V Brakes on a Disc Specific Frame

Howard Culley said:

Hi

Here's a weird question for you! Is it possible to fit any kind of
standard type V brake to a MTB frame that is disc specific (i.e.
doesn't have the lug's for the rear brake) frame??

BMX'ers have come up with a way around this. There's a clamp-on mount
for V-brakes sold under the Big Cheese brand name. Big Cheese is a
brand used by Quality Bicycle Products, but the mount doesn't appear in
the current catalog. There's a picture of the mount on this web page:
http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/brakes.html

Jeff

Howard Culley said:

It seems that most of the decent quality bikes all come disc specific
now, and the bike I wanted (Kona Hoss) came fitted with these
troublesome Hayes HFX9's.

Any ideas??

Yes!

Avid mechanicals. Easy to set up. Easy to maintain. On the rear, so
the modulation difference won't be as noticable. Cheap. Even if you
have to buy a lever and run some cable.

Cheap and easy -- what more could you possibly want?

E.P.

Howard Culley said:

Hi

Here's a weird question for you! Is it possible to fit any kind of
standard type V brake to a MTB frame that is disc specific (i.e.
doesn't have the lug's for the rear brake) frame??

The reason I'm wondering is that I'm getting pretty sick of messing
around with these damn Hayes hydraulic brakes. I spend more time
realigning calipers, pushing pistons back in etc etc, than I do riding
the bike!!

It seems that most of the decent quality bikes all come disc specific
now, and the bike I wanted (Kona Hoss) came fitted with these
troublesome Hayes HFX9's.

Any ideas??

Replace your levers with Mag's. I don't have ANY trouble with mine. (Three
sets of them)

Mike

I second the praises of Avid mechanicals.
They stop your bike with less maintaince than v-brakes or hydraulics.

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

Quoted message said:

Hi

Here's a weird question for you! Is it possible to fit any kind of
standard type V brake to a MTB frame that is disc specific (i.e.
doesn't have the lug's for the rear brake) frame??

The reason I'm wondering is that I'm getting pretty sick of messing
around with these damn Hayes hydraulic brakes. I spend more time
realigning calipers, pushing pistons back in etc etc, than I do riding
the bike!!

It seems that most of the decent quality bikes all come disc specific
now, and the bike I wanted (Kona Hoss) came fitted with these
troublesome Hayes HFX9's.

Any ideas??

Cheers

Howard

Quoted message said:

Howard Culley said:

Hi

Here's a weird question for you! Is it possible to fit any kind of
standard type V brake to a MTB frame that is disc specific (i.e.
doesn't have the lug's for the rear brake) frame??

BMX'ers have come up with a way around this. There's a clamp-on mount
for V-brakes sold under the Big Cheese brand name. Big Cheese is a
brand used by Quality Bicycle Products, but the mount doesn't appear
in the current catalog. There's a picture of the mount on this web
page: http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/brakes.html

I don't believe this will work. BMX bikes have u-brake bosses, which are
above the rim surface (on the seatstay/chainstay). Canti/V brakes have the
bosses below the rim surface. I'm pretty sure this mount simply allows one
to use the latter on the former.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Phil said:

I don't believe this will work. BMX bikes have u-brake bosses, which are
above the rim surface (on the seatstay/chainstay). Canti/V brakes have the
bosses below the rim surface. I'm pretty sure this mount simply allows one
to use the latter on the former.

There is a version for linear-pull brakes also.

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Phil said:

Quoted message said:

page: http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/brakes.html

I don't believe this will work. BMX bikes have u-brake bosses, which

are

Quoted message said:

above the rim surface (on the seatstay/chainstay). Canti/V brakes

have the

Quoted message said:

bosses below the rim surface. I'm pretty sure this mount simply

allows one

Quoted message said:

to use the latter on the former.

Look at the pictured mount. It's for V/cantilever brakes- an enormous
horseshoe of aluminum.

This is the U-brake mount:
http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9120

Jeff

Quoted message said:

Phil said:

Quoted message said:

page: http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/brakes.html

I don't believe this will work. BMX bikes have u-brake bosses,
which are above the rim surface (on the seatstay/chainstay).
Canti/V brakes have the bosses below the rim surface. I'm pretty
sure this mount simply allows one to use the latter on the former.

Look at the pictured mount. It's for V/cantilever brakes- an enormous
horseshoe of aluminum.

This is the U-brake mount:
http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9120

I'm confused. How does the mount clamp (with the included hose clamps) onto
the seatstays or chainstays?
--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Hi

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Avid mechanicals sound like a
fairly straight forward option.

