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V-brake questions . . .

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Road Cycling
Published
29 April 2007
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  1. I just got a cyclo-cross bike, equiped with V-brakes and was wondering
    about a few things. (Pardon my ignorance, but this is the first time
    I had this style.)

    Is there a way to remove the wheel without letting the air out of the
    tire or removing the brake cable?

    Is there a way to center the brakes?

    Can the brakes and/or levers (Shimano STIs) be adjusted so the levers
    don't need to be squeezed nearly to the bar before the pads touch the
    rims?

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

  2. Quoted message said:

    I just got a cyclo-cross bike, equiped with V-brakes and was wondering
    about a few things. (Pardon my ignorance, but this is the first time
    I had this style.)

    Is there a way to remove the wheel without letting the air out of the
    tire or removing the brake cable?

    Yes. You squeeze the brake arms together and pop the little "bracket
    thingy" up once there's slack in the cable.

    Quoted message said:

    Is there a way to center the brakes?

    Yes, there are little tension screws on each side. Tighten to widen the pad
    gap; loosen to reduce (works the same as cable tension adjusters).

    Quoted message said:

    Can the brakes and/or levers (Shimano STIs) be adjusted so the levers
    don't need to be squeezed nearly to the bar before the pads touch the
    rims?

    Yes, you'll need to release the brake cable and take up some slack; then
    re-tighten retaining bolt. Most likely the wheel won't turn at all at this
    point; use techniques above to adjust/center brake arms.

    Quoted message said:

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Hell no!

    I'm sure someone will explain this better; better yet, go to Sheldon Brown's
    or Park Tools' sites and look at the pictures with directions.

    Once you get 'em, V-brakes are about the easiest brakes to set up and
    adjust.

    Enjoy your new bike!

    Bill S.

  3. You should not have v brakes on an road bike with STI levers. They don't
    pull enough cable. In fact the only drop bar lever that does is the dia
    compe 287V. That is why you end up not being able to pull the lever enough
    to engage the brakes. Using an adaptor like the travel agent, basically a
    pulley that goes on the cable by the brake, you can increase the lever's
    cable pull and make it work. Cantilevers would work fine no adaptor needed.

    To remove the wheel: you unhook the noodle from the hook. This is done by
    pulling the two calipers together while pivoting the hook downwards.

    To center: each of the two calipers should have a small screw on the side
    of the anchor bolt area. Screwing it in puts more tension on the spring
    forcing brake arm away from the rim and vice versa for loosening the screw.

    <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    I just got a cyclo-cross bike, equiped with V-brakes and was wondering
    about a few things. (Pardon my ignorance, but this is the first time
    I had this style.)

    Is there a way to remove the wheel without letting the air out of the
    tire or removing the brake cable?

    Is there a way to center the brakes?

    Can the brakes and/or levers (Shimano STIs) be adjusted so the levers
    don't need to be squeezed nearly to the bar before the pads touch the
    rims?

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

  4. Quoted message said:

    I just got a cyclo-cross bike, equiped with V-brakes and was wondering
    about a few things. (Pardon my ignorance, but this is the first time
    I had this style.)

    Snipped

    Quoted message said:


    Can the brakes and/or levers (Shimano STIs) be adjusted so the levers
    don't need to be squeezed nearly to the bar before the pads touch the
    rims?

    Without a special adapter *NO*. STIs are not compatible with V-brakes
    unless a special adapter such as a Travel Agent is used.

    Quoted message said:

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    *YES!* It is less expensive to get cantilevers than it is for the
    adapters needed to use STI with V-brakes. Also cantilevers are better
    in mud because they have more clearance. Avid Shortys are a good
    inexpensive choice for cantilevers.

    I am amazed that an STI cyclo-cross bike came with V-brakes. I would
    ask the shop to swap the V-brakes for cantilevers since the V-brake/
    STI combo is widely known to not be compatible. In my opinion they
    should not charge you for the change either.

    Cheers from Peter

    Cheers from Peter

  5. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Sir Ridesalot said:
    Quoted message said:

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    *YES!* It is less expensive to get cantilevers than it is for the
    adapters needed to use STI with V-brakes. Also cantilevers are better
    in mud because they have more clearance. Avid Shortys are a good
    inexpensive choice for cantilevers.

    I am amazed that an STI cyclo-cross bike came with V-brakes. I would
    ask the shop to swap the V-brakes for cantilevers since the V-brake/
    STI combo is widely known to not be compatible. In my opinion they
    should not charge you for the change either.

    For a commuting/utility/rain bike, centre-pull cantis
    might be preferable over V-brakes because they more
    easily accommodate fenders.

    cheers,
    Tom

    --
    Nothing is safe from me.
    Above address is just a spam midden.
    I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

  6. "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Hell no!

    Bill S.

    Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull cantilevered
    brakes, especially in the appplication.

