Cantilever brakes replaced with v-brakes
 

"Borrowed" tektro v-brakes from 08 Specialized Tricross parts bike that had 3x9 Tiagra groupset and transplanted them into '12 Orbea Terra with 105 groupset. I should've tested each first before the move, but I relied solely on numerous online posts that v-brakes are 100x better than cantilever. Finally tested it today and found the bike stops pretty well, but brakes feel kinda soft, unlike other bikes with v-brakes. Is this normal operation for v-brakes with brifters?

Yes, you need long pull levers or an adapter like Travel Agents. Look up long pull vs. short pull brakes for more info.

They were wrong - V-brakes are more idiot-proof than cantilever brakes, but they're not inherently superior.
Yes, you need direct-pull levers to match the brake arms, they pull more cable than cantilever/road levers.

Tektro brakes would be linear pull brakes along with Shimano's V-brakes and those are all a long pull whereas STI levers or similar are short pull. You can find short pull linear pull brakes Tektro does make them they have shorter arms but in the end cantilevers stop just fine and with quality pads, shoes, cables and housing.

However if you are trying to keep the long pull brakes you would need Problem Solvers Travel Agents as bboy314 mentioned.

Are these full size V brakes or mini-Vs? If they were successfully being used with brifters on the donor bike, they'll either be minis or they were used with a cable pull kludge/adapter. Maybe a pic?

Good point, I hadn’t caught that they were taken off a Tri Cross, which would probably have short pull brakes ASSUMING they were stock. A pic of the brakes installed would indeed be helpful for verifying.

Cantilevers can work just as well as linear pull brakes but require more know-how for proper setup, and of course there are lots of variables like pad quality, etc.

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

The fact that V brake cables act in parallel with the direction of the pad to rim contact must have mechanical advantages to the angled cable pull of cantilevers. But cantis do work well enough.

That was my thought, so I didn't bother testing prior prior to transplant. Sorry for fuzzy Pic, my phone is experiencing cracked lens and currently help up by scotch tape. I stole one from the webs. Rear is the one feels most spongy. There were no extra devices on Tricross or I would've moved them as well.

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