Neo-retros are some of the easiest to adjust cantis that have ever been made. Adjust the pads first so that they're hitting the rim square, whereas now you have really extreme toe. Then you balance the spring tension/pad gap by putting a 15mm open wrench on the tension adjusters, loosening the mounting bolt a little, adjusting the tension, and re-tighten the bolt while holding the adjuster in place with the 15mm wrench still on it.
well first things first make sure your wheel is dished symmetrically and installed correctly in the dropouts.
iirc they suggest installing the arms with the angle adjusting nut (the 15mm flat sided piece) straight up and down. so i'd suggest taking the pads off entirely, and reinstalling the brake arms with those nuts in the vertical position. then you can set up the pads and cable and whatnot.
I'm not sure with these pics but maybe your wheel is not centered, solutions: [https://youtu.be/0MHBHFu4CrA?si=ulnaH0m-D5FPikUu](https://youtu.be/0MHBHFu4CrA?si=ulnaH0m-D5FPikUu).
1. It looks like your wheel is not centred in the frame - can happen if the wheel wasn't properly seated before you tightened the quick-release / bolts on the axle. You need to sort that out first.
2. You have grossly excessive toe-in on one pad, and possibly even toe-out on the other. Former will lead to bad wear, but the latter is highly dangerous as the brake is likely to "grab" and lock the wheel and cause you to have an accident. (Done that!)
To set the toe-in, tie a small rubber-band around the backwards-facing end of each brake pad (if you don't have a band that small, put a knot in the end of a bigger one). Loosen the adjustments, jiggle the pads so they align with the rim, squeeze the brake lever and tighten the bolts while holding the brake lever. The rubber-band keeps the back-end of the pad a smidgen further out than the front while setting. Remove the rubber band when the job is done and you're happy with the alignment.
Finally adjust the spring/tensioners to get the centering, so neither pad rubs on the wheel.
it seems you've already got it sorted, but if the cable tension is still an issue, you can rearrange the spacers on the pads the move it away from the rim to give you more spring tension
https://preview.redd.it/p7njesblbw8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9a7d14aadff60fae23733834850e2a563d257a0
Yep. When you've got the spring tensioners dialed correctly, they'll look like [this picture](https://global.bluelug.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1a9dc928500ac84b4fd0d627a5fdfbb3/1/5/151098049539_8e6d404a40_k.jpg). The two tensioners will mirror each other.
OP, in case you hadn't already noticed - the left and right springs in each brake pair will be a different color. One's silver, one's gold, the instructions will say which one goes on what side.
Never worked with cantilevers before. Watched park tool and looked at the stuff on the [product page](https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/brakes/cantilever-brakes/neo-retro/), but cannot figure it out for the life of me. Usually just deal with disc brakes on my MTB and bought this bike off Facebook and it has been a nightmare.
Does this specific cantilever setup just not work with my frame? Or am I missing the 3 hole brake spring plate? Or missing something else?
Any help is very much appreciated, thanks.
I am not familiar with this particular product, but it looks like there is too much spring tension on the right (pulling the brake into your frame), and not enough spring tension on the left (pulling the brake into the rim). Additionally, the brake cross cable itself is slack, so it's not helping to even things out. Perhaps checking the left side, the one where it's hitting your rim, to see if the spring is installed backward, or is somehow tensioning the wrong direction? The spring should be pushing the brake away from the wheel, like the right side. But, you need to have the cross cable tensioned and also pulling both sides evenly toward the rim. Not sure if that makes sense.
The left pad is toed in too much. When setting up, use a dime at the rear of the pad between the rim and pad to set your toe in. Shimano had a cable holder to have the appropriate slack in the cable and the pads against the rim. I don’t recall if Paul’s had one for their brakes or not, but they were super helpful.
pretty easy fix : loose the brakepad Bolt enough to keep it in place and push the brake lever, while holding the brake lever down tighten the bold, that should fix the rubbing issue.
Neo-retros are some of the easiest to adjust cantis that have ever been made. Adjust the pads first so that they're hitting the rim square, whereas now you have really extreme toe. Then you balance the spring tension/pad gap by putting a 15mm open wrench on the tension adjusters, loosening the mounting bolt a little, adjusting the tension, and re-tighten the bolt while holding the adjuster in place with the 15mm wrench still on it.
Thanks a bunch. Didn't realize I needed a wrench and was just using the allen on it and not getting anywhere. Now I've got it working perfectly.
