# Front brake cable hanger thingy mounted to fork



## mdutcher

What is that part called and are there any good online stores to pick one up?

I currently have the similar part mounted to my steerer tube under the stem, but I noticed that my Redline fork has a hole at the top of the fork. I am assuming that this is for one of those parts and would provide me with a better brake cable routing option. Plus, it should help to eliminate residual brake chatter.

Please chime in if you can help me answer my question.


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## turbomatic73

Brake Cable Housing Stop:

http://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Brake-...1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1285552958&sr=1-1-fkmr2


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## pretender

Directly from specialized.com. They have adaptors to make it work with a pretty big range of forks.


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## scrub

I have the tektro one, I wish it had the built in cable adjuster like this one

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=47409&menuItemId=9305&eid=5135


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## weather

mdutcher said:


> What is that part called and are there any good online stores to pick one up?
> 
> I currently have the similar part mounted to my steerer tube under the stem, but I noticed that my Redline fork has a hole at the top of the fork. I am assuming that this is for one of those parts and would provide me with a better brake cable routing option. Plus, it should help to eliminate residual brake chatter.
> 
> Please chime in if you can help me answer my question.


if you have low profile cantilevers and want better cable routing, go for it. if you have high profile cantilevers, you are most likely better off with the hanger higher up. 

either way it's not going to help with the chatter.


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## spookyload

I agree with weather. If you have brakes like Paul's, Spooky's or Empella's, you will want the straddle cable to pull as high as possible. This won't help you out. It would probably be OK for Avid Shortys where the straddle wire isn't a factor. It also don't see how it will cut down of fork chatter.


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## turbomatic73

weather said:


> if you have low profile cantilevers and want better cable routing, go for it. if you have high profile cantilevers, you are most likely better off with the hanger higher up.
> 
> either way it's not going to help with the chatter.


Disagree completely....running this with a pair of Kore high profiles and it works fantastic. Still plenty of room to get the straddle carrier up high...with the carrier 1.5 cm's above the bottom of the fork crown i get that sweet spot between modulation/power and ZERO CHATTER. The Tektro cable stop allows the correct cable length...and there's room to spare. I don't get how it works, but I had some MAJOR fork chatter that nothing would fix--every brake I tried, every combination of toe-in / straddle wire length. The cable stop fixed it. + it's a $5 fix.


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## dc.cyclocross

turbomatic73 said:


> Disagree completely....running this with a pair of Kore high profiles and it works fantastic. Still plenty of room to get the straddle carrier up high...with the carrier 1.5 cm's above the bottom of the fork crown i get that sweet spot between modulation/power and ZERO CHATTER. The Tektro cable stop allows the correct cable length...and there's room to spare. I don't get how it works, but I had some MAJOR fork chatter that nothing would fix--every brake I tried, every combination of toe-in / straddle wire length. The cable stop fixed it. + it's a $5 fix.


+1

added a fork mount hanger helped on my specialized.

the specialized version seems better than the tektro due to the adjustment knob plus the L-shaped mechanism that prevents the hanger from getting twisted down to either side (if it fits your fork)

-marc


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## spookyload

turbomatic73 said:


> Disagree completely....running this with a pair of Kore high profiles and it works fantastic. Still plenty of room to get the straddle carrier up high...with the carrier 1.5 cm's above the bottom of the fork crown i get that sweet spot between modulation/power and ZERO CHATTER. The Tektro cable stop allows the correct cable length...and there's room to spare. I don't get how it works, but I had some MAJOR fork chatter that nothing would fix--every brake I tried, every combination of toe-in / straddle wire length. The cable stop fixed it. + it's a $5 fix.


It likely stopped your fork chatter because you decreased the braking power so significantly they don't grab anymore. Not the way to eliminate it in my opinion.


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## turbomatic73

spookyload said:


> It likely stopped your fork chatter because you decreased the braking power so significantly they don't grab anymore. Not the way to eliminate it in my opinion.


Love it when people discount a solution as not being feasible simply because they've never tried before. I may be in a better position than you to quantify the performance of my brake setup.


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## spookyload

turbomatic73 said:


> Love it when people discount a solution as not being feasible simply because they've never tried before. I may be in a better position than you to quantify the performance of my brake setup.


