sjanzeir

Folks, probably due to poor judgement (and relative lack of familiarity) as to how V-brakes are supposed to be properly adjusted, I've managed to wear out the cable-side arms (as opposed to the noodle-side arms - I don't know what else to call them ) of both the front and rear brakes of my Vybe. Now the spot where the cable is tightened down onto the lever is severely worn out, damaging new cables and making precise adjustment nearly impossible.

Now, they only have the Dahon logo on them, so I have no idea who the actual vendors are; all I know is that they're 105mm in length (I measured from the center of the pivot to the center of the cable tightening bolt.) An Amazon search yielded nothing, as did a Google search of "105mm V-brake."

So what can I do/where should I look?

JanMM

judging by the pictures of a Vybe (Dahon Vybe D7 Folding Bike | Chain Reaction Cycles) and that the brakes are described as "alloy V-brakes" I would think that just about any V-brake would work for you. Such as the Avid Single Digit 5. https://www.bikeman.com/Linear_Pull_Brake.html

Not clear on exactly what is worn out on your brakes.

V-brake repair/adjustment info from Park Tool: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...-brake-service

nfmisso

Avid SD5 are great brakes; we have them on our tandem.

SkyDog75

Tektro TRP 841 v-brakes are $2.99 at Bikewagon:
Tektro TRP 841A V-Brake Caliper Front or Rear

nfmisso

wow !!!

sjanzeir

Now, instead of the cables being secured into their grooves, the tightening washers flattens them out and frays them (the cable below is a brand new one):

JanMM

I would guess that chronic over-tightening has contributed to the problem.
They look functional. Some cables may be more prone to squashing/fraying than others?
Some brakes, such as the Avid mentioned above, have somewhat different cable securing hardware.

bradtx

sjanzeir, I'd run a tap through the brake arm and pick up a couple of screws from the hardware store first.

Brad

sjanzeir

Well, given that I didn't own the bike all that long, the more likely cause is my being a lazy-ass; I used to use the tighten-cable-halfway-then-pull-the-brake-lever-till-it-feels-right-then-tighten-the-cable-all-the-way method!
Having done that a few times, the cables eventually ate their way into the v-brake lever castings.

The brakes are indeed still functional; just not nearly as good as they should be. The reason I had to readjust the brakes often is that, the Vybe being an entry-level contraption, the rims aren't very robust - nowhere near as well-made as the double-walled ones on, say, my Speed D8. So they tend to go out of true often, despite the meaty 20x2.10s. I ride the D8 on the same surfaces and hit pretty much the same bumps and ruts, and yet the rims are still perfectly round and true, even with the smaller-section 1.60 tires. I've never had to readjust anything once on the D8. But then again, it was worth more than twice as much as the Vybe, so there we go.

Good call! I've been fixing to buy a set of taps for just this kind of situation for some time now. I'll see about picking up a set in the morning. Thanks!