How are these brakes for rubbing when not braking? Do the pads reset
themselves properly when you let go of the lever??

Also what advantages (from a design/construction point of view) do the
HFX Mag levers offer?? Do they still have the stupid little plug
things to stop the fluid leaking out? Or is it a screwed on type
effort?

Thanks again

Howard

Quoted message said:

I second the praises of Avid mechanicals.
They stop your bike with less maintaince than v-brakes or hydraulics.

Howard Culley said:

Hi

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Avid mechanicals sound like a
fairly straight forward option.

How are these brakes for rubbing when not braking? Do the pads reset
themselves properly when you let go of the lever??

When the pads are near the end of their service life, I find that they
sometimes rub a bit. Enough to make noise, but not enough to run right
out and buy new pads. More like "hey, I need to get new pads next time
I'm at the LBS."

All other times, you can adjust the pad-to-rotor clearance very simply
and quickly. There's a little spring that helps the pads retract.

So, to directly answer your questions: "they don't" and "yes".

HAND,

E.P.

Phil said:

I'm confused. How does the mount clamp (with the included hose

clamps) onto

Quoted message said:

the seatstays or chainstays?

Here's the V-brake mount on its own:
http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/cheesemt.gif

The bolt holds the mount centered on the frame, the hose clamps clamp
the mount to the frame above the pivots.

The description of the U-brake mount is in error, I think. It
definitely won't work with "linear pull" brakes.

Jeff

On 18 Feb 2005 14:40:24 -0800, [email hidden] (Howard Culley) may

have said:

Hi

Here's a weird question for you! Is it possible to fit any kind of
standard type V brake to a MTB frame that is disc specific (i.e.
doesn't have the lug's for the rear brake) frame??

The reason I'm wondering is that I'm getting pretty sick of messing
around with these damn Hayes hydraulic brakes. I spend more time
realigning calipers, pushing pistons back in etc etc, than I do riding
the bike!!

It seems that most of the decent quality bikes all come disc specific
now, and the bike I wanted (Kona Hoss) came fitted with these
troublesome Hayes HFX9's.

Any ideas??

Kona Hoss. Aluminum, IIRC. ITYS. Adapters to fit a rear disc brake
to a frame that wasn't set up for it are easily had, but the reverse
is not true. On a steel frame, the bosses can be added after the
fact. On aluminum, I would strongly advise not trying it. Since your
problem is with the Hayes hydraulics, though, might I suggest putting
those units up for bid on eBay and buying a mechanical rear disc
caliper and setup to install instead? Many of those are very
low-hassle, and even the crummy one that I had worked more than well
enough for a rear.

On the front, however, merely swapping to a fork with the needed
bosses for a v-brake will solve the problem, as will a swap to a less
problematic disc brake caliper setup. The cost would be the major
consideration; if you have a really good suspension fork it might not
be economical to swap out for a V-capable unit. OTOH, on a suspension
fork, the holes to screw in the pivots for the V-brakes may be there
on the present setup, with plastic plugs in them.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Howard Culley said:

Hi

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Avid mechanicals sound like a
fairly straight forward option.

How are these brakes for rubbing when not braking? Do the pads reset
themselves properly when you let go of the lever??

Also what advantages (from a design/construction point of view) do the
HFX Mag levers offer?? Do they still have the stupid little plug
things to stop the fluid leaking out? Or is it a screwed on type
effort?

The bleed plug on the Mag's is a small screw with an o-ring on it. No
leaks.

The Avid's are the best mechanicals out there but there is still the vague
"cable pull" feeling with them. With hydraulics you are more connected to
the brake through tactile feedback.

Mike

JeffWills said:

Phil said:

I'm confused. How does the mount clamp (with the included hose
clamps) onto the seatstays or chainstays?

Here's the V-brake mount on its own:
http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/cheesemt.gif

The bolt holds the mount centered on the frame, the hose clamps clamp
the mount to the frame above the pivots.

The description of the U-brake mount is in error, I think. It
definitely won't work with "linear pull" brakes.

Jeff

It looks to me as it converts U-brake equipped bikes to V-brakes. The bolt
goes in the frame where the U-brake came off.

Mike

Howard Culley said:

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The Avid mechanicals sound like a
fairly straight forward option.

How are these brakes for rubbing when not braking? Do the pads reset
themselves properly when you let go of the lever??

Avid mechanical disc brakes are very easy to mount so that the pads are
parallel to the rotor. This takes care of rubbing problems more
quickly and easily than facing your frame and fork mounts and using
tiny shims.