My point was all you did was decrease braking power to fix the problem. When conditions are bad, I want brakes. Furthermore, most bikes don't have fork chatter when they are actually ridden off road in mud, dirt, snow and sand. The material on the rims prevents the pads from grabbing quite as hard so they don't chatter. So you fix the problem for road riding in good weather by taking away breaking power and modulation you are going to want when the conditions get bad.


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## turbomatic73

spookyload said:


> My point was all you did was decrease braking power to fix the problem. When conditions are bad, I want brakes. Furthermore, most bikes don't have fork chatter when they are actually ridden off road in mud, dirt, snow and sand. The material on the rims prevents the pads from grabbing quite as hard so they don't chatter. So you fix the problem for road riding in good weather by taking away breaking power and modulation you are going to want when the conditions get bad.


And you've tested my bike to assess the amount of power the brakes generate...thanks. 

Trust me...my brakes have more power now than they've ever had. The fact that companies like Specialized and Tektro are even making these bits is evidence that there's a market need for them, and that at least for some, they WORK. Noticed that some of the 'cross stuff at Interbike includes similar gadgets as standard equipment on new bikes.


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## krisdrum

CXM has an extensive article a few issues back on canti set up and the following issue on reducing chatter. The fork mounted stop was one of their prescriptions. I've heard others have good success with this method.


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## mtbbmet

spookyload said:


> It also don't see how it will cut down of fork chatter.


Then you don't clearly understand what causes fork chatter in the first place. This is the most effective solution to increasing your braking power and eliminating/reducing chatter. Do some research on it.
Here, I'll do it for you.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...l-qa-with-lennard-zinn-return-to-cross_101807


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## dc.cyclocross

I also have good power with the specialized (or tektro) mount

specialized tricross
9 year old empella brakes (classic wide style) with swiss-stop green pads.

marc


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## weather

mtbbmet said:


> Then you don't clearly understand what causes fork chatter in the first place. This is the most effective solution to increasing your braking power and eliminating/reducing chatter. Do some research on it.
> Here, I'll do it for you.
> http://velonews.competitor.com/2010...l-qa-with-lennard-zinn-return-to-cross_101807


just because someone wrote it in the column doesn't make it science. it's zinn, i know, but he's only theorizing without giving concrete numbers or estimates. (oh, he's completely wrong on the MTB with suspension forks and canti brakes, btw. the brake hanger is on the fork arch because the lower leg moves inches relative to the steering tube when the suspension is at work. it's not there to reduce chatter.) 

how much of a cable pull do you think your fork is giving you with the hanger up high and full brake force is applied? have you ever tried to flex a pair of forks with one end clamped to a vice? you are talking about the change in length of the cable, a few cm away parallel to the headtube, when a section of 1.125" diameter steel/al/carbon fiber steering tube plus the fork crown is flexed front-back. and this happens only over the length between the brake stud and where you clamp the cable hanger, AND the tube is secured at two points called headset cups. 

don't trust me? fine. grab an engineering friend and ask him to run a model or measure it. i can do it on solidworks when i get the time too. 

seriously, if you think that crown mounted hangar solved your problem, you probably want to run longer cable routing with longer housing and see how that helps.


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## ridewt

*fork mount hanger for Redline*

Anyone know if the specialized gizmo will work on a Redline aluminum fork with the pre-drilled hole? The reason I ask is that I like the idea of the cable adjuster. Otherwise, I'll just get the Tektro and, I suppose, try to get a cable adjuster fitted in there somehow.


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## mtbbmet

OK, for a start, I'll take Zinn's word for it over some random guy on the internets. 2nd, I've been a mechanic in a shop for a decade, and now work at a shop that specializes in cross. I know what works, and what doesn't. 3rdly, go to interbike and see how many 2011 cross bikes are coming with hangers on the fork. They are not there just for show. It works.
But I guess you know more than me, Zinn, and the industry.


