by 
We all encountered this version a few years back:
I encountered this version today:
There’s just something about seeing a banana hammock when you’re buying a breakfast sandwich that just makes you want to never eat breakfast again.
Now, just so I don’t end up writing an entire post dedicated to thin pieces of material designed to suspend male genitalia precariously at the beach, here’s a little something I came across today:
These are awesome brakes. I assure you this is true. It boggles the mind how mountain biking ‘evolved’ from these guys to cantilever brakes. Cantis suck. I don’t care what you say, they suck. They’re hard to adjust, they’re even harder to adjust well enough so that the stopping power actually matters, and they are a staple of crap bikes nowadays…as a mechanic, I am bitter and angry when I have to work on them.
But cam brakes…well damn. A work of art right there. And they work…for the most part. Now if only we could design ’em so the posts are threaded…
These guys were attached to a Schwinn from back in the day when Schwinn didn’t translate into ‘Wal Mart Special,’ which aptly describes the way I feel about my ‘professional career’ right about now. I was a teacher. If you ever want to feel like a single sock in the ‘special’ bin at Wal Mart, try teaching. It makes whiskey taste better.
Hammock up, kids. And be careful out there.
by 
I challenge your statement that Cantilever brakes suck. If these ‘cam’ brakes were such a great design, they’d be on more than a few tanker 26″ers. You got MORE friction with, instead of a cable being lifted up and down, with a close to the axis levearge, you got two big chunks of steel rubbing each other, and some great big arms. Yeah, great design – I’m sure you’d have to pull like hell in the rain to get that bike to stop. I’ll agree that shitty low-end cantis are no good, but their V-brake counterparts are worse, and if we are still of such ‘flat Earth society’ ilk that we still think rim brakes are the way, nothing tops a good quality cantilever braking system for longevity of the pads, clearance for fenders, and stopping power. I got XC Pro cantis on mine, bought them NOS, expecting they’ll last 20+ years… and they’re getting hard to find… it’s all in the machining and the ease of adjustability. Get a set of Pauls or decent cantis and you’ll change your opinion. I’m sorry, bro – but you’re wrong. If cantis weren’t the best, I’d still be riding V-brakes, and that was a 7 year mistake, basically. I replace pads 1/6 as often with cantis.
…i inherited a race bike from g-fish years ago that was equipped w/ charlie cunningham’s original machined prototype version of that brake, mounted under the chainstays…
…front end had regular shimano canti’s…
…during that brake’s early development, rather than a “roller cam” it was activated by two small additional arms (in place of the cam) forming a V & pivoting from where the rollers (on this version) are on top of the brake arms…the cable ran down & was anchored in the pivot @ the bottom of the V…
…worked like a charm for years with hardly any adjustment…i think the roller cam evolved out of the original design because it was easier to get the wheel out quickly in case of a flat & the fact that the cam could be shaped for progressive rate braking…
…but for basic function, i never had a problem with the prototype…ever…
They feature that brake in Klunkers.
…i’ve heard of that movie…
…(pause)…
Oh very good, take a bow Mr Filmstar.
Said in the warmest, caring, sharing, manner possible
:)
Of course
…damn…thanks for the shout-out, hurben but one quick shot of my raggedy ass almost 40 years ago w/ long hair, huge sideburns & a definite smoky haze in my eyes does not count for shit or fame…
…i am now, sir, always have been & with good grace, always will be, just a bike guy…
…& proud & grateful to be just that…
…btw…i still have that yellow w/ red & green ‘baja california’ jersey, all these years later & it’s in great shape…
there’s something that makes whiskey taste BETTER?
didn’t think that was possible.
that’s why i come here..it’s (almost) always a learning experience.
Didn’t these and u-brakes run into the same self-energizing (locking up unexpectedly under some circumstances) problem as the Campy Delta brakes? I think there was also an issue of the pad contacts drifting off the rim onto the tire as they wore down.
roller cam… more like roller sham. boom!
They were actually pretty powerful, but suffered from a couple of problems: 1. the early versions didn’t have the groove in the rollers deep enough, so the easy ability to quick release would happen automatically. 2. They needed the posts placed in such a way that was not compatible with many other brakes. The U-brake may have been designed around that post mount location later, but was also a failure as the straddle cable was so short that you couldn’t easily remove it. As with the roller-cam, the U-brake was regularly placed under the chainstays, making them inconvenient to work on…
man. So much for distraction. I thought this thread would be all hammock, all the time. And here we have a genuine discussion about brakes.
Here’s the honest truth: I like roller cam brakes because of the novelty, and nothing else. They’re cruiser brakes, as far as I’m concerned. In fact, so are cantilevers–if you MUST put that trash on your bike. I like Avid BB7 brakes for real riding. V-brakes are decent, but Littlejar, like I said. I don’t care what you say.
