IMPORTANT - please read cantilever brakes - a warning

[hubgearfreak]

OK, your bike has these, or similar;



if your main front cable snaps at speed, does the straddle cable catch the tyre and send you over?
has it happened to anyone?

especially if you don't have a mudgguard or reflector bracket, but even if you do, i reckon you should have a play and see what'll happen

perhaps this sort of reflector (or at least the bracket it comes with) is a better safety device than we initially give them credit for?



anyone care to comment/ advise?

[patricktaylor]

... i reckon you should have a play and see what'll happen ...

I played. It's true. Over the top every time.

[hubgearfreak]

do you mean you've just been to the garage to investigate, or that you've had the crash?

[GrahamNR17]

Never had one snap, but on releasing one side of the cable it went nowhere near the tyre. I'd be amazed if you came to grief through a busted canti cable.

The caveat is I don't use the cheap type as on that photo, but the one-sided sort where the main cable goes through a piece of bowden outer to one of the cantis.

[hubgearfreak]

Never had one snap, but on releasing one side of the cable it went nowhere near the tyre. I'd be amazed if you came to grief through a busted canti cable.

not releasing one side. try disconnectig the cable at the handlebar lever and see if the straddle cable catches the tyre. luckily i was just wheeling my (partly assembled) bike forwards in the garage and it wouldn't move. had it happened at 25mph i would have lost my good looks for sure

[GrahamNR17]

Never had one snap, but on releasing one side of the cable it went nowhere near the tyre. I'd be amazed if you came to grief through a busted canti cable.

not releasing one side. try disconnectig the cable at the handlebar lever and see if the straddle cable catches the tyre. luckily i was just wheeling my (partly assembled) bike forwards in the garage and it wouldn't move. had it happened at 25mph i would have lost my good looks for sure

Get thee some o' these, they're vastly superior
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280701350645&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_786

.....and put some bloody mudguards on

[hubgearfreak]

.....and put some bloody mudguards on

that'd mean thinner tyres for a given frame

[GrahamNR17]

.....and put some bloody mudguards on

that'd mean thinner tyres for a given frame

Oh no, how would you cope

[reohn2]

..........Get thee some o' these, they're vastly superior
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280701350645&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_786 ........

Yep those are whats fitted to mine

PS,Thanks for the linky Graham I was thinking of some spares

[531colin]

.......................
Get thee some o' these, they're vastly superior
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280701350645&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_786

.....and put some bloody mudguards on

Agree about the 'guards.

Disagree about the straddle wires........you can't set them up to best (mechanical) advantage, as here....http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=33329

[patricktaylor]

do you mean you've just been to the garage to investigate, or that you've had the crash?

I thought you were joking. The bare tyre option seems insanely dangerous.

[hubgearfreak]

Get thee some o' these, they're vastly superior
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280701350645&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_786

i've ordered them. thanks for the link. i didn't dare ride the bike for fear of that happening at speed, even if i ever do get it made

although, that now puts the total cost of my galaxy at £21

[mark a.]

My old MTB had similar to the OP's picture. If I did have a cable snap I would have been fine because of the reflector bracket, which stayed on because of the danger.

My current bike has wide-profile cantis. I usually run mudguards, so that's safer. If not, I still normally have slicks, so hopefully I would just get some rubbing but not an emergency stop. If I'm running my knobbly CX tyres, though, I'm not sure how fun that would be.

Funnily enough, I had my front cable snap twice on this bike (the root cause has since been eliminated). I was fine because a couple of strands of wire held on. I was more worried about the lack of braking as opposed to jamming the front wheel, but perhaps I was lucky.

[gaz]

i've ordered them. thanks for the link.

They were available in four different lengths, typically A&B for front and rear lo-pro canti's respectively, C&D for front and rear traditional cantis.

I've use A's front and rear on a Kona cyclocross before with lo-pros, worked for me but not the recommended set up.

[CREPELLO]

I really can't see what the problem is.
I'd be far more concerned about the bike having toe overlap!

I noticed the mention of a Galaxy . Has somebody taken over HGF's account?