| Accessories | Bicycles | Parts | Specials | Tools |
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Adjusting
Cantilever Brakes
| Accessories | Bicycles | Parts | Specials | Tools |
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Bicycle Rim brakes divide into two basic types: cantilever and caliper.Caliper brakes are self-contained mechanisms, attached to the bicycle's frame by a single bolt for each brake, front & rear. The arms reach downward from above the tire, and need to be long enough to get around the tire.
Cantilever brakes attach to the sides of a bicycle's frame/fork, separately on each side. They can only be used on bikes that are designed to use them, because they require special brazed-on fittings on the frame. These fittings are commonly called "studs" or "bosses." The brake for each wheel consists of two separate arms, each of which is individually attached to the frame or fork.
Cantilever brakes further divide into four sub-types, and I have reorganized this page into 4 separate pages, each dealing with one of the four sub-types. Click on the heading to go to the relevant page:
Direct Pull "V-Brakes ®"This is the type used on most bikes made since the mid 1990s. This is the only style of cantilever where the cable comes to the cantilever set from one side, rather than down the middle. |
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Center-pull (Traditional) CantileversThese were used on almost all mountain bikes made before the mid 1990s, and are still popular on touring and cyclocross bicycles. | 
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U-BrakesThese were fashionable for mountain bikes around 1987, typically mounted underneath the chain stays. | 
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Roller Cam BrakesThe Roller Cam cantilever brake was a predecessor of the U-brake, and had a brief vogue in the mid 1980s. | 
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| Cantilever Brake Compatibility/Interchangeability | |||
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| Cantlever Type | Frame Pivot Studs | Levers | Cable Routing |
| Direct Pull V-Brake ® | Below the Rim | Long Pull Low Tension | Cable comes in from the side. Lower housing stop is part of the cantilever |
| Traditional Center Pull | Standard Short Pull High Tension | Cable runs down the bicycle's center line. Lower rear housing stop on frame, | |
| U-Brake Cantilever | Above the Rim | ||
| Roller-Cam Cantilever | |||
Direct-pull cantilevers require special brake levers. Direct-pull brake levers pull the cable twice as far, half as hard. It is not generally safe to mix and match levers/cables between direct pull and other types for this reason.
- Conventional brake levers used with direct-pull cantilevers will usually not pull enough cable to stop in wet conditions without bottoming out against the handlebars. In dry conditions, they either won't work, or will grab too suddenly.
- Direct-pull brake levers used with any other type of brakes will feel nice and solid when you squeeze them, but you'll need to squeeze twice as hard to stop as you should, so unless you are a lightweight rider with gorilla-like paws, this combination isn't safe either.
That material has now been moved to a separate page.
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