CANTI BRAKES WILL FOREVER SUCK!
I love teaching… now teaching summer school sucks but the regular year is a blast.
What age? I worked with junior high kids last year and loved it. I worked with high school the year before and it was like pulling teeth. It could be the sucky administration at the HS in this district… It’s a lost 4 years from 8th grade to university… Losing one month of the year to standardized tests, and the only time the main office got involved in discipline was to call the cops… Fucking principal never came out of her office.
I tell ya…teaching is awesome if all you have to do is show up, teach the kids, grade papers, etc.
But the administrations are brutal. The bureaucracy can make a year excruciating. That’s my beef…not with the kids at all. Teaching’s a great job if you land at the right school.
canti brakes suck. I switched to linear pulls (bmx short-throw) on the Giant and never looked back.
After years of squeaks, squeals, replacing pads every few months, and adjusting the fucking things every few days, I eliminated XTR V-brakes (which I arrogantly thought were the best, and didn’t get CANTILEVER braze-ons on my bike, which is nicer than yours, I promise. In 2000 when I was discussing over the phone with Slawta on whether to put Cantilever guides on the frame, he asked, three times, if I was sure I didn’t want them. I told him I was going to run V-brakes. Now I have adapters that mount to my fork and seat post bolt, so I can run the best brakes I can get. It was a huge mistake to exclude cantilever guides on my frame.
I now run Suntour XC Pro cantilvers and get this – they are pin-less, beautifully easy to adjust, stay in tune, and I’ve got the same Kool Stop pads that I left Portland with. You call yourself a mechanic, and maybe you’re playing the role of one, but it’s not your strong suit, my friend, and you’ve proven it by valuing ‘novelty’ over good design and real functionality. Young and dumb. You should care what I think because I could TEACH YOU some things about bicycles and bicycle maintenance but you probably think you know everything already.
Saying that cantilever brakes suck is just as ignorant as someone who has only ridden big box store bikes and declares: “Bikes suck” You’ve only seen the low end and you don’t have enough knowledge to trumpet yourself as an expert. Cantilever brakes are the best, and if you can’t adjust them, you’re not a mechanic!!
They sure do suck if you run them with V-brake levers, you dumb asses! Probably most of you that have had this problem are doing just that – running the wrong type of lever.
“my bike, which is nicer than yours, I promise.”
“You call yourself a mechanic, and maybe you’re playing the role of one, but it’s not your strong suit, my friend, and you’ve proven it by valuing ‘novelty’ over good design and real functionality. Young and dumb. You should care what I think because I could TEACH YOU some things about bicycles and bicycle maintenance but you probably think you know everything already.”
“Cantilever brakes are the best, and if you can’t adjust them, you’re not a mechanic!!”
“running the wrong type of lever”
@LJ— all right, I’ll take the bait:
1) your bike is not nicer than the Trophy Bike or you’d be running Dura-Ace stoppers too. Best brakes I’ve ever used. 2) I don’t call myself a mechanic. I used to cal myself a Service Engineer when I was paid to carry a tool bag all over the country. I bike mechanic skills are adequate at best.
3) I’m almost certain that I’m older than you.
4) I can adjust canti brakes— again and again, and they still suck.
5) Not sure what a “v-brake lever” is, but it sounds like aMTB part. I run road levers on road bikes.
Keep the rubber side down, sir. Me? I’ll get fifty miles today, my TPs are 100 psi and my bottle contains delicious and nutritious Cyto-beverage. It’s almost warm enough to ride, I like to let it get up to 60 degrees F before I roll down the big-ass hill I live on.
Oops, I’m running 110 psi, not one hundred. I regret the error.
Littlejar. You’re funny. I like you. Especially when steam comes out of your ears.
I’ve been wrenching for ten years. An expert? I guess not. Knowledgeable? Yeah, I’m that. I like all things bike. Roller cams=cool because of the design. I like old bikes…and new ones.
Cantis suck because they seem to never work right. You won’t change my mind on that. I worked at a shop in Maine for several years and worked on every canti brake imaginable. Some of them worked well. Most didn’t. I would just as soon throw them in the garbage than put them on a bike.
XTR and XT v-brakes are crap. Avids are pretty good.
Discs are the way to go in my opinion. Especially mechanicals, just because, ya know, I’m ‘young and dumb’ and prefer functionality and the ability to do a frontier-fix on the trail if I have to.
My bike is pretty nice. Yours probably is, too. I promise to tone down the ego if you do.