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## weather

mtbbmet said:


> OK, for a start, I'll take Zinn's word for it over some random guy on the internets. 2nd, I've been a mechanic in a shop for a decade, and now work at a shop that specializes in cross. I know what works, and what doesn't. 3rdly, go to interbike and see how many 2011 cross bikes are coming with hangers on the fork. They are not there just for show. It works.
> But I guess you know more than me, Zinn, and the industry.


the fact that you hide behind this "i work at blah blah blah so i must know s**t" is exactly the reason you work in the shop while i actually do the engineering.


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## spookyload

turbomatic73 said:


> And you've tested my bike to assess the amount of power the brakes generate...thanks.
> 
> Trust me...my brakes have more power now than they've ever had. The fact that companies like Specialized and Tektro are even making these bits is evidence that there's a market need for them, and that at least for some, they WORK. Noticed that some of the 'cross stuff at Interbike includes similar gadgets as standard equipment on new bikes.


Awesome for you dude. Fork chatter is a problem of physics. You have overcome the laws of physics with your $5 part. I am happy for you. The only way you could increase braking power and eliminate fork chatter would be if the wheel is locking up...thus no chatter. How about solving this darn cancer problem now. Is there a $50 part for that?


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## turbomatic73

Poor Todd Wells...using an inferior brake product...maybe he should be sponsored by engineers that know what they're doing instead.


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## mtbbmet

weather said:


> the fact that you hide behind this "i work at blah blah blah so i must know s**t" is exactly the reason you work in the shop while i actually do the engineering.


Wow. Pictures of your degree, or it doesn't exist. It seems like everytime a mechanical problem comes up, there are suddenly 15 guys here who are "engineers". Why don't you tell us exactly where you went to school, what field of engineering, and your current employment status?
Actually, if you must know the truth, I only work part time at the shop. I am a BMET working specifically in Renal Dialysis. That's what pays the bills, I do the shop for fun.
So now we have both flexed our intelligence muscle, why don't you go into great detail about exactly what causes shutter. You must know exactly what causes it, as you are a super smart engineer.
BTW, the only people who are impressed when someone is an engineer, are other engineers. It is just a degree, not a masters, or phd. It's no harder to become an engineer than it is a librarian, so get over yourself.


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## spookyload

mtbbmet said:


> OK, for a start, I'll take Zinn's word for it over some random guy on the internets. 2nd, I've been a mechanic in a shop for a decade, and now work at a shop that specializes in cross. I know what works, and what doesn't. 3rdly, go to interbike and see how many 2011 cross bikes are coming with hangers on the fork. They are not there just for show. It works.
> But I guess you know more than me, Zinn, and the industry.


Ten years at a shop!! Woot. I think I still ride shorts that old. If you want to throw credentials out, I will go scan in some pictures from me racing the cross nationals at Scotts Valley in the 80's. Does it mean jack??? No. I have been doing this for a long time and have been messing with cantilever brakes for a very long time. Learning to set them up is about the biggest technique ridden task you can do on a bike. That is why the MTB scene loved the acceptance of V-brakes. They were a snap to set up. But like I said above...do what works for you. As for you Zinn comment...he is also the person who believes he is the only person on the internet who makes the wheel everyone should be riding. All of the thousands of prebuilt wheels are a gimick in his eyes. If you read the article all the way though, you will see he did say exactly what I had to say about chatter BTW.



> Eventually, something has to give: Either the tire must slip on the ground, the rider must go over the handlebars, or the pads must break free from the rim. It is the latter that creates the shudder, the pads bind and release, bind and release, each time allowing the fork to flex back and forth and the tire to roll and stop, roll and stop. This is why the problem goes away in mud and wet sand, because the pad can break free smoothly. It is also why smaller pads with more toe-in help.


Since it does seem like you want to learn from the internet however, here is a great link to someone who understands the physics of braking. Sheldon Brown rode and wrote this when they were still state of the art components. If you want to learn how they work and what helps them, read it. If not, go ahead and google search for another assumption from velonews or bicycling magazine.

http://sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html


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## mtbbmet

I can assure you that I have set up many, MANY, canti's. Likely more than you, unless you have worked in a shop. You can wrench your own bikes for 30 years and you won't have the experience of someone who has worked 1 year as a mechanic in a good shop. And I worked on my own bikes for 10 years before I worked in a shop. 
But whatever. You know more than everyone.
The problem you are ignoring is that proper set up is not just the only thing any more. With the advent of carbon forks with carbon steertubes, and the very cheap/whippy carbon forks that now come stock on bikes, greater measures need to be taken that simply toeing in pads. Yes, proper set up can solve MOST shutter problems. But a hanger can add that little bit more, and give better breaking performance.


