Touring - Dia-Compe 287V Levers

I am just setting up some Dia-Compe 287V Brake Levers with some older Shimano STX V brakes. These take the full size brake pad. I have used the little noodle they supply that comes out of the brake hood but there still seems to be a lot of drag on the rear. I actually had to put the brake caliper into the first hole on the brake boss to increase the spring tension or they would not open completely. I tried it without the noodle and it actually seemed worse. There seems to be quite an angle coming out of the back of the hood. This is where the frictions seems to be. Any thoughts?

What I found was that the plastic insert in one of the noodles had a squashed end, dragging on the cable. I used my cable cutter to cut the damaged bit away, and that helped.

I never had that noddle so I have set mine "straight", with the cable housing going directly to the bake levers themselves. I was also told that the noodle sold with the 287-V should be used to replace the non-adjustable noodle that goes near the brake.

Friction can be a problem but it doesn't need to be. It depends on the angle and position of the cable housing. I would recommend the following procedure to minimize friction.

1. Make sure your cable housing has a clean cut at the end. Route it approximately to find the proper length, but do not tape it yet to the handlebars.

2. Install the cable in the housing and attach the brake end.

3. Adjust the cable length and make sure the brakes work properly.

4. Then and only then, tape the cable housing onto the handlebars, and double check how the brakes work. Sometimes moving the cable housing by 1-2 mm near its point of entry into the lever is all you need to make the thing work properly.

5. Then tape the bars, cut excess cable length and protect the end.

I use the 287V's on two of my bikes; the problem you are having is not uncommon. You might make sure that all of your cable housings are clean and free of dirt. Lubing the cable might also help. Lastly, you might try a different brake cable. I upgraded my cables, lubed them and replaced a couple pieces of the brake cable housing; all of those changes helped to get better braking.

My 287V levers never came with those noodles so I've got bare cable housings running straight into the levers. Switching to teflon coated brake cables with quality cable housing seem to have taken care of that cable dragging symptom....at least in my case...
I never liked the way they modified these levers for V brake use.....just badly designed.

My main problem with them is that you're screwing the lock screw straight into the ultra-soft aluminium body. There should've been some form of harder metal insert there to screw into.
Naturally, it only took one slip with the screwdriver to ruin the outer half of the threads in one of them... It takes me half an hour to get that screw back in after I've replaced the cable...