Oh, and as far as thinking I know everything:
I make mistakes every single day (bike mistakes or otherwise). In fact, last night I had to re-lace a wheel I was building because I laced it wrong right from the start and didn’t notice until I was done lacing. These things happen.
Young? Sort of.
Dumb? Probably dumber than most. After all, I posted an image of Borat on the site.
I was waiting for LJ to mouth-shit on someone… Awesome. :)
…yep…littlejar…at his best…
…makin’ friends & encouraging others to pursue the wonderful world of bikes with insightful & encouraging commentary …
…“there is only one way to skin a cat, goddammit & i’ts my fucking way…you’re an idiot if you don’t see that !!!”…
…’almost’ easy to ignore…yep, almost…
now now…go easy on Littlejar. He does a lot to keep this site interesting. Everyone loves a good showdown…
…hey…i’m just sayin’…
holyfuck there is a lot of testosterone hanging around here these days. take a fucking chill pill – go smoke some fucking pot or something.
Dude’s, I’m going to give Francis (LJ) all the street cred he dreams of just as soon as he can light up that chevy small block. Then I might think he knows more than righty-tighty-most-the-timey.
Till then, Shit dood… cantilievers suck balls as the industry has proven, and Campy makes their own cables too.
What else did you need someone to tell you?
…what’s interesting & i’ve heard this numerous times, is the attitude by a lotta people that teachers are overpaid ” ‘cuz they get paid all year “&” they get more than 2 months off !!!”…whoa…
…’course that’s prob’ly coming from someone who foists the majority of the responsibility of actually raising the kid off on the teacher, in the first place…
…quite incredible, really…teachers act as arbitrators & guides for “how to learn” as well as being impart-ers of knowledge & information…from what i can see, the discrepancy between what they get paid & the financial security that entertainment types, athletes & whatnot receive is amazing…
…of course, those figures can be justified on an immediately measurable “at the gate” or “at the box-office” scale whereas the decidedly unglamorous vocation of teaching is measured on a much different scale…it’s something we ultimately pay for in “quality of life” imparted by those just never give a fuck…
…i would imagine that the lack of discipline in a high percentage of homes these days contributes to problems for not only teachers but also a lack willingness to learn on the part of many students…& thus the teacher gets saddled…
…i see teaching as a highly honorable vocation because of the responsibilities involved which carry through life…are there lousy teachers out there ???…of course but i also hear a enthusiastic murmur from folks that embrace those responsibilities…major fucking chapeau to you guys…
…okay…enuff said…after i tell ya how i used to walk 14 miles to school with no shoes, spring, winter & fall in the snow & hey, in canada we have snow all year ’round, i’m gonna tell you kids to get offa my damn lawn…
so I switched to a new pedal, and today’s fifty-miler went a little harder on my calves. Does this mean my foot position is too far back? It was hard to tell whether I got the new pedal/cleat in exactly the same position as the old.
RIGHT! You’ve touched on the elephant in the room, the real truth – that disc brakes are better. But not for the masses, and not even for some snobs. I just find it completely ridiculous of you to make such a blanket statement about cantilever brakes. I had a success story to counter that ignorant ‘conclusion’ that experienced mechanics are loathe to make about an entire subcategory of components. You’re completely wrong that cantis suck, you don’t know what you’re talking about, and it was some asshole like you that probably stuck it in my head 12 years ago that cantis suck, or I had a bad experience with some cheap ones as a teen – but the deepest regret is that I didn’t say “Yes, John, put CANTILEVER GUIDES on that frame, because I want to run the best I can find, and the lightest, while still in the realm of RIM JOB brakes.” And indeed, this was not done, rendering a perfect bike somehow less that perfect. Be cautious about your arrogant blanket statements – you don’t know more than a guy that built Andy Hampsted’s bike and 4500 others. (www.landsharkbicycles.com) I should have listened to him. You can listen to hacks, or be a hack, but I have my ear to what the masters say. You touched a nerve, alright, and sparked healthy debate. No steam, brudda – but counter fact and reason with fact and reason, or shut up and fix bikes.
For god’s sake, will someone please make a dick joke?
fuck that, can somebody talk about tits and beer please. then let’s go ride
canti brakes suck dick. canti tits and beer suck too.
I don’t run canti brakes— took them off the Giant and THREW THEM IN THE TRASH. I don’t like canti tits and I don’t drink canti beer, because they suck.
I don’t know. I got disc brakes. They work great. Take that bitches!
wow. LJ just called out someone on arrogant blanket statements.. -snicker-
The disconnect is part of the fun! :)
…okay, d2…you asked for it…a “dick joke”…
…“My dick is so big, when I broke my leg, they didn’t put a cast on it, they just strapped it to my dick.”…
…in the interests of full disclosure & remaining truthful, i’ve never broken my leg…
…just sayin’…
@Mikey
You don’t know what you’re talking about, I drink Canti beer, (full name Cantabury Draught), & it’s a good regional beer with a serious attitude, just like the dicks who come from that area in the South Island.