    If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for the only
    drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by Dia-compe and get
    bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach is to keep the STI
    brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that increases mechanical
    advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    BobT

  7. BobT said:

    "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Hell no!

    Bill S.

    Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach is
    to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice the STI
    brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment came in the middle
    of a much longer reply.)

    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring out how
    to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them the heck alone
    than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a travel agent, apparently,
    but that begs the question of how or why his bike got set up that way in the
    first place.)

  8. Bill Sornson said:
    BobT said:

    "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    > Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Hell no!

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Bill S.

    Quoted message said:

    Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:

    If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach is
    to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice the STI
    brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment came in the middle
    of a much longer reply.)

    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring out how
    to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them the heck alone
    than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a travel agent, apparently,
    but that begs the question of how or why his bike got set up that way in the
    first place.)- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    Hi.

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than the
    travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP to get
    cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with the
    brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Peter

  9. Sir Ridesalot said:
    Bill Sornson said:
    BobT said:

    "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...
    >> Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:

    > Hell no!

    Quoted message said:

    > Bill S.

    Quoted message said:

    Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:

    If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach
    is to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice
    the STI brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment came
    in the middle of a much longer reply.)

    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring
    out how to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them
    the heck alone than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a
    travel agent, apparently, but that begs the question of how or why
    his bike got set up that way in the first place.)- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    Hi.

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than the
    travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP to get
    cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with the
    brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Then the question remains: why was his bike set up like that in the first
    place?

  10. Bill Sornson said:
    Sir Ridesalot said:
    Bill Sornson said:

    BobT wrote:
    > "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >news:[email hidden]...
    >>> Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >> Hell no!

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >> Bill S.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    > cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    > the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    > Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach
    > is to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    > increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice
    the STI brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment came
    in the middle of a much longer reply.)

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring
    out how to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them
    the heck alone than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a
    travel agent, apparently, but that begs the question of how or why
    his bike got set up that way in the first place.)- Hide quoted text -

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    - Show quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    Hi.

    Quoted message said:

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than the
    travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP to get
    cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with the
    brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Then the question remains: why was his bike set up like that in the first
    place?- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    Hi there.

    Why his bike came with V-vrakes and Brifters is our question. The OP's
    question is would he be better off with cantilever brakes. The answer
    is yes he is better off with cantilever brakes such as the Avid
    Shortys which are cheaper than the Travel Agents needed to use the V-
    brakes with Brifters. The 2 pairs of Avid cantilever brakes are also
    less expensive than the Dia Compe drop bar V-brake levers.

    Cheers from Peter

  11. Sir Ridesalot said:
    Bill Sornson said:
    Sir Ridesalot said:

    On Apr 30, 12:44 am, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    > BobT wrote:
    >> "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >> news:[email hidden]...
    >>>> Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:

    >>> Hell no!

    Quoted message said:

    >>> Bill S.

    Quoted message said:

    >> Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    >> cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:

    >> If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    >> the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    >> Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach
    >> is to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    >> increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    Quoted message said:

    > I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice
    > the STI brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment
    > came in the middle of a much longer reply.)

    Quoted message said:

    > Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring
    > out how to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave
    > them the heck alone than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may
    > need a travel agent, apparently, but that begs the question of how
    > or why his bike got set up that way in the first place.)- Hide
    > quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    > - Show quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    Hi.

    Quoted message said:

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than
    the travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP
    to get cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with
    the brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Then the question remains: why was his bike set up like that in the
    first place?- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    Hi there.

    Why his bike came with V-vrakes and Brifters is our question. The OP's
    question is would he be better off with cantilever brakes. The answer
    is yes he is better off with cantilever brakes such as the Avid
    Shortys which are cheaper than the Travel Agents needed to use the V-
    brakes with Brifters. The 2 pairs of Avid cantilever brakes are also
    less expensive than the Dia Compe drop bar V-brake levers.

    Cheers from Peter

    Actually, the OP asked how to remove a wheel, how to center the brakes, and
    how to adjust the levers to not have to squeeze so hard/far. Makes me
    wonder if they really are STI, but assuming they are, one must think that
    the bike worked pretty well at one point set up that way. I'm not convinced
    it couldn't be made "right" without buying a thing.

    Maybe the OP can post a picture of the beast?

    B

  12. Bill Sornson said:
    Sir Ridesalot said:
    Bill Sornson said:

    BobT wrote:
    > "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >news:[email hidden]...
    >>> Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >> Hell no!

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    >> Bill S.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    > cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    > If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    > the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    > Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach
    > is to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    > increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice
    the STI brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment came
    in the middle of a much longer reply.)

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring
    out how to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them
    the heck alone than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a
    travel agent, apparently, but that begs the question of how or why
    his bike got set up that way in the first place.)- Hide quoted text -

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    - Show quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    Hi.

