Using canti levers w/ V-brakes...

[mantispf2000]

Hello All--

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm getting ready for the Mammoth marathon, again, and may just have a chance to do the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. I know, long way off, yet I do like to plan ahead.

I'm in the process of selling a Manitou Splice fork to a co-worker, and he wants a "cheap" deal. Trouble is, his current bike set-up uses ooooolldd canti-brakes, and as you know, there is no housing stop on the Splice fork. I'm also including the v-brake on the fork, however, he has those canti brake levers. Now, I know there is an adapter that will allow use of his canti levers w/v-brakes. Again, he's wants an inexpensive deal, and would rather not spend for the adapter.

Question (if I made the situation clear)-- Can he use his current old brake levers w/ the new v-brakes???? Any input you can provide will be most appreciated.

[ioscope]

No. It is a diff. system.

[partsbara]

apparently they pull cable differently... i think it s mainly marketing BS... i have used canti levers and v's before... felt fine to me, possibly engaged a little earlier...

i say go for it...

[recidivist]

Didn't we just go over this? Cantilever brakes are designed to work with a short amount of cable pull (that is, when you pull a canti lever all the way to the bar, it pulls so much cable -- a small amount). V-Brakes are designed to work with a longer amount of cable pull. [and for what its worth, road systems pull even less cable]

So yes, any (cable) brake could be used with any sort of lever, but they will be mis-matched in terms of cable pull and mechanical advantage. In this case, canti levers -> V-brakes means the levers are pulling a small amount of cable and the brakes are designed for a large amount of cable. This means the brakes will need to be set very close to the rims and will likely be really touchy and 'grabby.' (let's see -- higher mechanical advantage at the lever means more force at the .. hm ... yeah, I think that's right).

Honestly, these days, Avid single digit brakes (1D3 and such) are going for pennies on ebay. In fact you might be able to find pulls in a big enough bike stores...

[hate to break it to you, but it isn't B.S. it's engineering. OK, saying mixing systems will make you bike burst into flames is B.S.]

[partsbara]

good explaination, but i reality it works ok.... i ve tried it and sure, it felt a little 'grabby', but it worked... hell, felt like hayes disc brakes :P ON OFF ON OFF

:mumble: :dancing:

[mantispf2000]

Oh boy, do I feel like I opened a can of cable worms. Now, I am aware of the difference in cable pull, and like I mentioned, I'm doing this for a co-worker who has helped me out a lot in the past. At the same time, I don't want to "over charge" him for extra parts, as well as I also want him to have a system that works. For the record, his current brake/shift system is one-piece, so that makes getting new brake levers only out of the question. Looks like I may have to suggest one of those Problem Solvers cam thingies, if he still wants to buy the fork.

Or....... maybe I should just suggest a new bike altogether for him, as that very well may come out cheaper than the sum of the new parts he'll be getting. That's always a thought as well.

Again, thanks for all of your input and help.

[Zark]

You need Problem Solvers adapters. It looks like an Avid Rollamajig on top of your V brake. It changes the cable pull to make it work with the levers. You'll see them on Cyclocross bikes often times.