Originally Posted by
FBinNY
It's important that the OP use V-brake shoes, not road. While road and V-brake shoes mount the same way there are two important differences.
Road shoes usually have much shorter heights (thicknesses) so the brake will be closed farther when engaged. This matters because brakes move in an arc so when closed more than the design calls for the shoe motion is downward at an angle (picture movement at noon on a clock vs. 11 or 10 o'clock) and brake performance will be sub par.
Also the longer shoes used on V-brakes help prevent the chatter (squeal) caused by slop in the pivot. Road brakes can be set for near zero play and will work with shorter shoes, but there's no way to eliminate play in canti or V-brakes. The longer shoes used on these aren't because the makers don't have a bunch of cheap rubber laying around.
Funny but I had just the opposite experience with the Avid SD7 V-brakes on my Cross Check. The OEM holders with both the OEM pads and with Kool Stop Salmon replacement pads squealed like mad. I toed them in, I toed them out, I set them flat, I scrubbed the rims, I sanded the pads, I greased the mounting posts, I tightened the mounting bolts beyond tight,....nothing helped.
What finally quieted them down was to replace the V-brake pad holders with Shimano road holders and Kool Stop Dura type Salmon pads. I had no problems getting the arm alignment and pad clearance set properly, possibly because I was using road rims and Avid's factory pads and holders were about the same thickness as the road holders and pads.