But I have a bigger problem, I read D2’s words & I rushed out & hacksawed those evil Cantilever brakes off all my bikes, then I read Francis’s words & I rushed out & glued tham back on.
But they don’t work very well so I guess it’s true, Canti brakes Suck.
And don’t get me started about about some of the women who come from that area……
…hmmm…they ‘all’ speak highly of you, hurben…
…ahmmm, in the interest’s of full disclosure, perhaps you should…oh, never mind…not a good idea…
gnome steps to the 10 meter with some round 29 heat. no splash.
francis jumps, gets dead sailor, bends a neck on the highdive, and lands in the drink like a small block. a small block with a banana hammock on.
A small block with a banana hammock And a serious moustache….
@BGW,
absolutely.
What happens in the South Island stays in the South Island.
Fucking magical place, (lotsa Lord of the Rings stuff filmed there), if you’re coming to NZ, that’s true New Zealand !
There, I said it & I’m glad.
So,yesterday I spent an hour dialing in a customer’s old Magura rim brakes.
Tricky little bitches….makes you long for the days of an old rod brake pushin’ down on the tire.
Magura rim brakes! I was wayyy into those for a while…before I started crushing rims. Pretty cool take on hydraulics, if you ask me.
In the interest of full disclosure, I wrote this post while wearing a banana hammock.
recently installed a pair of those TRP Euro X WHITE AND GOLD Magnesium big pimpin Cantis on my buddy’s cross bike. I laughed at him when he said he spent OVER $300 on them, but then thought it might be worth it after they setup in just a few minutes. Only needed a minor toe-in adjustment with the slickest adjustable posts I’ve ever seen. very cool straddle wire too. wish I could afford to put them on my old nishiki touring bike i ride trails on.
I agree with LJ and marcusgarvey – cantilever brakes are awesome. Only side pull are better, but like he said, they don’t have clearance for junk like fenders and fatties. The best touring bikes I’ve seen have cantis, as do the best cyclocross bikes, from the era that don’t have disc, which, again, LJ is right, are better. To go and flippantly declare a certain sub category of brakes to be all shit is pretty fucked up. Stick with the Borat jokes.
I gotta say… best rim brakes I ever had were some early 90s LX cantis with grey Kool Stop threadless post pads. They were one finger awesomeness. I just set them up with a nice low straddle cable, long posts, and a bit of toe.
V-brakes suck ass. I never had a set that really worked well, no matter what pads I used, no matter how much toe in, toe out, washer stack adjustments I made… whatever.
I’ve got Shimano Deore V-brakes on one of my MTBs & they are beautifuly smooth.
Also one finger awesomeness, (mind you it’s a muscular finger)
So…really what it boils down to is exactly what we could have predicted at the beginning. Everyone’s got their own opinion and no one’s really going to change their minds.
Especially me. Cantilevers suck.
More dick and fart jokes. Less serious bullshit.
a drum brake, packed with astroglide smells awesome after a 7 mile descent
mmmm…smells like Tijuana
Only if it’s wearing a banana hammock & the rider is wearing a pair of budgie smugglers…
D2 – you stubborn, arrogant fuck – I’m serious when I say you’ve touched a nerve. I may be too serious, I may have an ‘opinion’, but listen – lay off the grandiose declarations that certain bicycle things suck, unless you know from time tested and serious riding that they suck. You’re stubborn because the only reason and fact you’ve countered my allegory with has been simply a restatement of your totally wrong statement: “Cantilever brakes suck!”
You’re wrong, you’re a dipshit, you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, and you keep saying it as though saying it again and again makes you right. Fuck you, alright! When I didn’t have the mechanical ability or knowledge to appreciate them, I thought they were not as good as V brakes, but I never hauled off and declared they all suck. I’m all for the spreading of fun and jokes, but I stand against the spreading of totally ignorant declarations like what you just did – and it’s not opinion. Opinion works in colors and philosophy. Opinion is not a factor in machines. It either works better or it works less than better. You’ve totally disregarded everything I’ve said that counters your garbage declaration. This I tell you from experience: CANTILEVER BRAKES WORK BETTER THAN ANY KIND OF RIM BRAKE I CAN FIND ON THE USED OR NEW MARKET FOR MY TOURING BIKE. PERIOD. Ride your bike for 12 more years and then come back to me and tell me – “sorry, you were right. I was a dipshit.” But today, you ARE a dipshit.