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## CouchingTiger

I'm wondering how you can argue that adding the fork mount cable stop decreases brake power? Do you mean because it limits how high the straddle can sit? If so, that is backwards. By lowering the straddle cable you decrease the cable pull and increase the force applied to the rim. The downside is that you have to run the pads closer to the rim.

The way many have been combating the chatter with high profile brakes is to raise the straddle cable. This effectively decreases the brake power at the benefit of less chatter, because there isn't enough power to cause the chatter.


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## DvB

Anyone who's actually looking for a solution to this very real problem would do well to ignore spookyload (at least on this thread). What he seems not to understand (and what Zinn seems to have left out of his article) is that the fork crown-mounted cable stop takes all of the stem and steerer flex out of the equation -- and in the real world, this is what seems to cause most front-brake shudder. I installed the $5 Tektro stop on my bike and on my teammate's bike, and in both cases the shudder problem was eliminated entirely. And with absolutely no loss in braking power. 

Criticize if you want, but that junky-looking piece is the answer. And as some have already pointed out, Specialized's new CX bikes all have the fork-crown mounted stops. Watch for others to do exactly the same.


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## ms6073

DvB said:


> And as some have already pointed out, Specialized's new CX bikes all have the fork-crown mounted stops. Watch for others to do exactly the same.


Although my 2010 Stevens carbon cross did not include the cable stop, Stevens apparently now also includes a fork mounted alloy cable stop.


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## spookyload

mtbbmet said:


> I can assure you that I have set up many, MANY, canti's. Likely more than you, unless you have worked in a shop. You can wrench your own bikes for 30 years and you won't have the experience of someone who has worked 1 year as a mechanic in a good shop. And I worked on my own bikes for 10 years before I worked in a shop.
> But whatever. You know more than everyone.
> The problem you are ignoring is that proper set up is not just the only thing any more. With the advent of carbon forks with carbon steertubes, and the very cheap/whippy carbon forks that now come stock on bikes, greater measures need to be taken that simply toeing in pads. Yes, proper set up can solve MOST shutter problems. But a hanger can add that little bit more, and give better breaking performance.


Just to end this...it all wont matter in the near future. Disk breaks will be the standard in a few years now that they are legal. Superior in every category, they will make cantilever bikes in cross as uncommon as they are in MTB races.


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## golong

Has anyone worked out a way of doing this (fork mounted cable stop) to the Easton fork?


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## krisdrum

golong said:


> Has anyone worked out a way of doing this (fork mounted cable stop) to the Easton fork?


I bet you could DIY something with some brackets from the local hardware store by using the fender mounting hole.


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## turbomatic73

golong said:


> Has anyone worked out a way of doing this (fork mounted cable stop) to the Easton fork?


If it doesn't have a hole (which the Easton doesn't) you're SOL. This is part of the reason I got rid of my Easton.


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## akarilo

*Ha Ha*



weather said:


> if you have low profile cantilevers and want better cable routing, go for it. if you have high profile cantilevers, you are most likely better off with the hanger higher up.
> 
> either way it's not going to help with the chatter.


You're kidding yourself if you think it doesn't work. Just did this mod today and the brake chatter is gone. The "mush" is gone as well and the performance hasn't taken a hit in the least bit. Give it a try and you'll see for yourself.


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## Mosovich

*Brake chatter..*

Spookyload..

Quote directly from a Specialized and Felt designer: By using the new brake cable stop OFF the fork, it eliminates the brake chatter because when the front brake is used and the cable hanger is on the frame instead of the fork, the flex from the fork causes the fork to flex just enough to cause the brakes to bite a little harder and there for tighten on the front brake causing the shutter.. When it's on the fork, this takes that flex away.. I'm sure the guys at Specialized and Felt know what they are talking about and if not, then why when I put it on my Ritchey fork did it not shutter anymore??


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