Wheels Mfg Extra Wide Straddle Carrier

I like this hanger. The main cable bolts strongly into the hanger. I did read the other reviews about ditching the screws that hold the saddle wire into the hanger. They are not needed, just let it float.

Pros: solid

Cons: saddle cable screws not needed

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 25, 2012
Reviewed by: Stewart C., Oregon

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Does improve stopping power. Came with two machine bolts and one Philps screw, why not three machine bolts? Local hardware store had machine bolts, so it was an easy swap and improved look of unit greatly.

Pros: Improved leverage, as advertised

Cons: Philips head screw doesn't seem right

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: January 28, 2012
Reviewed by: Jon F., Harrisburg, pa

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Fussy to set up. If you have clumsy hands, you might want to look at a simpler cable setup. However, this does allow you to get good cable tension to both sides, once setup is figured out.

For this price, its a good option to lock in cables to brakes, just be prepared to fuss with little wrenches, cable routing, screws, and a few more hands and fingers than you have.

Pros: Solid little piece

Cons: Challenging setup.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: November 12, 2011
Reviewed by: Western Edge, Washington

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Kind of fiddly to set up, and I'm not sure what the extra screw on the back-right of the carrier is supposed to be used for, but these are an attractive and highly-adjustable alternative to the standard "bent metal clip"-type carriers, they look great with vintage cantilevers, and they're quite wide which mimics the effect of running an overall steeper straddle cable.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: August 05, 2011
Reviewed by: Matt, Michigan

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Nice little piece

I put this on my touring bike that uses canti-brakes and road levers. Does increase the leverage to the canti's and makes stopping easier.

Pros: Light weight and increases braking power

Cons: would not use with off road tires. The cable feeds through the bottom and there is not much clearance to the tread. Works for road tires.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: June 28, 2011
Reviewed by: 300lbsgorilla, Mid MO

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Tightens both the horizontal and vertical cable. The hex head of the top bolt makes it easy to hold in place while tightening. The two small screws are really only wort using if your set up is fine tuned, it works just as well to leave them loose.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: April 02, 2011
Reviewed by: Richard B., New York

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Good cable straddle, but ditched the two set screws and allow the cable to float - works much better. Brake cable pinch bolt is a hassle to setup - requires allen key plus wrench and hard to thread cable through.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: February 16, 2011
Reviewed by: David B., Oregon

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Nice looking and light straddle carrier, but difficult to setup. There are 2 grub style screws for securing the saddle wire in the carrier but they are a pain to setup. The grub screws can be handy when you want to "define" where the center-point in your straddle wire is. This is especially handy if you run a cantilever setup that has your brake cable pulling from off to the side (a good way to avoid brake shudder). The problem is, those grub screws will make a mess of your straddle wire in no time!

Better idea, if you do use this hanger, remove the grub screws all together and increase the spring tension on one of your brake arms more than the other to keep both brakes falling off the rim equally if running an off-center hanger.

Pros: lighter than many steel carriers with giant bolts, looks nice

Cons: difficult to setup, chews up your straddle wire

Would Buy Again: No
Would Recommend: No

Reviewed on: November 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Thomas L., Ontario

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Very nice.

VAST improvement over the old school heavier carriers I had on my cyclocross bike. Easy to set up. Lots of adjustability. Included straddle cable.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: November 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Jonathan V., Michigan

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Improvement over stock

These are much better than the stock link wires that are on most cantilever brakes.

Easy to install, lots of options for adjustments, and improved feel over stock.

May take a little trial and error to set the correct height and straddle cable length, but once dialed in, it's a big improvement.

Pros: Improved braking, adjustable.

Cons: Set up can be tedious if it's your first time.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 15, 2010
Reviewed by: Matt K., Pennsylvania

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Had these on my touring bike and they worked much better than the Tectro Z Link Wires I tried previously. These were easier to setup and look a whole lot better too.

Pros: look good, easy to adjust

Cons: none

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 14, 2010
Reviewed by: Colin K., Virginia

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Cantilever brakes are a pain. Everything about cantilevers is a pain, these included. The pinch bolt is difficult to get tight enough that the brake cable doesn't slip and the carrier is made of a very soft alloy that bends easily. While this method is more secure than alternatives, these are hardly an upgrade. If you have cantilevers, they work so long as you install them carefully.

Pros: More secure than the "hook" style carriers, allows for brake centering.

Cons: Difficult to tighten brake cable pinch bolt, soft alloy.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: No

Reviewed on: September 06, 2010
Reviewed by: Aaron, Portland, OR

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Great upgrade for stock straddle carriers (these are used on all cantilever brakes, which come on most cyclocross and some touring bikes). The extra width gives better leverage, but the really cool feature is the two small fixing bolts for the straddle cable. Once you get everything set up and both sides of the brake arms balanced, you tighten these down. They prevent side-to-side movement of the carrier, which messes up the balance between the arms (= one shoe will contact the rim before the other, or actually drag!).

Pros: Nicely made and finished
Gives more leverage
Lets you "lock down" the system so less fooling with brake adjustments

Cons: None

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Ken2, Texas

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