They’re just brakes… I develop opinions on mechanical stuff through my personal experience working on stuff over a period of time, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the opinions of others experienced or not even if they are counter to my own. Mr Jar, you’ve got some great insights but you need to lay off attacking others and just let things lie sometimes. You’ve achieved nothing here but make yourself seem like a tool.
Dude. Can you IMAGINE arguing politics or religion with littlejar?
whoa, francis! get back in the pan, you hot grease bubble!
the way you stand up for cantilever brakes is, like, the most romantical thing that anyone has done since Booze Water Bob the homeless man threw himself on the train tracks trying to save a stray left shoe; i just worry about your health.
we’re at war, lance is still racing, big industry is taking a shit in the gulf, your shoes are made by children, but it is CAN-TEE-LEEVER brakes that sends you running to capitol hill with your hair on fire.
take the mousetrap off your dick and get some rest, brother!
I’ve always had at least one bike with at least one canti. Never gave me a moment’s concern.
“take the mousetrap off you dick…” Classic.
I come back and it’s still going! LJ, you’re a Troll getting trolled.
While your rants are entertaining, they do nothing but make you look like an arrogant, tech-minded fuck. Seattle has enough of these. :)
Other humans have had experience. Legitimate experience. You are not the end all of the bike-tech world. Cantis will survive without you defending them like they are your children.
Let it go…
Also, I prefer v-brakes to cantis on riser/ flat bars.
ride brakeless you bunch of Nancy boys, hahaha.
Been there, done that, nyhc00. It was magic on the towpath, but the slowest I have ever ridden on the street. Now the Crosscheck, the Vintage Raleigh and the Monocog each have a front brake, the fixed rear wheel being itself a brake.
Hey Little Jar, show Dick some respect, jot this down: 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2
We’ll need video proof of your ascendance through the motorhead time-space continuum to here. What I mean is, when you get your shit-box house of a car running, then I’ll think you might be ready to debate the finer points of cantilevers. Till then, STFU.
Cantilevers still suck.
Sorry, dude.
Arrogant prick I may be, but I’ve got plenty of experience, have ridden long enough, and really, who the hell cares what I think? I’m just a bunch of letters on a screen. Really, cantilever brakes (or any brakes, for that matter, or any cycling component period) are not something I hold in high enough regard in my life that I should feel as passionately about them as you do. Don’t get me wrong: I love bikes. Love working on them, love riding them, love the culture, love the importance they could and should have on society…but they’re just pieces of metal.
Perhaps that’s where the problem is: I think they’re pieces of metal and rubber. You think they’re an ideal, a theory, a belief, a metaphor for the bike community. I’m not reading that deeply into it, especially in a post that started with a picture of Borat wearing a banana hammock.
By the way: how many decades do I have to ride/work on bikes before my opinion (or broadly swathed attack) becomes valid? Just curious. Guess I’ll have to start riding more.
Oh, and my dick’s bigger than yours. And I can pee further. And my wife’s hotter than yours. And my dad can beat up your dad.
man, I’m thinking I shoulda craiglisted those canti brakes instead of THROWING THEM IN THE TRASH. Mr. Barnum had a catchy phrase that applies… :)
All this over brakes that look like a guy with a handlebar mustache?
It’s the highly disrespectful manner you have toward everyone that rides and likes cantilever brakes, towards the parts themselves and their value and the very idea of re-using thing – 66 mentions this and I’m calling you on it too- only scumbags throw functioning bicycle parts in the TRASH. 30 people might be offended and say nothing, and I have a ready willingness to say something. It might not bother you that you’ve angered me (not at first, but by your childish responses) and it might entertain you, but I’m not writing all this for you alone, I want to dispel your asshole-ism with some reason and duty-of-care.
Maybe my group of letters representing me doesn’t fit in with the prevalent mentality of other groups of letters – but I landed here and was invited to share my beliefs and observations with the readership of this web site. I’m not on a mission to change your beliefs, I just find your shit to be antagonistic and totally arrogant, and maybe at a party that can be diffused with (example: #66 – nonsense that’s meant to be funny) What pisses me off is A: the number of times you’ve simply repeated your idiotic statement that cantilever brakes suck, and B: your inability/unwillingness to go toe to toe on the issue and explain your reasoning. I’ve explained mine, yet you ask again – I told a story of how I had a custom Landshark designed as a 700c mountain bike, basically, for touring. This was in 2000. Some uninformed and prejudiced people had somehow planted the idea in me that cantis were bad, and I had the bike designed as v-brakes only. (meaning: cantilever guides are not on the seat stays) So, after 8 years of riding this bike with fucking v-brakes, I finally went to Cantis. First, with regular dia compe visible spring brakes, simple golden age mountain bike stuff, and then with NOS Suntour XC Pro, that have an internal press fit design that rocks. There are other good designs out there of canti brakes, that you haven’t seen – and you’ve got blockers on because you’ve made a blanket statement out of pure ignorance. BTW – whoever said that I made a similar statement – please go back through my posts and find it. I’d like to know where I said something similar to what D2 has said. I step on your declaration because not only are you full of shit, but you are spreading ideas, and don’t discount or underestimate the influence you could have on people, because someone might make a mistake, big or small, based on what you have said as a ‘mechanic’ and an ‘author’ – just watch that shit, is all I’m saying.
