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MisterMental
11-11-2003, 04:23 PM
can i use a v brake lever with a u brake?
HippieKai
11-11-2003, 04:26 PM
yup!
just not a center pull with a v-brake
and please people stop trying to put a gyro on a bike with v-brakes it just won't work!
goosemagoo
11-11-2003, 07:48 PM
Originally posted by Mag204
yup!
just not a center pull with a v-brake
and please people stop trying to put a gyro on a bike with v-brakes it just won't work!

I'm not a dirt jumper, bmxer or a bar spinner (so pardon the ignorance) but why doesn't it work?:confused:
Misfitslacker
11-11-2003, 08:49 PM
v brakes require more pull than 990s or center pull, so a 990 level wont provide enough leverage...i think thats right i could be wrong
HippieKai
11-12-2003, 01:32 AM
Originally posted by Misfitslacker
v brakes require more pull than 990s or center pull, so a 990 level wont provide enough leverage...i think thats right i could be wrong

Nope thats right, just a diff leverage thing! Some levers have a switch or dial that will let you use them on both styles of brakes but for the most part they are specific, brake to lever.
Mudpuppy
11-12-2003, 10:43 AM
Yeah but that shouldn't make v-levers not work with a gyro. The gyro on my bike has about twice as much travel as it uses for my 990. So I would imagine that v-brakes would work fine with a gyro you would just need to use a v-lever.
RandomV
11-12-2003, 10:51 AM
All I know is that I've heard a hundred times that v brakes and gyros don't mix. I don't think I know anyone that has actually tried it, so I don't have anything in the way of experience to offer.

If I had a frame with v-brake mounts on it, I'd try it just to see what happens. Sadly, I don't. Can anyone report first-hand experiene on that?
Misfitslacker
11-12-2003, 01:58 PM
my friend tried it once, but he liked his stem kinda low so he didnt have to many spacers for the gyro so he couldnt get enough pull out of it to work, he could only get the pads to just barely rub on the rim...didnt work at all, even with more spacers i cant see it working at all.
HippieKai
11-12-2003, 02:10 PM
it's still a leverage issue. You can get a v-brake to work with a gyro. But not very well. It will either feel very squishy because you had to set the cable loose to get any pull out of the lever. Or it will feel way to hard because you accualy wanted to stop. but you will never get it to feel like a good brake. Its all in how much cable is being pulled.


I know it doesn't make sense just looking at it, but trust me. After seeing about a 100 bikes with this set up and trying to make all of them work (and reading the manual you get with a gyro) v-brakes just don't work! You can get cable discs to work though, but that has to do with the caliper set up.
Mudpuppy
11-12-2003, 08:42 PM
Originally posted by Mag204
it's still a leverage issue. You can get a v-brake to work with a gyro. But not very well. It will either feel very squishy because you had to set the cable loose to get any pull out of the lever. Or it will feel way to hard because you accualy wanted to stop. but you will never get it to feel like a good brake. Its all in how much cable is being pulled.

Sorry but I have to call BS on that. Tell me exactly how a gyro affects leverage.

It is a device to split the cable. It does not decrease or increase mechanical advantage. It could add parts that flex or more cables to stretch, but v-brakes flex most bikes seatstays anyway so are you really losing any power?

And besides, what does a "good brake" feel like? I like my brakes to feel very on/off with a very firm lever feel.
HippieKai
11-12-2003, 08:44 PM
look dude i don't know why it doesn't i just know after much experience and like i said (it's in the instructions for a gyro) that it doesn't work!
bmxstreet0
11-12-2003, 08:52 PM
I had a bmx that had v-brakes and a gyro... it worked fine... :confused:
Mudpuppy
11-13-2003, 01:44 AM
I've never tried it but now I think I might have to on my next bike. Just to see what's up.
dromond
11-15-2003, 08:08 AM
Originally posted by bmxstreet0
I had a bmx that had v-brakes and a gyro... it worked fine... :confused:

What BMX had V-brake mounts and a gyro? Was it a race frame?
The Captain
11-15-2003, 08:44 AM
just run the front brake cable through the stem, and run a longer rear brake cable...viola!! bar spin city.....(of course this is done with a single speed or really long shifter cable/housing)