So I haven't posted on this forum for ages, but I did a fix on my bike that I just have to share. It's been done before, but I just wanted to testify that in my case it worked really well.
I have a Bianchi Reparto Corse lugged steel cross bike from I believe about 1995. It's my baby and my go-to daily ride, but I don't actually race it. I love the bike and have it set up just right for me, but one thing that has always bothered me is how the fork chattered and even bounced around under heavy braking, like say stopping at the bottom of a steep hill. I tried everything to get the cantis (Ritchey WCS) adjusted: toe-in, new pads, raised the yoke - nothing worked. I was beginning to think my beloved bike had a fatal flaw, that that Deddeciai steel fork was just a little too slender for the load. I mean it was downright scary to watch the front hub bounce around while braking to a stop, and the squealing was just embarrassing.
I talked to a top mechanic at a LBS and he said they stopped carrying Volpes and other Bianchi XC bikes because this problem was endemic, they had a lot of complaints and Bianchi wouldn't do anything about it. He said the one thing that worked was fork mounted cable stop, because it limited the action of the fork flexing on the brake cable tension. He sold me a $6 hanger but when on my bike b/c the of the position of the fork crown hole and the bottom flange of the headset I was going to have to use a lot of spacer washers and end up with the cable stop way out in front of the canti arms and it just seemed kludgy.
I did some research and this article does a great job of explaining the fork flex issue.
http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/...o-cross_101807
Anyways I found a pair of old mini-V brakes at another LBS for $5 so I decided to try them out, and wow problem solved. I can endo the bike without so much as a peep from the brakes. Chatter? - Zero.
So I didn't use a travel agent or a V-brake compatible lever and I feel that the clearance and feel is decent. I'm using old non-aero brake levers b/c I have moustache bars with bar end shifters. I estimate that my levers only pull about 1 cm of cable.
My rim is a Mavic Open Pro and it is not perfect. I discovered that it's not centered over the hub and that it has a couple minor wobbles. The first issue I was able to deal with by playing with the brake arm rebound screws to get the pads on both sides the same distance from the rims, and the second hasn't caused any problems. I did get (for free from the first LBS) and pulley device with a cable barrel adjuster as a noodle replacement - this is key b/c there's no way to adjust the cable tension otherwise. I set it so that when I screw it all the way in (loosening tension) I can just remove the noodle thingy from the brake to remove the wheel. For riding I have it set so that I have a good 3mm of rim clearance on both sides and I still get plenty of braking power. I realize that for cross that may not be enough on a muddy course, but I could probably get another mm or two and still get OK braking.
I'm keeping my rear canti as I see no reason to swap it out and honestly the way it's set up the feel between the two brakes is remarkably similar. Maybe b/c the rear brake has a longer cable run and the pads are worn and a long way from the rim.
So one vote for mini-Vs. I was ready to try a long reach caliper just to see if it would work, but I'm happy to be able the use the fork posts for something!