I’ve got cantis on, I think, two bikes. I’m not counting the many with V-brakes. They work, whatever. Ya’ll can get fired up and shit, but just try to remember we’re all on the same team.
D2 – You can see them as pieces of metal/rubber or see them as empowering tools, see them however – but if you don’t see how they really work, you’ll never achieve your best and you’ll be blinded by your assumptions and arbitrary prejudices. Your attitude is the opposite of open minded. And Gnome – you’re not helping me with telling me the firing order. That’s fucking obvious, dude. Tell me how my 1972 Chevy ignition switch is supposed to be wired if you can, smart ass. That’s what’s wrong, because everything else is put together right. I had to stop working all together because of such severe repetitive stress pain in my right arm, and for some reason I’m aggravating it right now by typing. There’s no way anyone can help me cause I need to find a doctor AND a Chevy redneck, now.
While we’re at it, other things that suck:
–Gore cables. I know there’s a lot of Gore-ons out there who love those things, but really…so much money for cables? Please.
–Specialized full-suspension designs. Apparently it’s not important anymore to be able to adjust a front derailleur properly.
–Keystone Light. Really? We had to go even lighter?
–Splinters. Especially when they get under the fingernail. Even worse: splinters from brake or shift cables.
How about some things that are awesome?
–Blueberry pancakes. Just had some. Killer.
–Paul brake levers. Awesome feel. Worth the money.
–Lactic acid build-up. Man. That shit hurts. But it means a good ride was just had.
–Fat Tire Ale. Good way to end a good ride.
–“Empire Falls” by Richard Russo. Read it. Great story about a small town in Maine.
And it’s not only me that thinks cantilevers are the best for that type of brake boss – there’s a guy in Portland, forget his name, who works in a shop down there, who can ride controlled wheelies all the way across the Hawthorne Bridge, and ride technicals up and down the statues in the park. He swears by cantilever brakes, too. And after seeing his riding ability, on his Ritchey mountain bike with cantilevers, I was secure in my belief at that point that I’d made the right switch.
I agree – coating cables is a stupid idea – they rub around inside a steel coil. Also not a fan of most full suspension out there. So, we agree on somethings. Yeah, Keystone sucks so bad… I’ve never even tried it.
Look at that, D2 & LJ, sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G.
Cute.
Canti’s suck balls.
balls are gay.
how can balls be gay?
“(example: #66 – nonsense that’s meant to be funny) What pisses me off is A: the number of times you’ve simply repeated your idiotic statement that cantilever brakes suck, and B: your inability/unwillingness to go toe to toe on the issue and explain your reasoning.”
LJ— dude, you make this WAY too easy. When I built “The Mongrel,” it had canti brakes, which I threw away and replaced with “better” canti brakes. That bike always had sketchy braking; I crashed once because I couldn’t get the machine locked down for a tight corner. Bogus. Conclusion: canti brakes suck. Then when I built the Giant, it came with canti brakes, which I removed and threw away. I replaced them with cheap-ass BMX linear pulls and the bike stops nicely. Conclusion: canti brakes suck.
My mountain bike runs hydraulic discs. They are more progressive and more powerful than rim brakes. Canti brakes suck by comparison. My cyclocross bike runs cable-actuated discs, which are not all that powerful, but they work great in the rain (I live in Seattle) and they are simple and reliable. Canti brakes suck by comparison. My road bike runs D-A brakes, which are precise, progressive and powerful. Canti brakes suck by comparison.
I don’t run canti brakes because, in my years of experience, thousands of miles, and five crystal-clear examples given above (yet again), they suck.
Now that the UCI has legalized disc brakes, the last bastion of canti brakes— cyclocross— will enjoy a mass exodus to discs. Why? Because canti brakes suck.
I don’t know how this could be any clearer.
By the way, I’m going riding in the wet today, I’ll have close to 200 miles this week, schweet. Keep the rubber side down, sir.
