Bicycle Mechanics - Exage Brake handles

I recently picked up n older Schwinn Sierra, and it has Exage brake handles. It only has the rear brake, and it doesn't have the extra piece that extends from the brake handle that the housing rest upon( the little metal insert that screw into the handle. All the ones I have are either to big or to small.., i was wondering if anyone knows where i can find this piece, Also can I put on any other kind of brakes, it has brake bosses, and I most likely will try to put V brakes on it. Will this work???

It sounds like you've got a brake lever from the Shimano Exage Mountain group, which means the lever you're talking about was more than likely designed for cantilever brakes, which pull a different amount of cable than you'll need for v-brakes. You could use Travel Agents with v-brakes, if you end up using levers intended for cantis with the v-brakes. As far as the frame and fork being compatible with v-brakes, it should work, although you may have to do something funky with the cable routing............And it sounds like the part you're missing on the brake lever is the barrel adjuster...........It's funny, because I've got what's left of an '89 Schwinn High Sierra mtb in my basement, and I'm using some somewhat newer Exage (road) brake levers on my old Schwinn road bike.