Servicing a bike in the family fleet, I noticed a spring inside the v-brake Noodle. What's that for? All I can think is to make the brake less responsive, and I'm tempted to remove it. Ideas?

Depending on the brake manufacture, it could simply be there to assist the rubber in holding its shape. Can you post a picture?

What??? Where'd you hear that one?

Since linier brakes are so powerful and many riders who buy low end mountain and hybrid bikes have never had so strong a front brake and since the bike company lawyers have a pretty big say in how things are done the spring lessens the on set of max braking forces. Think of it like a an anti lock device, which of course it isn't at all. Note that the more expensive bikes with these brakes generally don't have the spring loaded noodle.

I've made jokes about having brakes so powerful that you need to make them weaker. Andy

Simply going from what I have seen in the past, which is why I asked for a picture. Im guessing he is asking about what would be "E" in this picture?



A. Cable Housing.
B. Housing End Ferrule.
C. Cable Guide.
D. Housing Detent.
E. Rubber Noodle.
F. Cable Clamp.
G. Cable Tail.
H. Cable Cap.
I. Brake Arm
J. Brake Block (Pad).
K. Block Setting Screw.
L. Arm Mounting Bolt.

I cant find anything indicating a spring being used to "decrease" the strength of a linear pull brake. Given the lever advantage at the handle, I cant picture a little spring hidden in a rubber boot providing any "anti-lock" affect on a rim. A lawyer friend of mine DID say it would be more likely a bike company be sued for an instance of "I applied my brakes, they didn't stop me, and I hit a bus", rather than "I grabbed my brakes too hard and got launched over the handlebars". The latter is user error vs. the former being inadequate safety device effectiveness.

There were some V-brakes that came with "force limiters", which reduced the amount of pressure applied to the pads if the lever was pulled with great force. I agree that this is a liability-limiting device, not a practical design feature.

My comment about making the brakes weaker is the joke. Of course an inline spring only slows down the point where max force is attained.

As to the OP's question about removing the spring loaded noodle I say please do. You will find the feel is vastly improved. Andy (who knows how to modulate his brakes and doesn't need any stinking springs).

The spring is an anti feature like lawyer tabs. Ditch it .

that makes more sense. I was thi king the wire was in the ribs of the rubber "E", and not an actual spring, per se, but white to prevent the ribs from deforming.

I call that anti lock brakes when I find them lol, I have seen this on mid level & low level bikes lately.

Glenn

That's exactly where it is. And it does increase the pull distance, to the point where the brake lever is nearly touching the handlebar under hard braking.

Amusingly, the people I know who think that disc brakes make a night-and-day difference, probably all rode cheap hybrids with the spring in the noodle. The bike we're talking about here is a cheap hybrid too. The noodle needs a new one since it has gotten banged up, so I think I know what I'm going to do.

Soften , modulate, how hard the front V brake comes on, when you pull the lever.
say in a panic stop..
So you don't stop only the bike, out from under you, and go over the bars..
They are on entry level casual style bikes, in the LBS.

rather than remove the spring , just buy a new noodle , they're so cheap!

Someone asked here how to keep the brakes on their tadpole trike,
from stopping too fast & tipping the chainring down into the street..
those modulators would help..

When I do tune-ups I often remove them if to balance the feel. On new assemblies they seem to feel ok but the spring performance I think flattens a bit with age.

Sonofagun….Ive never seen one of those on a brake system. Learned a little today

Yea If a Mountain bike racer, not a JRA old person, you would dislike them..

My 20" wheel BiFri, 160 disc BB7 had virtually no front modulation
(disc being 1/3 of the wheel size, may have some influence.. )

at slow speeds approaching a blind corner
with a building tight up to the sidewalk, Car right in front of me,
It Stopped the bike, but my body did not..

I thought about using one, Instead bought TRP Hy Rd Calipers,
so am finding, they have a smoother modulation..

With adjustable cable pull MA Avid Speed Dial Levers , I have more adjustments
to get the feel right for Me.
[Yea Disc Vs V is apples and Oranges ]



...

In the early days of linear pull brakes, there was a group of people who would clamp their front brakes too hard and consequently endo. I remember having to tell customers to be careful until they got the feel for the brake. Some manufacturers installed a spring on the noodles to moderate the brake pressure.

In other words, you're right.

I don't remember that but I have ridden bikes that had canty brakes replaced with linear pull and I find all the cable pull hysteria to be a little over stated.

A mix has to be found; Low MA brake lever ,
pulls a lot more cable,

High MA Caliper demands more cable pull..
for relatively small motion, of pad to rim..

Increase the MA at the lever, shorter cable pull,
& you have to reduce the MA at the caliper side,
to function with less...

Hence short pull road levers got mini V brakes..
They, easier set up than Traditional Cantilevers..


...

No. One of the knocks on V-brakes when they were introduced is that they were not backwards-compatible with "standard" levers.

Within a year or two of their introduction, levers with dual ratios or adjustable ratios became available. I used Avid levers on my Tour Easy recumbent, which had a caliper brake in front and a V-brake in the rear. They worked just fine.