Submitted by
dubthang
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, Maine Date Reviewed: June 14, 2009
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Great stopping power, good looks, good price
Weaknesses:
The stradle cable is junk
Similar Products Used:
Deore, LX, Machine Tech, Tektro, and Alivio cantis.
Avid, and Shimano V's.
Bike Setup:
old school xc - '93 Bianchi running the new style of Shorty
Bottom Line:
I have the newest style (look like Machine Techs) of Shorty 4's. They are great brakes for the money. They are not super light, but they are very solid. Brake pad setup can be a little bit of a challenge because they use threaded pads. The stradle cable is garbage. It is of the old Shimano design in that one side is of a fixed length. This makes taking off the wheels difficult, and doesn't give you the best braking power possible. I set mine up with an old set of Onza Chill Pills, and they work so much better. Can't go wrong with these brakes. I'd give them a 5 in the overall rating if they came with a better stradle cable setup.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tricross
a Racer
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: October 17, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Good stopping power, choice of two transverse cables
Weaknesses:
Squishy feel
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Specialized TriCross
Bottom Line:
This is a review of the Avid Shorty 6 brakes. My Specialized TriCross came with Shimano low-profile cantilevers and Shimano 105 brake levers. The brakes were the only thing about the TriCross that disappointed me. Today I replaced the brakes with Avid Shorty 6's. The Avids are better than the Shimanos. The Avids come with two transverse cables, long and short. (The Shimano transverse cable is medium length.) The short cable is for maximum stopping power, but is "grabby" and squishy at the brake lever. The long cable feels more solid and gives better control but is less powerful. I tried both. With the long cable the Avids stopped somewhat better than the Shimanos, not a huge difference but noticeable. With the short cables the Avids stop much better than the Shimanos. I can easily do a "nosie" with the front brake, and the rear brake locks the wheel easily. I don't want to lock the rear wheel so I settled on the long cable in back, short cable in front. Both brakes feel squishy compared to the Avid Single Digit 7 linear pull brakes on my mountain bike, but the brakes stop well. Specialized should have put disc brakes on the TriCross, but this is acceptable. I tried Tektro mini-BMX linear pulls but they didn't work with the Shimano 105 brake levers.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
MoonsOfJupiter
a Cross Country Rider
from Alexandria Date Reviewed: July 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Patapsco SP
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
Harris Cyclery
Strengths:
Easy to install, works great on the front with Shimano 105 road levers. I will be replacing some Control Tech cantis on the rear with these as well.
Weaknesses:
None for bike path use -- I'd still want V-brakes or disc brakes for off-road.
Similar Products Used:
Diacomp 986, Deore LX/XT, Control Tech, Avid Tri-align
Bike Setup:
'91 Trek 6000 mtb with Nitto mustache bars and Shimano 105 levers. 1x7 (11:28) drive train. Sun Tour XC pro R. Deraileur/Shifter/Headset, Sugino cranks (42T)
Bottom Line:
Best inexpensive traditional Canti I can find in 2008.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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