I may have to agree with Mr. D2 about Specialized fullies. I love the four-bar design but the seatpost allows for like 1″ of saddle height adjustment… lame. And yeah, I can never keep the stupid front de adjusted— right now, it doesn’t get the big ring. (I think it’s the shifter that’s fucked up, though.)
I respectfully disagree with Mr. D2 on Flat [sic] Tire Ale. Yuck, that stuff is gross.
“…but just try to remember we’re all on the same team.”
Yea. Really. This post makes me want to ride my car more often.
Mikey. You’re breakin’ my heart. Fat Tire is gross? Oh man…
Okay, before I turn the tides of this thread, I must ask first what you drink instead of Fat Tire. Perhaps we can come to an agreement on fine ales.
Sierra Nevada pale ale ain’t bad. Except with dinner when I’ve ordered blue cheese dressing on my salad. That’s just a nasty combination, and the first time EVER that beer tasted bad with ANYTHING. I mean the two just plain don’t go together. That doesn’t make sense. Everything-and I mean EVERYTHING-is better with a good cold glass of beer. All my assumptions about pretty much everything went straight down the shitter. Hell, I’ve been drinking for like forty years. Not nonstop of course, but you get my point. Thought I’d seen it all.
Actually it was kinda scary.
D2— I mean no disrespect (not very much, anyway) because New Belgium tries to do good things. I have never really cared for Belgian style beers, too malty or something. My favorites these days are the “American style” pale ales, and there are lots of good ones, widely distributed: Sierra Nevada, Mirror Pond, Drifter, etc. I mentioned previously that I fell totally head-over-heels in love with Lagunitas Pale Ale when I was riding in Marin a couple weeks back (shout out to bgw) but the only Lagunitas brew I can find distributed up here in Seattle is their IPA, which is a fine product, but not quite as chock full of pure deliciousness as the Pale Ale. I went to the grocery store this morning and I purchased some Red Hook Copper and some Sessions Black, both excellent regional products (Seattle and Hood River OR, respectively). Also bought a case of the Columbia Crest 2007 Grand Estates merlot, which I will cellar for a year or two and expect will just plain damned delicious. And finally, once summer gets here, we’ll be brewing some iced tea cocktails (black tea-infused Stoli vodka and San Pellegrino sparkling lemonade; use lots of ice and let it stand for a few minutes… it’s a dangerously strong and delicious beverage).
Out to ride, y’all keep the rubber side down.
Alright Mikey, we’re cool. I have Session Black in my fridge right now, and I dig Mirror Pond for sure. I’ll keep the Fat Tire for myself should we ever cross paths, and I’ll buy you a Mirror Pond instead…
And another thing. I’ve held my tongue, but looking outside at 57 degrees and rain AGAIN, I feel it’s wholly inappropriate for you southern AZ types to hog all the warm weather. You have more than you need, but still, oink oink oink, like little piggie,s you keep it to yourselves while I freeze my ass in tights and long-sleeve jerseys. And then you COMPLAIN about it? That just ain’t right.
Francis tried to call someone out for being disrespectful… ha.
Never had any problem adjusting my Specialized Epic… Worked at a Specialized dealer for years (and Trek, C-dale, Santa Cruz, Ellsworth, Titus…) Long travel had a few more issues, but for cross-country/trail usage, their suspension works better than anything else I’ve ridden… ’bout the most I ever had to do was run a bumper on the rear der. I haven’t gotten a new bike in a few years so I can’t speak for the new stuff, but things haven’t changed that much.
SNPA is my go to beer, but I may have to avoid it with bleu cheese. Now that Anderson Valley is available in TX though, I’m drinking less of it… Not a fan of Fat Tire. Too sweet and not enough hops. Generally not a fan of Belgian beers though.
See Francis, I did that without cussing at anyone. Other people have experience too, and aren’t wrong just because they disagree with you…
Keep the rubber side down…
Oh, and canti’s may not suck, they just aren’t very good when compared to new brakes. That better?
It was damned near 100 degrees three days straight in my (arthritic) neck-o-the-woods. I’d give my left nut and half my pecker for a couple cool rainy days. Hell, I got fenders on the Crosscheck and fixed gear is about as weather-proof as it gets.
I told Mrs Joe the other day that when winter gets here, the first time she hears me squaking about how I can’t wait for summer to get here, she’s authorized to pick up the heaviest object she can lift and hit me with it as hard as she can. She promised that she would. Is my gal a peach or what?
el jefe, you may like the stuff just fine with a nice fragrant Roquefort or perhaps a Gorgonzola. But for me it was as if the world was at war and my palate was France. Just approach with caution, m’kay?
That was last summer for us… Something like 70-80 days over 100°F… Rainy this summer so far.
