Brakes designed for tandem and cyclocross bicycles, also brakes for touring bikes and bicycles

If you've been in the tandem business as long as we have (since 1973) you've done a lot of adapting. It seems that most of the major manufacturers don't see a need to develop components specifically designed for tandem use. So, we tandem makers have had to make do by adapting parts made for single bikes and mountain bikes into our parts specifications. Brakes are one of those areas that have been completely abandoned by the big guys, so we decided to do something about it! While everyone else is busy trying to adapt the latest mountain bike brake for tandem use, we're thinking out of the box. We developed our own brake, and in 2012 were issued a full patent on our design.

If you have a mountain bike, use a brake that was designed for a mountain bike. If you ride a tandem, use a brake that is designed for a tandem!

The benefits of cantilever brakes for tandems, touring bikes and travel bikes are undeniable. Length of pad wear, ease of mounting racks, fenders, wide tires etc... We love the cantilever brakes of the distant past (not to be confused with the U-brake or V-brake which we hated), and now we've developed the cantilever brake of the future. Below is a picture of the Big Squeeze® cantilever brake. We now produce the Big Squeeze® brakes by the hundreds, and sell them all over the world.

The Big Squeeze® is an old school cantilever brake with several new, patented improvements over any other brake available. It's also the only brake on the market specifically designed with the tandem and self-contained touring rider in mind.

Ease of adjustment
On any brake, adjusting the toe of the brake pads is essential for proper performance. On a true old school cantilever, the toe adjustment was very difficult to fine tune. A young bike mechanic will still tremble at the thought of adjusting the dreaded cantilever brake. The Big Squeeze® fixes this problem completely. No more dreaded 'preset notches' for toe adjustment. This makes it much easier to align the pads exactly where you want them and eliminate brake squeal.
No more Mr. squeaky!
Adjusting the approach angle of the brake arms is necessary in a cantilever to adjust for different frame designs/sizes. Usually, this adjustment has to be done using the posts on the brake pads. This often causes a lot of flex resulting in loss of braking power or that deafening squeal. On the Big Squeeze®, the pivot at the top of the arm allows for angle adjustment. This means that the pads can be set to full depth against the mounting hardware. A much firmer feel, and less vibration is the result (no squeal).
Lots more power!
In a traditional cantilever design the brake loses power as the saddle (or yoke) raises upwards because the angle of the straddle changes. So, the more you apply the brake, the more your mechanical advantage is diminished. The Big Squeeze® eliminates this problem by pulling from the bottom of the brake arm.
Longer pad life
Because our Big Squeeze® cantilever brake is designed to use standard 'post' style brake pads (instead of V-brake style pads), you'll get a much thicker wear surface that will last over twice as long as V-brake style pads. For $25 extra per brake, you can upgrade to Mathouser pads that will last even longer.

How about that? All the advantages of a cantilever with all the major drawbacks solved. If you ride a tandem or a touring bike, you can't get a lighter weight, better designed brake....why compromise?

Want to see some pictures of the brakes? Have any questions about setting up your own? Head over to the Big Squeeze Installation Manual!

Tandem Bicycles and the Brakes they need!