I wanted to double check my brake setup as I realized it's possible they might not be compatible. I have v brake cantilevers and the Forte rebadges microSHIFT dual control levers. Do these two components work to create the appropriate leverage? The bike came stock with standard mtb levers on a flat bar with the v brakes.

In theory, no. The Microshift levers use a standard/short pull whereas the V-brakes use a long pull. https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#brakelever

A couple options:
There are adapters you can install to convert the pull. https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_tp-z.html#travelagent
Or, you can install traditional cantilever brakes.

The most common way to make STI, Ergo and Microshift brifters and any standard drop bar brake lever work with V-brakes is to use Travel Agent adapters to provide the correct cable pull.

If you decide to use cantilevers as replacement brakes instead of the Travel Agents, the current Shimano BR-R550 cantilevers work well and are easy to install and set up and use the same replacable pads as most current V-brakes.

I have done exactly this. Travel Agents are a wonderful solution. And if you get your Travel Agents anywhere else, you are paying too much.

That is a good price for Travel Agents.

I've done a fair amount of work on tandems. Road levers with V-brakes is a common tandem set up so I've been working with them for around 15 years. The first time that you set one up can be a bir of a trip but, once you've done it, they're not too bad. Set up the rear first so, if you happen to bugger up the cable, you can use it on the front.

Thanks for the replies. So I understand why mine are incompatible. I guess I'm wondering whether I should get the Agents or just get calipers. What are the benefit differences I should consider between the two?

Two sets of cantys are going to cost more and you'll have some cable routing issues to work through.
Travel Agents are another bit of hardware that, while functional, I don't think looks quite as nice.

Not sure if I'm just missing the point, but my bike has Tektro RX-5 v-brakes. I agree about the aesthetics of hardware. I was more wondering if I will get noticeably better stopping performance if I buy calipers (my fork accepts both) rather than my current cantys if I were to buy agents.

That's exactly the question that I was trying to dodge. You might as well ask my religious or political affiliation.

Personally, I think that the V-brakes are easier to set up and provide better stopping power. Canty lovers are going to post the exact opposite.

Ok, now I know why I'm confused. You are comparing V-brakes and Cantys. Sheldon site says that V-brakes are cantys.... I was wondering the difference between cantys with Agents (to fix my situation) opposed to calipers (the other fix for my situation).

V-brakes are indeed technically a form of cantilever brakes but current terminology doesn't call them the same thing. You have V-brakes, not cantilevers, as far as any bike mechanic or poster here is concerned and they don't use the same brake levers or cable pull as either cantilevers or road calipers.

Again, you can:

1. Use Travel Agents with your current V-brakes which to let you use brifters. This is a relatively low cost change and Travel Agents work well. They aren't beautiful but they aren't that unsightly either.

2. Change your V-brakes for "real" cantilever brakes and use brifters without the Travel Agents but, as RG noted, there will be some recabling issues and a couple of cable hangers will have to be added. Cantilevers can be a bit tricky to set up and center properly.

3. Install sidepull road-type caliper brakes with no adapters and no cabling issues. Effective but pretty expensive. They can, however, limit your choice of fenders and wide tires.

V-brakes have the most power and are easy to set up. Cantilevers are trickier to set up but newer ones aren't that bad and they have adequate power. Double pivot road calipers have good power and are easy to set up.

Your choice but no one type provides magic stopping power. They all work.

Just to clarify further:

Side-pull caliper brake:


Cantilever brake:


V-Brake:

Excellent, thank you for setting me straight on the v-brake/canti thing. And thanks for the info guys! I now just have to think on it and make a decision. Once again great help from a great forum!

I'm a cantilever fan, but I can't imagine anyone claiming they are easier to set up. In my mind, they provide more options for adjustment, which makes them a little more versatile, but harder to dial in. They also look better, much much better.

In your case, a set of Travel Agents is the cheapest and easiest way to get the brake levers to work; unless you were looking for an excuse to upgrade.

Hehe, always looking for an excuse to upgrade. Is there any reason to not use something like a the Tektro R530 on my road bike with 700x23mm?

https://www.tektro.com/_english/01_pr...e&sort=1&fid=2

https://cgi.ebay.com/Tektro-R530-dual...#ht_500wt_1143

1. Check the reach. Measure the vertical distance from the brake mounting hole to the rim's breaking surface. Be sure to check both front and rear because they might be different.

2. What do the mounting holes look like? Most modern caliper brakes have flush-fitting mounting nuts. If your bike wasn't designed to use them the holes will be wrong.

Oh wow! Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't even think about the distance. I measured mine and it was 68 center to center. Which tells me I was probably off a little bit and it's likely 70. So I'm assuming I need 65-75mm caliper?

Also, I'm not familiar with different mount types but this is what my front looks like:

68 mm is a pretty long reach. There's probably only a few calipers that will span that far. My catalogue only lists Tektro R556.

Most modern caliper brakes use recessed mounting bolts. The hole in the back of the front fork will be larger than the one in front to accomodate the larger diameter flush mounting nut. It's easy to modify the front fork by drilling a larger hole in the back. The rear is a lot harder to do because there isn't space to get a drill where it needs to go.

When a manufacturer fits cantilever/V-brake mounting bosses to their frame and fork they really don't expect you to use caliper brakes so they don't try to provide the holes in the fork crown and brake bridge at a standard reach dimension. They expect these holes will just be used for fender mounting.

Not to worry. The OP has found a novel solution to the problem - buying a new frame and fork to fit the brake calipers that he likes.

Well, that will surely solve his brake choice dilemma, won't it? It a bit of an expensive solution but certainly effective.

Do I detect a little cynicism? I love riding and I want to "want to" ride my bike. In it's current state the colors are UGLY so I feel it's accomplishing a couple of things at once. And I'm getting a little unexpected cash flow too

Yeah, we're saying that it's a solution that will work, just not the one we would have chosen. Know what? It's not our bike.

Keep up the good attitude.

Cynicism? Us? Absurd! As RG notes it certainly is your bike and "unexpected cash flow" can solve a myriad of problem.

On a more serious note, by the time you get a replacement frame and fork, brakes, etc. you might have enough money in this project to pay for a second complete bike that already has what you want and be able to keep your older bike as a second spare or utility bike.