Despite my best efforts, it’s not possible for me to buy a new crosser with discs so I have to make the best of what I’ve got. Which means firstly the current cantis have to go. They’re blinkin’ useless.
I’m currently using Tektro 720’s with koolstop salmon pads (recabled recently with compressionless outers) and they’re not too bad on the flat and in the dry, but any hilly terrain and/or rain and no matter what adjustments I make, they’re simply terrifying. So I’m on the lookout for some new brake units (as it’s not the pads or cables that are the issue).
So, could something like the shimano cx 50/70 units be the answer or should I dig deep for shorty ultimates?

TIA

It’s not a universally loved option but I put mini vs on mine, they cost me less than a set of posh canti pads and worked better than any cantis I’ve ever used. But I didn’t race cross, and I chose not to ride in orrible conditions, so I avoided the potential mud clogging downsides (which are overstated IMO but still can happen).

They do wear rims faster, but that’s just because they’re better brakes exerting more force.

I’d go shorty ultimates

My avid shorty 4s have run out of adjustment in the return Spring prob due to a 5 year stint sat tensioned up in the garage, adjusters wound all the way in and still slack so the ultimates are on my short list but the pewter SHIMANO ones are a close second

Shorty ultimate are well named they are ultimate, awesome stoppers, plus you can run them wide or narrow, depending on how you want them to feel/give mud clearance.

Another vote for ultimates.

Plus, They have anodised bits of Red on them, which may or may not make you faster but they dont half look good, Even if they dont work you could forgive them on looks alone.

These Look OK for £20
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-cx50-cantilever-brake/rp-prod70117

These look better but £37
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-ultegra-cx70-cantilever-brake/rp-prod70116

Look at me
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/avid-shorty-ultimate-brake/rp-prod58601

There is nothing wrong with those tektro brakes. I have them on both race bikes. I would play about a bit with the set up, locking the wheels up shouldn’t be much of a problem.
5700 levers, hanger as low as the fork brace and seat stay bridge, and Swiss stop green pads on mine

Was gonna recommended tektro cr720s!

Stopped me and my fully loaded tourer in rain or shine. All about the setup, took ages to find the sweet spot, but once I did I was actually really impressed by them.

Can’t speak for the Avids, but my tourer came with CX50 cantis. They are actually ok, and will stop a loaded bike and fairly substantial rider.

Ultimates are the dogs dangly bits by quite some margin.

Thanks all. I’ve had the bike for a couple of years and I have spent hours trying to find that ‘sweetspot’ for the tektro’s and I can’t find it. Perhaps ultimates are the way to go.

Cx70’s are great stoppers, excellent vfm BUT there’s no mechanism for releasing the cable to get the wheel out. meaning you have to deflate your tyre. A slight pita but I bet the Ultimates don’t require this….
I never got on with mini v’s, in fact they were way worse than frog legs or cx-70’s.
On my last CX race of the season I was the only rider left on cantis, everywhere I looked was disks, that seemed to happen really quickly. I’m in the same boat as you though…..cantis for at least another season.

I went for V-brakes and travel agents,worked fine.

Your setup sounds ok.

No tight curves on the cables?

Or maybe you have a nice coating of diesel on your rims? In which case, have you tried degreasing them?

Or if your rims have a lot of wear, you may be flexing the braking surface if the metal has worn thin.

another vote for Shimano CX 70s, they just work without all the usual fiddle-faff that’s associated with cantis

wonkey D, There’s a lug on the straddle cable, take the tension off the cable with the barrel adjuster and that will give you the few mm to push the lug whilst holding the pads against the rim, unlocking the rounded end out of the top of the arm, “you knew that right”

I’ve used CX50’s too I forgot to add, and as the guys above said, absolutely no guess work or wondering when setting up. They work really well. They don’t work on the spacing of my forks though unfortunately so I am stuck with the wider pull design ones.

@wonkey donkey – I know how you feel, by the last race I competed in there was only a couple of us racing with old school cantis. Felt like we were from a previous world!

@epicyclo nothing wrong with the cable routing AFAIK, everything is as it should be.

If I can get them or some new units working somewhere near the 105 calipers on my road bike, I’d be happy enough. The sales will start before the new season starts in August, I’ll wait until then for a new bike.

In the meantime try it with another wheel with new pads.

I bought an old second hand cx bike that came with cantis..spend ages trying to set them up but couldn’t get any power at all. Eventually took them to the LBS who explained that that was pretty much what cantis were like. Even tried new expensive pads on them but they were still uterly hopeless.

Eventually went to mini vs…they were immessurably better

Cantis are trickier to set up than Vs, but at the end of the day, they are a simple lever with a pad attached.

Ultimates are very very good. Even better with compressionless cables.

Once it gets muddy & sloppy though the margins diminish.

I have always managed to get reasonable to good performance from cantis. I happily used Tektro 720s on my London commuter bike for a few years, I think that a lot of toe in on the pads was needed, you could try that if you haven’t already. For overall power the best i used were TRP 950s, I have not used Ultimates for a comparison.
If you are having trouble getting a good set up with the 720s, it might be best to go with the Shimanos as the straddle angle is already set for you, so one less variable.

After a morning wasted trying different setups (still no better), I’ve decided to go for some CX70’s as a few of you have pointed out, there’s less variables to sort out so they’ll either work or they won’t. Decided to get some Swisstop Blue pads for them too. Hopefully this will do the job until later this year.

Thanks again.