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Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022
My touring bike had squealing brakes and the brakes were not too powerful. I was ready to replace with disc brakes but found out I would need to buy a new bike and wheels because the disc brake adaptors are not good. So it was either invest thousands of dollars or try a new cantilever brake. After research I choose the Avid Shorty. I am glad I did. The brakes both front and rear were easy to install. The brakes are powerful in the narrow position and there is no squealing. For
AlexS
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2022
Honestly the spring tension system on these is very annoying. If you need to adjust it it requires a 15mm cone spanner which there’s a 0% chance any passerby will have. Competing designs are adjusted using a set screw which is much more sensible.The pad retaining bolts are also needlessly proprietary and require a 1.5mm hex key to remove. They’re functional, but god help you if you lose one and they’re tiny and have to be fully removed to swap pads (the top edge isn’t threaded so they can’t just be loosened with a thread or two left like Shimano holders)Overall they’re well machined and have very little play on the bike. I prefer Shimano pads to the included ones which I found too hard, but that personal preference.Stopping power on my Hunt Race Aero Aluminum rims is exemplary and will let you do a nose wheelie easily. On a crappier pair of Alex rims it was much less powerful (in wide “high clearance” mode) but still adequate.They don’t squeal with 1mm toe in under any conditions so that’s a win.
Customer
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020
These brakes are an expensive investment but worth every penny. The installation and adjustment was frustration free not difficult. The braking power is amazing and definitely an improvement over cheaper set ups. I would highly recommend these brakes they are a superior product.
J
Reviewed in Canada on August 22, 2016
Great looking and perform excellent. one point of note is that since the springs sit in front of the arms as opposed to behind, you may find that when opening them to remove the front wheel they hit the fork limiting how far they open up. In my case when running wider tires i was unable to remove then wheel without removing one of the brake pads as well. on anything less than 28c it hasn't been an issue.
fabio bisti
Reviewed in Italy on March 31, 2016
Li ho fatti montare sulla mia Ritchey Swiss Cross , ant. e post. e funzionano molto bene.Risposta molto pronta e molto silenziosi .Comunque li ho usati 2 volteAvevo dei vecchi Avid che ho dovuto sostituire.
Sticks
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2016
I bought these for a cross bike build and they installed easy and look great. They work well with Shimano Ultegra levers. They seem to stop as well as any cantis I have ridden before. Which is to say not as well as a good set of calipers.The arms can be adjusted from wide to narrow. They may have more stopping power in the wide configuration but I have not tried them wide. A couple years ago these were on a number of pro bikes so I figured they have to be pretty good. Darn nice but not perfect so four stars.
Cliente
Reviewed in Italy on December 1, 2016
Arrivato in fretta, prodotto originale nella sua confezione. Testato con successo, vediamo come si comporterà con il tempo. Restano provabilmente i migliori cantilever per bici da CX, o almeno gli unici che frenano in modo decente (tra quelli che ho provato). E ci mancherebbe, con quello che costano!
Michael Nawalaniec
Reviewed in Canada on September 14, 2015
I first purchased the Shimano 6800 cantis but found that I did not have enough clearance for the rear brake. I replaced the rear with an Avid Shorty Ultimate and was completely impressed by the weight, and performance of the brake. I decided to replace the front as well.I am very satisfied that I made the switch.
TobycW
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2015
This kit unfortunately did not come with an install manual. If you've done Canti brakes before you probably do not need one, but if you are like me and starting from scratch, it would have been nice to have it included. Thankfullly SRAM has it on their website. Installation was straightforward but I wouldn't say easy. Took me about an hour--again, starting from scratch not a replacement. I like how this brake kit is designed. Certainly better than Avid's other Shorty kits because it doesn't have a leverage arm that can fatigue over time. I do wish the kit was all black. The red accent to me is just cheap looking. Otherwise this kit is solid and easy to adjust. Recommended!PS. this brake set has proven itself in competition with a lot of cyclocross riders chosing it.
Xavi Luceno
Reviewed in Spain on October 2, 2014
Perfectos. Gran potencia de frenado y tacto. Muy recomendables a todo amante del ciclo cross. Viene uno más abierto que el otro, pero se pueden dejar igual.
Steve Hindman
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2014
I love these brakes, but had a problem setting up the rear brakes because there was a little bit of paint on one of the brake posts. This resulted in the brake not sitting correctly or returning to position. I set up the front brakes on my own, but took the bike to the shop to have them set up the rear brakes. Everything works like a charm now and I have had no problems over two seasons of cyclocross racing.
Greg Asmus
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2013
I love these brakes (I bought them as a set so this review includes both front and back brakes). Great stopping power, but even more so-great modulation and control, plus they look about as sexy as a set of cantilevers brakes can possibly look.Even though the brakes were highly rated in reviews both on and off Amazon, I have to admit I was taken aback, more than bit, by the price -they are expensive. But I commute over twenty miles day, through Seattle on congested, hilly, and often wet streets, so my brakes are important both for quick-sometimes unexpected stops, and for slowing descents down monster inclines in less than ideal conditions -sometimes simultaneously. So I took the risk, rationalizing that both sets of brakes combined cost equivalent to about three tanks of gas if I were driving to work.I am so glad, I took the risk, the Ultimates completely changed the feel of my bike. The brakes give you an added sense of confidence and control making my commute more enjoyable and safer. It's still hard to believe, they are cantilevers, (which [in general] can be somewhat uneven, or jerky [compared to other braking systems]).The brakes come with a set of SwissStop Black (road) pads which have worked wonderfully both wet and dry on my aluminum-alloy rims. Though these brakes are almost infinitely adjustable, I haven't really ever had to touch them after the initial set-up. Averaging about 400 urban, hilly miles a month, I burned through the original set of brake pads in about 4 months. I'm now two months into my second set of pads with no problems to report.
Jack Gregory
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2011
After years of dealing with weak brake performance on my CX bike, I heard some reviews of these on the net, and I have to say they are as good as caliper road brakes. Very good design, very good feel. I would not have wanted to descend a mountain on my old Shimano cantis, but these are everything. And all screeching is gone. These are the best. I first just bought the front ones as a test, but immediately order the rear ones after a single ride.
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