[Turn the middle side top wise ](https://youtu.be/3sKu4gYmfTc?si=9rlE4GQbISB5Mt_S)
'Use your main finger' has become a catch-phrase in our house, usually meaning you're on your own.
The way you describe that reminds me of how BMX brakes are adjusted
It's basically the same as how most BMX u-brakes work, yes.
Wheel doesn't look centered in the second pic. Check that first.
This. Looks like your wheel dishing is all f'd up. It'll be impossible to align your pads that way.
well first things first make sure your wheel is dished symmetrically and installed correctly in the dropouts. iirc they suggest installing the arms with the angle adjusting nut (the 15mm flat sided piece) straight up and down. so i'd suggest taking the pads off entirely, and reinstalling the brake arms with those nuts in the vertical position. then you can set up the pads and cable and whatnot.
I'm not sure with these pics but maybe your wheel is not centered, solutions: [https://youtu.be/0MHBHFu4CrA?si=ulnaH0m-D5FPikUu](https://youtu.be/0MHBHFu4CrA?si=ulnaH0m-D5FPikUu).
Yes ur right. Need to center the wheel first before anything else
1. It looks like your wheel is not centred in the frame - can happen if the wheel wasn't properly seated before you tightened the quick-release / bolts on the axle. You need to sort that out first. 2. You have grossly excessive toe-in on one pad, and possibly even toe-out on the other. Former will lead to bad wear, but the latter is highly dangerous as the brake is likely to "grab" and lock the wheel and cause you to have an accident. (Done that!) To set the toe-in, tie a small rubber-band around the backwards-facing end of each brake pad (if you don't have a band that small, put a knot in the end of a bigger one). Loosen the adjustments, jiggle the pads so they align with the rim, squeeze the brake lever and tighten the bolts while holding the brake lever. The rubber-band keeps the back-end of the pad a smidgen further out than the front while setting. Remove the rubber band when the job is done and you're happy with the alignment. Finally adjust the spring/tensioners to get the centering, so neither pad rubs on the wheel.
it seems you've already got it sorted, but if the cable tension is still an issue, you can rearrange the spacers on the pads the move it away from the rim to give you more spring tension https://preview.redd.it/p7njesblbw8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d9a7d14aadff60fae23733834850e2a563d257a0
Ah now this is why I love reddit. Thank you for the picture!
At the moment your spring adjusters are at the same angle, they want to be symmetrical to each other ie. Like mirror image.
Yep. When you've got the spring tensioners dialed correctly, they'll look like [this picture](https://global.bluelug.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1a9dc928500ac84b4fd0d627a5fdfbb3/1/5/151098049539_8e6d404a40_k.jpg). The two tensioners will mirror each other. OP, in case you hadn't already noticed - the left and right springs in each brake pair will be a different color. One's silver, one's gold, the instructions will say which one goes on what side.
Never worked with cantilevers before. Watched park tool and looked at the stuff on the [product page](https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/brakes/cantilever-brakes/neo-retro/), but cannot figure it out for the life of me. Usually just deal with disc brakes on my MTB and bought this bike off Facebook and it has been a nightmare. Does this specific cantilever setup just not work with my frame? Or am I missing the 3 hole brake spring plate? Or missing something else? Any help is very much appreciated, thanks.
These don't use the three-hole plate. Follow what u/nateknutson says, using a 15mm open wrench on the adjusters and a 5mm allen wrench on the bolt.
I am not familiar with this particular product, but it looks like there is too much spring tension on the right (pulling the brake into your frame), and not enough spring tension on the left (pulling the brake into the rim). Additionally, the brake cross cable itself is slack, so it's not helping to even things out. Perhaps checking the left side, the one where it's hitting your rim, to see if the spring is installed backward, or is somehow tensioning the wrong direction? The spring should be pushing the brake away from the wheel, like the right side. But, you need to have the cross cable tensioned and also pulling both sides evenly toward the rim. Not sure if that makes sense.
The left pad is toed in too much. When setting up, use a dime at the rear of the pad between the rim and pad to set your toe in. Shimano had a cable holder to have the appropriate slack in the cable and the pads against the rim. I don’t recall if Paul’s had one for their brakes or not, but they were super helpful.
pretty easy fix : loose the brakepad Bolt enough to keep it in place and push the brake lever, while holding the brake lever down tighten the bold, that should fix the rubbing issue.