On Monday, March 11, 2019 at 4:28:56 PM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

Remember back in the days when MTB and touring bicycles cantilevers stuck straight out from the mounting post? IIRC it was Minoura that made a rear rack with a metal hoop that fitted over the cantilever so that saddle bags wouldn't hold the cantilever against the rim.

I remember those days, and I bought three different bikes
that had those classic style cantilevers, including our
matching Cannondale touring bikes. I think one advantage
compared to low profile cantilevers was that the
mechanical advantage was much more constant over the
range of travel.

The Cannondales came equipped with racks for panniers.
But the rear panniers did clash with those rear brake
arms. At first, I mounted the bags really far back; then
I switched to low profile cantilevers. The front racks
were for low rider bags, so they weren't a problem.

I wonder how things were done with the old Mafac
cantilever brakes in the 1960s or whenever they were
first used. Did they assume that everyone would use low
rider bags front and rear?

- Frank Krygowski