    Quoted message said:

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than the
    travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP to get
    cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with the
    brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Then the question remains: why was his bike set up like that in the first
    place?- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    I bought the frame -- Surley -- then had my shop build it up. The V-
    brakes were what they put on. (Never said the shop was a very good
    one! Unfortuately its the only one nearby.) I knew nothing about the
    V-brake/STI incompatibility thing. I mean, it does work OK as of now,
    as the wheels are new and still true. Thing is, the pads are about
    1mm from the rim, so once it goes the slightest bit out of true, I
    guess I'm screwed? (The bike has already been used several times --
    and is filthy as hell! -- so I gues its too late to as the shop for a
    swap.) Is it very hard to put cantilevers if I found some on line
    clearence deal?

  13. Quoted message said:
    Bill Sornson said:
    Sir Ridesalot said:

    On Apr 30, 12:44 am, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    > BobT wrote:
    >> "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >> news:[email hidden]...
    >>>> Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?

    Quoted message said:

    >>> Hell no!

    Quoted message said:

    >>> Bill S.

    Quoted message said:

    >> Please explain why V-brakes are so much better than center pull
    >> cantilevered brakes, especially in the appplication.

    Quoted message said:

    >> If he keeps V-brakes, he will have to abandon the STI brifters for
    >> the only drop bar compatible V brake compatible levers made by
    >> Dia-compe and get bar-end or down-tube shifters. Another approach
    >> is to keep the STI brifters and attach a pulley to the brakes that
    >> increases mechanical advantage such as the Travel Agent.

    Quoted message said:

    > I was applying my experience with mountain bikes, and didn't notice
    > the STI brifter aspect of the OP's question. (My above comment
    > came in the middle of a much longer reply.)

    Quoted message said:

    > Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring
    > out how to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave
    > them the heck alone than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may
    > need a travel agent, apparently, but that begs the question of how
    > or why his bike got set up that way in the first place.)- Hide
    > quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    > - Show quoted text -

    Quoted message said:

    Hi.

    Quoted message said:

    When I compared the price of a Travel Agent to the price a pair of
    Avid Shorty cantilever brakes the Avid brakes were *CHEAPER* than
    the travel agent. Therefore it can be *LESS EXPENSIVE* for the OP
    to get cantilever brakes than to modify his V-brakes to work with
    the brifters. Plus the cantilever set up is less prone to fouling.

    Then the question remains: why was his bike set up like that in the
    first place?- Hide quoted text -

    - Show quoted text -

    I bought the frame -- Surley -- then had my shop build it up. The V-
    brakes were what they put on. (Never said the shop was a very good
    one! Unfortuately its the only one nearby.) I knew nothing about the
    V-brake/STI incompatibility thing. I mean, it does work OK as of now,
    as the wheels are new and still true. Thing is, the pads are about
    1mm from the rim, so once it goes the slightest bit out of true, I
    guess I'm screwed? (The bike has already been used several times --
    and is filthy as hell! -- so I gues its too late to as the shop for a
    swap.) Is it very hard to put cantilevers if I found some on line
    clearence deal?\

    PLEASE post a picture of this...entity 🙂

  14. Quoted message said:

    I just got a cyclo-cross bike, equiped with V-brakes and was wondering
    about a few things. (Pardon my ignorance, but this is the first time
    I had this style.)

    Is there a way to remove the wheel without letting the air out of the
    tire or removing the brake cable?

    No, you just have to unhook the brake cable from the stop. Nothing
    really gets disconnected, and the brake opens up.

    Quoted message said:


    Is there a way to center the brakes?

    There are small screws near the pivots which adjust the spring tension,
    and so center the brake.

    Quoted message said:


    Can the brakes and/or levers (Shimano STIs) be adjusted so the levers
    don't need to be squeezed nearly to the bar before the pads touch the
    rims?

    You need to get something called a "travel agent" that will change the
    amount of cable travel. Clever gadget.

    Quoted message said:


    Would I be better of with cantilevered brakes?


    Depends. V brakes are fairly simple once you get used to them.

    --

    David L. Johnson

    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by
    little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

  15. Bill Sornson said:


    Still, if his bike is all set up and it's just a matter of figuring out how
    to adjust his V-brakes, it seems simpler to me to leave them the heck alone
    than to go out and buy new brakes. (He may need a travel agent, apparently,
    but that begs the question of how or why his bike got set up that way in the
    first place.)

    In addition, he will need brake cable hangers to use canti's. It may be
    not so trivial to set that up, depending on the bike. I see no real
    reason to change from one to the other. Yes, v-brakes take more cable
    travel to operate, but travel agents take care of that. Many canti's
    do, too, except for the avid shorties.

