Originally Posted by docbluedevil
Michael,
...Can the struts of a Tubus Cargo or Logo be lengthened so they can attach to clamps on the seatstay BELOW the eyelets? Would this still be stable? How does adjustment of the struts work? Can they be moved fore and aft to adjust to length? Can longer struts be purchased?
As I said, I don't have the Tubus, so I don't know how long and adjustable the struts are. You could buy longer ones at the bike shop, but if yours is like mine, it will be the flimsy Blackburn struts.
If they don't have rigod ones, one option would be to visit your local hardware and a 1" x 1/8" aluminium bar that you cut and drill to suit.
You could attach the left strut on the seatstay below the brake, but I think I would prefer to bend it and attach it to the right side (it would be shorter, I think, therefore stronger).
There is also another gizmo, the v-daptor, which
might work and the QBP Problem solver which is installed inline and should work, because you would then have a regular noodle on the v-brake. Both are illustrated on Alex Wetmore's bike page at
http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes (look for v-brakes with drop bars).
I have seen the v-daptor once on a parked bike and I think it might work if you squeeze the brake arms as close as possible (i.e. opposite of what I suggested for the Travel Agent). I have never seen the QBP Problem Solver so I don't know how it would look along the bike frame. The problem is that either of these solution is likely to cost $30-50 in parts. At such a price, you might as well get a cantilever brake; if it is installed with a flexible straddle link (the old way) and a u-bridge, it's fairly easy to play with bridge height to get the brake almost as easy to operate as a v-brake.
Looking at the geometry of my tandem, there won't be any conflict between panniers and the brake and I don't think there would be between your feet and the brake. Double check to make sure.