Quoted message said:

Also what advantages (from a design/construction point of view) do

the

Quoted message said:

HFX Mag levers offer?? Do they still have the stupid little plug
things to stop the fluid leaking out? Or is it a screwed on type
effort?

They have a panel thing on top of the master cylinder (probably
pictures on their website). It doesn't make much sense and bleeding
the brakes, or servicing them in any way, for that matter, is crude and
painful, IMO. Corrosive fluid, no threaded bleed plugs,
non-replaceable pistons with the new one piece calipers...
preposterous. Not to mention the high price, the lack of choice of
levers, and expensive, sometimes hard to find replacement parts.

-Vee

Michael Dart said:

The Avid's are the best mechanicals out there but there is still the

vague

Quoted message said:

"cable pull" feeling with them. With hydraulics you are more

connected to

Quoted message said:

the brake through tactile feedback.

I have never experienced this feeling with my Avids. The Hayes brakes
I use have better modulation to them, but it's not something that I'd
notice unless I had two bikes to compare side-by-side. Once the cable
is properly set up, the housing ends cut properly, and the housing
seated well into the ferrules, the Avids only need pad clearance
adjustments, and even then, the only adjustment I ever make is "toward
the rotor".

If I have any beef with the Avids, it's that they squeal when wet. And
yes, Bill, I do understand that this is a family newsgroup.

Anyway - I've never had any issues with "cable pull." But would it
make much difference on a rear brake?

E.P.

Michael Dart said:

JeffWills said:

Phil said:

I'm confused. How does the mount clamp (with the included hose
clamps) onto the seatstays or chainstays?

Here's the V-brake mount on its own:
http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/cheesemt.gif

The bolt holds the mount centered on the frame, the hose clamps clamp
the mount to the frame above the pivots.

The description of the U-brake mount is in error, I think. It
definitely won't work with "linear pull" brakes.

Jeff

It looks to me as it converts U-brake equipped bikes to V-brakes.
The bolt goes in the frame where the U-brake came off.

And there are no mounts for u-brakes on disc-specific bikes, hence my
original assertion that this device will not work.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

JeffWills said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Here's the V-brake mount on its own:
http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/cheesemt.gif

The bolt holds the mount centered on the frame, the hose clamps clamp
the mount to the frame above the pivots.

The description of the U-brake mount is in error, I think. It
definitely won't work with "linear pull" brakes.

Michael Dart wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It looks to me as it converts U-brake equipped bikes to V-brakes.
The bolt goes in the frame where the U-brake came off.

Phil said:

And there are no mounts for u-brakes on disc-specific bikes, hence my
original assertion that this device will not work.

Michael was mistaken about that, perhaps he doesn't know the difference
between "U brakes" and caliper brakes.

This device mounts to the fork crown or seatstay bridge in the manner of
a caliper brake. The hose clamps stiffen it up, otherwise it would be
too flexible.

There are two versions. The model for direct-pull (or centerpull)
cantilevers is shown at:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9121

There's a similar unit that works with "U brakes"

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9120

Sheldon "Grand Fromage" Brown
+-----------------------------------------------+
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| I have not winced nor cried aloud. |
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| My head is bloody, but unbowed. |
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| |
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| How charged with punishments the scroll; |
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| --William Ernest Henley |
+-----------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
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Sheldon Brown said:

JeffWills said:

Quoted message said:

> Here's the V-brake mount on its own:
> http://www.gaerlan.com/bikeparts/parts/brakes/cheesemt.gif
>
> The bolt holds the mount centered on the frame, the hose clamps
> clamp the mount to the frame above the pivots.
>
> The description of the U-brake mount is in error, I think. It
> definitely won't work with "linear pull" brakes.
>

Michael Dart wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It looks to me as it converts U-brake equipped bikes to V-brakes.
The bolt goes in the frame where the U-brake came off.

Phil said:

And there are no mounts for u-brakes on disc-specific bikes, hence my
original assertion that this device will not work.

Michael was mistaken about that, perhaps he doesn't know the
difference between "U brakes" and caliper brakes.

This device mounts to the fork crown or seatstay bridge in the manner
of a caliper brake. The hose clamps stiffen it up, otherwise it
would be too flexible.

There are two versions. The model for direct-pull (or centerpull)
cantilevers is shown at:

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9121

There's a similar unit that works with "U brakes"

http://harriscyclery.net/site/page.cfm?PageID=49&SKU=BR9120

Sheldon "Grand Fromage" Brown

My bad "Big Cheese".

Mike