    --

    David L. Johnson

    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by
    little statesmen and philosophers and divines." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

  16. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Bill Sornson said:
    Quoted message said:
    Bill Sornson said:

    Sir Ridesalot wrote:
    > On Apr 30, 12:44 am, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    >> BobT wrote:
    >>> "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >>> news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I bought the frame -- Surley -- then had my shop build it up. The V-
    brakes were what they put on. (Never said the shop was a very good
    one! Unfortuately its the only one nearby.) I knew nothing about the
    V-brake/STI incompatibility thing. I mean, it does work OK as of now,
    as the wheels are new and still true. Thing is, the pads are about
    1mm from the rim, so once it goes the slightest bit out of true, I
    guess I'm screwed? (The bike has already been used several times --
    and is filthy as hell! -- so I gues its too late to as the shop for a
    swap.) Is it very hard to put cantilevers if I found some on line
    clearence deal?\

    PLEASE post a picture of this...entity 🙂

    Bill, if only it were unique.

    Given the situation, my vote would be for travel agents on the current
    bike.

    I run cantis on my commuter (Miyata 210 tourer) and my CX bike. If I had
    access to a set of Dia-Compe 287V levers, I would surely put those and
    V-brakes on the Miyata, just for the easier and more consistent setup.

    CX bikes have a reason (mud clearance) for preferring cantis, and cantis
    work great. I'd much rather have a set of cantis on a bike than the
    usual mediocre long-reach single-pivot brakes so common on old bikes
    that have enough clearance to fit fenders.

    At present, I am still trying to find an application in which Tektro
    Mini-Vs actually clear the tire. The no-gos so far are a CX bike and a
    20" (wheel) kid-sized bike.

    Noodle hits the tire, dontcha know,

    --
    Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
    "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
    to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

  17. Ryan Cousineau said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    Bill Sornson said:
    Quoted message said:

    On Apr 30, 6:14 pm, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    > Sir Ridesalot wrote:
    >> On Apr 30, 12:44 am, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    >>> BobT wrote:
    >>>> "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >>>> news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I bought the frame -- Surley -- then had my shop build it up. The
    V- brakes were what they put on. (Never said the shop was a very
    good one! Unfortuately its the only one nearby.) I knew nothing
    about the V-brake/STI incompatibility thing. I mean, it does work
    OK as of now, as the wheels are new and still true. Thing is, the
    pads are about 1mm from the rim, so once it goes the slightest bit
    out of true, I guess I'm screwed? (The bike has already been used
    several times -- and is filthy as hell! -- so I gues its too late
    to as the shop for a swap.) Is it very hard to put cantilevers if
    I found some on line clearence deal?\

    PLEASE post a picture of this...entity 🙂

    Bill, if only it were unique.

    Given the situation, my vote would be for travel agents on the current
    bike.

    I run cantis on my commuter (Miyata 210 tourer) and my CX bike. If I
    had access to a set of Dia-Compe 287V levers, I would surely put
    those and V-brakes on the Miyata, just for the easier and more
    consistent setup.

    CX bikes have a reason (mud clearance) for preferring cantis, and
    cantis work great. I'd much rather have a set of cantis on a bike
    than the usual mediocre long-reach single-pivot brakes so common on
    old bikes that have enough clearance to fit fenders.

    At present, I am still trying to find an application in which Tektro
    Mini-Vs actually clear the tire. The no-gos so far are a CX bike and a
    20" (wheel) kid-sized bike.

    Noodle hits the tire, dontcha know,

    I guess I'm just curious as to why the bike shop built the bike like this
    (per the OP). I want to see those levers.

    Bill "braking voyeur" S.

  18. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Bill Sornson said:
    Ryan Cousineau said:

    In article <[email hidden]>,

    Bill Sornson said:

    [email hidden] wrote:
    > On Apr 30, 6:14 pm, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    >> Sir Ridesalot wrote:
    >>> On Apr 30, 12:44 am, "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote:
    >>>> BobT wrote:
    >>>>> "Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    >>>>> news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    > I bought the frame -- Surley -- then had my shop build it up. The
    > V- brakes were what they put on. (Never said the shop was a very
    > good one! Unfortuately its the only one nearby.) I knew nothing
    > about the V-brake/STI incompatibility thing. I mean, it does work
    > OK as of now, as the wheels are new and still true. Thing is, the
    > pads are about 1mm from the rim, so once it goes the slightest bit
    > out of true, I guess I'm screwed? (The bike has already been used
    > several times -- and is filthy as hell! -- so I gues its too late
    > to as the shop for a swap.) Is it very hard to put cantilevers if
    > I found some on line clearence deal?\

    PLEASE post a picture of this...entity 🙂

    Bill, if only it were unique.

    Quoted message said:

    I guess I'm just curious as to why the bike shop built the bike like this
    (per the OP). I want to see those levers.

    Bill "braking voyeur" S.

    My guess is that they're dumb and were able to make it sort of work.

    --
    Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
    "I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
    to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

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