Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

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LittleGreyCat
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Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by LittleGreyCat »

At the moment I'm struggling to find replacement pads for my venerable MTB.
26" alloy wheels.

Most sites just list V-brake pads.

As far as I can tell, the current pads are around 55 mm long.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/jagwire-mounta ... brake-pads say they are "one size" but give no dimensions.
Do you cut them to size?

SJS cycles list a 54.5 mm pad.
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-block ... gth=54%2E5
However they are £26.99 a pair (presumably) and don't seem to come with nuts.
Four pads would be probably worth as much as the bike. (£54 may be a little pessimistic).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clarks-CP515-V ... 0085TAJCC/
Says cantilever and V-brake. Are the pads the same?

Final question - do the replacement blocks have to be exactly the same length?
In my spare bits box I have some 70 mm pads.
I assume these may be for 700c wheels.
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Northern_Monkey
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Joined: 7 Jul 2013, 10:22am

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by Northern_Monkey »

Maybe try tredz instead for the BBB ones?

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.BBB-BBS-18T-Ca ... _60335.htm
slowster
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Joined: 7 Jul 2017, 10:37am

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by slowster »

Presumably you currently have one piece moulded pads, instead of cartridges which accept slide in replacements.

Do you need pads/cartridges with the post type fitting, or with a threaded fitting (and convex/concave washers)? (You have provided links to both types.)

If you need the post type, then I would get these:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-block ... red-cp522/

They are much cheaper than the Kool Stop cartridges, and I think the extra length is less likely to matter for an MTB as opposed to a touring bike*.

* The longer pads are likely to extend behind the fork blades and possibly also the seat stays. That reduces the effective tyre clearance when removing the wheel, and consequently a wide tyre might need to be deflated to remove the wheel. If you have, say, 10mm clearance either side of your MTB tyres, the inflated tyres should not foul on the pads when you remove the wheel, but many touring bikes will have less than that.
Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by Jamesh »

You need to acertain which style of brake blocks you need. Canti post blocks, V brake blocks or road blocks (insert or blocks). Then you can choose a model which suit your budget. Being from Yorkshire I normally choose jagwire or Clark!

Cheers James
LittleGreyCat
Posts: 1177
Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by LittleGreyCat »

This underlines how long it is since I looked at the brake pads!
All good information, as I seem to have multiple choices.
I'll take a pad off and post a photo tomorrow.
LittleGreyCat
Posts: 1177
Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by LittleGreyCat »

slowster wrote: 25 Jul 2021, 7:22pm Presumably you currently have one piece moulded pads, instead of cartridges which accept slide in replacements.

Do you need pads/cartridges with the post type fitting, or with a threaded fitting (and convex/concave washers)? (You have provided links to both types.)
Post type - having got the bike up on the work stand.

They look like moulded pads not a replaceable pad in a frame.

Your link to SJS shows V-brake pads of unspecified length which still leaves the questions:

(1) Are cantilever and V-brake pads interchangeable?

(2) Are you expected to cut down "one size" pads to fit? Noting that those with metal backs where the brake pad slides in may not be suitable for this.
freeflow
Posts: 1637
Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by freeflow »

Disco brakes is my usual first stop

https://www.discobrakes.com/?s=0&t=2&c=53&p=271
slowster
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Joined: 7 Jul 2017, 10:37am

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by slowster »

LittleGreyCat wrote: 26 Jul 2021, 5:17pm Your link to SJS shows V-brake pads of unspecified length which still leaves the questions:

(1) Are cantilever and V-brake pads interchangeable?

(2) Are you expected to cut down "one size" pads to fit? Noting that those with metal backs where the brake pad slides in may not be suitable for this.
You are not expected to cut the pads to fit. Regarding interchangeability, I suggest you read some of the information previously posted about using the Clarks CP522 cartridges in cantilever brakes, especially Brucey's detailed posts and also gaz's posts with photographs showing clearances:

search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&keywords=CP522
tatanab
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Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by tatanab »

I note an amount of confusion here. Do you need ones with threaded post or unthreaded post? A picture of what you have, or the part number of your brake would remove all confusion.

In your first posting you show unthreaded post and comment "they don't come with nuts". So from this I surmise you want threaded ones.

Length doesn't matter greatly. if they are too long for your purpose they might fit inside the fork blades, depending on rim width. But I think this would simply confuse matters, so just go with a length similar to what you have.
LittleGreyCat
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Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by LittleGreyCat »

Possibly not clear upstream.
Posts, not threaded.
cycle tramp
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Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by cycle tramp »

Are you able to post a photo of the brake blocks that you are currently using?
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
colin54
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Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by colin54 »

I use these Koolstop Eagle 2 Canti, on both a mid '90's tourer and also an MTB with the same pattern of Shimano brake.
£19 a set of 4 plus postage (sold in pairs - £9.50)
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m7b0s104p81 ... le-2-Canti
Pictured on a '96 Saracen MTB, they are 62mm long.
P1140319.JPG
P1010670.JPG
I didn't find these particularly long lasting when I was using the tourer all the time, a set a year perhaps, but as it says on the pack they are 'rim friendly', so presumably quite soft


I see Spa also sell these Aztec ones as a cheaper option, I've never tried them myself.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m7b0s104p13 ... ver-Blocks
£9 a set plus postage (sold in pairs - £4.50).
Both these are the one piece moulded type.
Nu-Fogey
LittleGreyCat
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Joined: 7 Aug 2013, 8:31pm

Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by LittleGreyCat »

Just an update to say thanks for all the help and it is sorted.
I had some generic 70 mm brake pads in stock, and decided to offer them up.
They were curved enough that they fitted the 26" wheels fine - I thought that they might only suit 700C rims.

What I did was take nearly all the adjustment off the brake levers, but leave a bit of play.
Then I fitted the new pads touching the wheel rims so I could more or less see where they would bite, then after tightening them up I slacked off the adjusters a little bit until the wheel rotated freely.
This seemed to work.
I didn't do anything about toe in because I couldn't see quite how to adjust fore and aft.
Anyway, no squealing so far.

I started out thinking the pads were identical, but (having done the front) I offered up the first pad to the rear and it wouldn't fit as expected.
That is when I discovered that the pads are "sided" and I had accidentally got them right on the front without noticing.
Anyway, everything seems to fit and all of the block touches the rim and not the tyre.

I rode it for just over 20 miles the other day and discovered two things.

(1) New, longer brake blocks don't half make a difference to the stopping power! I think I have about 40% more brake block now.

(2) I very rarely need to use the brakes, which may explain why I have managed OK with some (in retrospect) very dire brakes. The one big stop at the bottom of a hill at a roundabout was impressive.
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gaz
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Re: Old (1995 bike) canti brake pads

Post by gaz »

slowster wrote: 25 Jul 2021, 7:22pmIf you need the post type, then I would get these:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-block ... red-cp522/
+1.
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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