Similar in many ways to Paul Components Neo-Retro canti's, the Touring Canti has arms that angle upward to give the brake a much narrower profile for riding with panniers or if you require more heel or calf clearance. Machined from 6061 aluminum, you can still expect Paul''s famous stopping power on these brakes, and the arms are slotted with spherical washers on the Kool Stop Thinline brake pads for easy set up and pad adjustment. Independently adjustable spring tension lets you control how snappy these brakes feel. The stainless steel pivot is sealed to prevent grime from messing up the awesome action on these brakes, and these include all necessary hardware, including straddle wire and cable hanger.
Want higher stopping power and keep a narrow profile in back? Try the Paul Canti Combo: Neo-Retro''s in front and the Touring Canti in the rear.
I bought these brakes because I was doing a 27" to 700c conversion on an old touring bike with canti brakes. These are the only brakes that I was able to modify to work and I tried pretty much every single cantilever brake that is currently being manufactured. Once I got them set up, these brakes have worked great. The adjustment system is not quite as intuitive as other brakes I have used and it takes a little longer to set up, but once they are set up they feel awesome. I love the fact that you can adjust the spring tension to almost anything you want. This was the first product I ever got from Paul Components and I was impressed. They are kind of pricey, but for me they were totally worth it.
Summed up: Great all around cantilever brake. Smooth and stiff, with great stopping power.
Yes, I would recomend this to a friend.
Likes: Stiff, Good Stopping Power
Works for: Touring, Commuting, Cyclocross
Dislikes: expensive
5
June 29, 2012
reviewed by: tco...@gm...l.com
I've travelled about 7000 miles on these over the last year and a half. I like them. No issues. Rock solid. I upgraded to these from the stock Tektros on my LHT. The MTB salmon pads go nicely with these.
I love these brakes. I ordered them for the rear for their low profile and the retro for the front for stopping power. They look like they were designed for that purpose. Serious military style precision of adjustment and look it. Just beautiful well engineered components.
The best aftermarket cantilevers available. The Neo-Retro's are on the front; no foot clearance issues there.
Easy set-up and dial-in. Good American-quality engineering.
The Paul's are not that easy to set up. You need to adjust the spring tension, which the instructions do not really explain. Once set up properly though they are fairly good low-profile cantis. I still prefer wide profile cantis which 1/3 price for better stopping power.