I can see the conflict. I’ll stick to my Trugole (cow’s milk asiago) or the Humboldt Fog Chevre (Insert all the dope smoking jokes you want here, this cheese is the best thing EVAR…)
Trugole? Sir, it should be obvious even to the dimmest among us that you are a gentleman of culture. I shall lift my hat and raise a glass to you. Be well, my friend.
I tip a glass of bourbon to you as well.
We’ve gone from Borat and bananas in hammocks to cantis, gay balls, beer and now cheese
I hereby declare this the most fucked up post ever.
And on DC that’s saying a lot.
D2. Get up there and make your acceptance speech.
“You like me, you really like me”
Man. On my third post and I’m a record-holder. Not sure how proud I should feel about that…
@D2.
I’ve recently read that Hells Angels like drinking anti-freeze.
Just saying….
You’re a fucking idiot if you don’t like cheese! I made cheese once so I know everything about it. I made pie once, too. So……. cheesecake!
Peace, suka’s. I’m off to my first bourbon of the day…
Agreed. Epic storyline.
I love cheese.
As long as I don’t eat too much.
Then I can’t shit for a week.
Only 5 more posts to get over 100. What’s the record ?
you have to bring me one beer for every post over 100. sunday at noon. you know where.
mostly because nobody ever comments on my shit…and i like beer
Old 97. 3 more to go. C’mon people let’s rally!
fuck. 98. D2, stock up! I’ll be on Dirty Biker’s back. Mooching. Like a ferret.
Drink to this.
when someone can teach me how to run cantis so I don’t find myself regularly tweaking or otherwise settling for moderate to decent but not awesome braking power, I’ll buy them whatever they want to drink. Like them, don’t love them, sometimes they are a nagging pain in the ass. still won’t be running discs on the cx.
El Jefe—-nice call on the Humboldt fog cheese. Seriously folks, that stuff is amazing. Another fine Norther Cal/So. Oregon product is Caldera brewing (Ashland, OR) IPA. This brew is like drinking angel’s tears…and it comes in cans…so backpack friendly.
Peace out.
Oh, anyone still running Scott/Pederson self energizing cantis?
yo, d2rded, you got lucky, okay? i’ve posted balls, fagballs, hballs, kitchen balls, all types of shit, okay? dirtybiker and i have heard the DC dialtone loud and clear. straight hanging up on our asses week after week.
you come dancing ineer like tony danza on ice and straight rack a bill of comments about cantilever brakes. let’s just say it were a little bit of team work. if our boy LJ weren’t such a science fair volcano, you’d be chatting back and forth with the crickets.
i’ll give you stopping power. toe those bitches in, d2rded; shit’s about to squeak.
Touchdown!
What SnakeHawk said.
At your acceptance speech I’d expect to hear lots of gratitude expressed to the Little people.
Like Francis.
He trys so hard.
this is so gay. we might as well skype with our shirts off.
“you come dancing ineer like tony danza on ice”
Mr. Hawk— Brian Boitano would kick Tony Danza’s ass in an MMA cage, word.
like a game of wheelchair whiffle ball. hits for days. i know, player. i know.
& Cheese ? do not get me started, I curd not see any whey that America has anything to be proud about about with the fermented curd.
I still shiver when I remember a Pizza that I got given in Chicago that frankly glowed in the dark
Fuckin’ A right CHEESE! I just returned from a LOVELY 40+ mile mtn bike ride in the land of the Cheesehead. Picked up some fresh mozzarella string cheese…the place I stopped didn’t have any curds…but I usually get fresh ones every time I deign to go “behind the Cheddar Curtain.”
I rode two bikes today, and neither had cantis.
1-0-8
All right, so we can say that Non Cantis like cheesse & canti riders just suck balls.
Onza cantis were cool, cuz you could run a 700 c wheel if you had the clearance and still have brakes. Super precise adjustment, too.
gruyere
Speaking of Cheeseheads, Holland are now into the semi’s.
Whoo Hooo.
(A fellow worker is dutch guy)
“mostly because nobody ever comments on my shit…”
to DB, say better shit
…onza ???…fuck me !!!…danny sotelo is, was & always will be one of the coolest mtb guys ever…
…danny…it’s been years but if yer out there within shouting distance, motherfucker, you & brian “skinny” skinner, john “yeti” parker, johnny grafton, jeff ringle’ & that whole fucking crew were as “aces” as it gets…throw in a boehmke, a storino, a hahn, an espinoza & whether it was so-cal, vermont, colorado, utah, wherever else the action was happening, it was an honor & a privilege for bikesgonewild to come out of his nor-cal hideaway to tip one back with the bunch…
A hundred bottles of beer on the wall
A hundred bottles of beer…