Originally Posted by
Kmeyer93
Your def right about the pads. Its a 30+ year old rigid MTB. My wife has cheapo v brakes on hers aswell and man does it stop way better. But looks like someone actually rode hers vs mine sat in a garage. So I bet her pads have been replaced. Mine are def 30 years old and hard as a rock. But im a mechanic by trade. From cars to RVs to equipment. Bikes are easy haha. But yeah the cantis are DEFINITELY frustrating. But yeah with everything being so old I needed and wanted to do a re-cable anyway i also wanted to get shorty levers so I dont hit my knuckles anymore 1 or 2 fingering brakes in the woods so i was like at that point 🤷♂️
we used to custom cut the brake and clutch levers on our dirt bikes... now they come as two finger ones.
tektros are ok v-brakes... promax not so much... deore. xt and xtr are always better or best v-brakes... there are definite differences on materials and form that lend or harm rigidity... i've seen some nameless v-brakes that were stout as all creation, too... bulky, but well formed.
and do verify the pull ratio of your levers... a ratio mismatch causes nearly useless brakes.
the old school XTR "linkage" v-brakes tend to experience slop from pin and linkage wear... they sure look cool, tho...
i was not talking lever length, but how much cable the lever moves.
lever's pivot screw to cable pivot point, center to center... 25ish mm is short/canti/sidepull/road disc, 32ish mm is long pull/v-brake/mtb disc.
i leave the accordion boots off of the cables.. they tend to hold water/debris IN the Cable housing and noodles, instead of protecting anything. and getting the noodle to not press on the stirrup and arm takes getting the housing length Just Right, or the pressure causes bad/variable centering.
i use only Stainless steel Cables, and Jagwire lined housings here, and use an awl to clean up the lining before slipping on the end caps.