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Building up a CX/Gravel bike which, for reasons of my own, I'm putting canti brakes on.
Avid Shorty Ultimates just seem to get all round rave reviews so were the obvious choice.
However being an obsolete design, they don't *quite* work with modern wider rims, the pads are basically too close to the rim so can't rotate enough to hit it flush.
Have been fiddling away and realised that the pad holders are effectively unique, and not a standard road pad holder (the internally threaded rod is longer).
Am thinking I just need to Dremel 1-2mm off the end of the road and use some standard washers instead of the weird proprietary double seated spherical washer to move the pads back 1-2mm.
Or could just use the Swisstop Evo pad inserts which are 0.75mm thinner on either side.
Anyone have any experience with these brakes? Could I just stick normal road brake pads on them?
i don't have a set of these but i'm not shy of a canti fettle. looking at pictures have you tried swapping the spherical washers over so the thin one is closest to the pad? that should give some more clearance
the hole in the canti body for the pad holder is just a hole so any road pad should fit, finding one with spherical washers will help with the pad hitting the rim square and toe-in though
...I had to go and check that it wasn't that simple, but unfortunately not, there is no space for the bigger washer on the other side of the cantilever, you can only fit the bolt head and the thinner washer before the bolt head hits the arm of the brake.
the hole in the canti body for the pad holder is just a hole so any road pad should fit
I'd have thought the same but no, the hole on the Shorty Ultimates is very slightly narrower, the only road pads I had to hand were too fat and didn't work!
Think a Dremelling might be imminent, otherwise it's sixty-bloody-quid for the SRAM wide rim specific pads or a lot of trial and error with other brands.
hmmm, proprietary parts, lovely 🙂
i had a quick google because i miss a good bit of canti brake bodge research and it seems this is not an uncommon problem, even when people used cantilevers
the answer might be in some "Avid Shorty Ultimate Holder and Brake Pad for Carbon Rims", like the pad holders you have but a shorter arm and fewer washers, spendy mind
if it was me i'd be looking at cartridge pads that have a threaded arm that might fit through the hole with an allen bolt that doesn't need to fit through there either, the Tektro ones look suitable (if i was feeling carefree i'd Dremel some off the Avid pad holder arm and bolt to make it fit :-0)