Joshua A.C. New

The consensus on this board regarding Tektro Mini V brakes on road bars seems to be "I think they work". I found someone saying that he loves the brakes and showed a pic of his bike, but there was no picture of the bars, so I wasn't sure just what was working. Would someone be kind enough to assure me that they work and tell me what quirks they have?

Do they require a Travel Agent, or do they work with normal road bar levers?

Do they have that snappy V-brake feel I love so well that keeps me from getting hit by cars?

RadioFlyer

bump.

I'm interested in learning more as well.

Retro Grouch 

Not a fan of mini-v's.

When paired with typical road brake levers they require too much cable pull. This means that you have to set up the brake pads very, very close to the rim. So close that the stock noodle won't release from the brake arm

When you do that, how are you going to remove your wheel? As I see it here are your options.
1. Use a really skinny tire (700 x20c) that isn't any wider than the rim.
2. Clip the noodle nose so it will release from the caliper arm more easily.
3. Use a noodle that has a barrel adjuster and readjust the cable tension when you remove your wheel.
4. Use a cable pull device like the Travel Agent.
5. Use brake levers, like Dia-Compe 287-V that have more cable pull.
6. Use Campy brake levers that have an integrated quick release.

rhenning

My wife has them on her Bike Friday Pocket Crusoe Petite. I put them on when we changed from flat bats to drop bars. Standard Shimano drop bar levers and Tektro mini v-brakes. They work fine. Roger

Joshua A.C. New

How do you address Retro's concerns?

Specifically, can she lock the back wheel in an emergency, and can she get the wheels off?

top506

I run the Tektro mini-Vs on a bike that has 287-V levers. Some folks don't think the 287s pull enough cable for conventional V-brakes, but they'll lock up the minis no problem.
Top

Joshua A.C. New

My understanding is that those are the only road brake levers designed for V brakes anyway. What I'm trying to find out is whether the mini Vs work with regular ol' brake levers. Except for Retro, who says "no", I'm still hearing waffly answers.

It sounds like no, they don't work.

(The Bike Friday Crusoe is a pretty neat bike, by the way.)

justinb

I've got the mini-v's on my 'cross bike. Retro is right, the pads are really close to the rim, and you need some kind of other way to get them to open. In my case, the left lever is a Cane Creek and the right, Campy Veloce. So I have the quick releases there. Beyond that, I've been quite pleased with the braking performance. So, yes, they do work, with the caveat that pads are close to the rim, like 1.5mm in my case.

Joshua A.C. New

Ah, good point! Just having another release will solve the whole issue, won't it?

How do you find the responsiveness compared to regular Vs or cantis?

d_D

I have one combined with a Tektro R200A lever and kool stop pads. It's good enough to lift the rear wheel off the ground which is good enough for me. I can also get the noodle out without using the lever qr. I do however have them adjusted so the lever is quite close to the bar when the pads hit the rim.

They are not as grabby as I remember v brakes to be but not as far in the other direction as cantis. I haven't really used either in years so don't take my assessment too seriously.

Joshua A.C. New

Cool. It sounds like, with a little bit of careful matching of bits, this can work out.

The summary (unless others add to this thread):

• With road levers, they have a reduced but extant amount of "squishiness" compared to regular V brakes.
• The answer is to dial them close to the rim OR ignore the effect as long as you can stop well.
• Making sure they clear the tire when dialed close means using a QR on the levers or elsewhere.


Thanks, folks!