pivots are in my experience, far easier to set up and with a better power, cant’s don’t clog with mud that easily, but beyond that.

    I’ve used U brakes normal canti’s direct pull (V brakes) etc, and normal road brakes ie (dual pivots) are about as good as a rim brake can be.

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