Ok, I finally signed off on the new Dean's geometry. Short little ole me can't find a cx bike that fits, so I went custom. An Alan would have worked, but for the same price, I could get a custom ti. Ok, I finally signed off on the new Dean's geometry. Short little ole me can't find a cx bike that fits, so I went custom. An Alan would have worked, but for the same price, I could get a custom ti. I love my ti. :)

In brakes, I am looking for something with a bit more stopping power than my 3 year old Radius brakes, which truely are the worst brakes I've ever used. I want the set up to be easy and prefer the v brake style pads, so that this mechincally challeged chick can change the pads herself. I'm leaning towards the Avid Shorty 6's. I don't think I want any of the long pull brakes like Spooky because I want greater stopping power. There is a good chance this bike will also get ridden on the road in the mountains and on some group rides, so I'd like to keep good breaking power. Opinions guys?

I am also looking for top mount brake levers to replace the horrid Radius levers that I've been using (So sue me. They were cheap.) I want something that will offer smooth braking and maybe a shorter reach for small hands and fingers. Any opions on the Salsa levers? Any other recommendations?

I'd prefer to keep the prices reasonable but haven't really seen any cx brakes that would break the bank.

Pauls. Either the Neo-Retros or the Touring Cantis. Best brakes on the market. Period.

I've got the Salsa top-mount levers. They're just fine.

I have a part B for this question. I didn't want to start a new thread with practically the same yet slightly different question, so please answer both.
I have always ridden & raced road bikes, but recently purchased a Colnago Dream Cross. This frame will be primarily used for commuting to & from work, mosltly pavement & some gravel every day. When cross season gets here, I would like to try my hand at a few cross races. I am building the bike but have no real idea as to what I should use for brakes. I had considered frog legs & Shimano, but have never used Cantis so I really don't know which way to go. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

For sheer stopping power I would go with a set of the Shimano Canti's. I would suggest the Paul Neo Retro's also but I don't think you will be seeing any mud. I run the Paul's and a set of the Spooky's and both are fine but don't have the stopping power. For dry conditions the Shimano's are the way to go.

For sheer stopping power I would go with a set of the Shimano Canti's. I would suggest the Paul Neo Retro's also but I don't think you will be seeing any mud. I run the Paul's and a set of the Spooky's and both are fine but don't have the stopping power. For dry conditions the Shimano's are the way to go.

For Georgia racing, I'd say the Avid Shorty 6's would be just fine. However, I understand that you race regionally in the East and also do Nationals. For this reason, I'd suggest you get the Pauls. They won't let you down no matter the conditions and you should be able to set them up jut fine.

Like cyclyoscott sez ... Neo Retro front, Touring canti back. Spend the money. Be happy with your brakes forever.

The froglegs are a decent brake, they sit back from the rims so they don't get fouled with mud and will do a decent job of stopping the bike, especially if you swap out the oem pads. They are not the best designed product but are built sturdy and once they are set up they work just fine. I think it is kind of dopey to have all the fastners on the brakes using a different size nut or allen screw, but that's just a little aggravation.

Thanks, guys! I have a feeling I'll go with the Avids for now. Any more opinions on them? Here in GA, most of our races are fairly dry as the fall is our dry season. We rarely get horrific mud, and I can always switch to my mtb, which has disk brakes if it becomes an issue during a race. I do race regionally but probably won't do too much out of the Carolinas and GA this year. After my miserable experience at Nationals in Dec., I might wait til they are in Kansas City in 2007.

I will try not be too opinionated about this - but - I HATE the Avid brakes. went through two full sets of shorty 6's before I finally gave up on them entirely and put the Shimano Cantis on.

As much as I hate to admit it, the Shimanos are wonderful brakes. easy to set up, easy to adjust and work great.

The only Shimano on an otherwise all CAmpy bike but the damn brakes just work.

The Avids never did.

I have avids shorty 6 on one of my bikes without problems, i dont know what the deal is, but ive never had an issue with them, they dont squeal, they stop me good etc. For the price, id say theyre a good brake.

jeremy

I will try not be too opinionated about this - but - I HATE the Avid brakes. went through two full sets of shorty 6's before I finally gave up on them entirely and put the Shimano Cantis on.

As much as I hate to admit it, the Shimanos are wonderful brakes. easy to set up, easy to adjust and work great.

The only Shimano on an otherwise all CAmpy bike but the damn brakes just work.

The Avids never did.

I concur. The Avids suck, and if you're not ready to step up to the plate for the Pauls, Shimano would be my next choice.

I will try not be too opinionated about this - but - I HATE the Avid brakes. went through two full sets of shorty 6's before I finally gave up on them entirely and put the Shimano Cantis on.

As much as I hate to admit it, the Shimanos are wonderful brakes. easy to set up, easy to adjust and work great.

The only Shimano on an otherwise all CAmpy bike but the damn brakes just work.

The Avids never did.



Sacriledge! I use Campy Olympus cantis on a mostly all Campy bike. Unlike the Record OR, these can use V-brake pads. All good!

What was the deal with Avids? Squealing like stuck pigs? Wasn't that the knock on them?

Avids are prone to squealing, but I've had some that I could hardly keep quiet and some that never were a problem. I never had issues with stopping power when they were dialed in, even with the stock pads. As far as squealing goes, the worst I've experienced was from a set of old-school LX cantis that had been perfectly strong and quiet for years, when suddenly they started producing that piercing, resonating howl that makes people blocks away stare in shock, no matter how I feathered the brakes. Still don't know what it was, since I wound up doing all the customary fixes twice before things got peaceful again.

Still haven't tried the newer Shimano units....

I ran a set of the Avid 4's for a while before this past CX season and they were garbage I never had an issue with squealing but the stopping power was rather lacking. I made the switch to Paul's Retro's front and rear and never looked back.

I started out with a set of XTR V's with Dia-Compe 287V (v-compatible) levers on my SS 'cross. In short, terrible and I hated them.

Then, tried a set of Campy Record carbon levers with some NOS XT cantis. Much better than the V's, but still not what I was looking for in my brakes. Coming from a MTB background with discs, I now how I want my brakes to feel and react.

Finally, I bit-the-bullet and bought a set of the Paul's Neo-Retros (front) and Touring (rear) with my Record levers and found braking-bliss! Easy to set-up, excellent modulation, great mud clearance, quiet, and perfect braking!

M.

This is very interesting.

I posted a very similar question on my local forum. I asked about 4 different brake brands. Avid 6's, Spooky, IRD, and Empella froglegs.

The recommendations I recieved were for Spookies or Avid 6's. No comments on the others.

One of the people replying said to get Spookies. He did say they were hard to set up initially but that the top euros run them. Since he just came back from Master Worlds in Holland where he placed 3rd in 35+ I have to wonder what it is that the really fast people like about the Spookies. This forum says they don't have much braking power. Does this mean pros don't use much brake?

This is very interesting.

I posted a very similar question on my local forum. I asked about 4 different brake brands. Avid 6's, Spooky, IRD, and Empella froglegs.

The recommendations I recieved were for Spookies or Avid 6's. No comments on the others.

One of the people replying said to get Spookies. He did say they were hard to set up initially but that the top euros run them. Since he just came back from Master Worlds in Holland where he placed 3rd in 35+ I have to wonder what it is that the really fast people like about the Spookies. This forum says they don't have much braking power. Does this mean pros don't use much brake?

Basically, yes. Remember, these guys are almost all on carbon rims too, which also tends to speed up brakes. On more traditional "euro" courses (less technical) there is really only a need for speed modulators, not stoppers. For general off road riding, more technical courses, etc. it is nice to have real brakes.