What a difference a brake makes....
 

Last winter I put studded snow tires on my '97 Nishiki Blazer and have been using it as my winter commuter. I bought the Blazer new in '97 and it came with cantilever brakes and Shimano Cross-Fire shifter and brake controls. With extra-high gearing and street tires it was my main year-round commuter (but not snow and ice) for 18 years; and aside from having to change brake pads and cables every so often it stopped well and reliably.

Last week I noticed the brakes weren't gripping as well as they have and was going to buy new pads. But because my local bike shop does such nice work at very nice prices, often going above and beyond by providing free cleaning and adjusting and such, I decided to let them suggest and install pads, and maybe clean the rims. Stuff I can do myself, but they do better.

They showed me the pads, and asked if I had ever considered V_Brakes. I explained that the bike isn't worth the investment. They offered me new V-Brake hardware front and rear (comes with pads) new cables, one new cable sheath installation (and adjustment), and rim cleaning...$60.

The bike never stopped so good! Not even when new. I could easily lock up both wheels (which isn't my normal practice). My LBS knows I have hand issues (all my bikes have padded grips) and not having to squeeze as hard will be a big plus.

I realize the pads are new, but the V-brakes require less pressure than the side-pulls on my old road bike, and even less pressure than the mechanical discs on my Charge Plug.

This will also be a huge plus in colder weather when I am wearing full gloves. I just hope I can remember to use a gentle touch on the ice and snow.

Decades ago I built up a set of Drum brake hub wheels, they now are on my go to Bike I ride in the cold,
when there is Ice on the street, tires are studded, Finnish..

$60 is a deal; stick with that shop...

I converted some road brake levers with cantilevers to V brakes and added the rollamajigs. Wow, several times more stopping power than cantilevers.

I have resisted, even knowing full well the V brakes are so much better, as well as having a nice, new set in the bin. I only use that bike around the pueblo. Helmetless riding. Such a treat.

Can you run 32's or 36's with V-Brakes? I hate how long it takes to stop with my Canti's, even with new pads and clean wheels, so I'm very curious. Also, are V-Brakes just rim brakes with a deeper throw for bigger tires? If so, I'd guess you'd have to fully deflate tires before taking them on and off, not too big of a deal though.

Thanks

I have V brakes on a mtn bike with fat 2.25 tires and on a tandem with 700 X 25 tires so I;m sure 32 and 36's are no problem.

Are you talking hybrid wheels? I've seen V brakes on hybrid wheels as well.

To remove V brakes, squeeze the two uprights together, then release the catch and the uprights open very wide, no need to fully deflate.

You now have less tire clearance and less space between the pads and rim so your rim must be kept more true. There is no free lunch.

V-brakes on my tandem.
and a drum brake.

:popcornLet's get this party started: I am fine with the cantis on my touring bike, even with a full load. Once got up to 49 mph on a bike (with gear) weighing 90 lbs. I was probably another 195 lbs. No problem stopping. And that was with a set of cantis on a '98 T700.

Glad you are happy!

Now for my opinion...

Har, har. Just kidding, carry on...:p

That's what I was gonna say. There are no shortages of "support your LBS" threads around here and this is just another example why. I only hope OP remembers this when/if this same LBS has tha audacity to charge $2 more for a tube than what can be found online. Please, return to the thread topic, but the next time a LBS thread comes up remember posts like this one. Jus' sayin.



-Kedosto

I believe you. But, I also know that my canti's suck with new pads and clean wheels. Not even close to the power of rim brakes on my road bike. I'd rather not change brakes but what else to do? Sorry if this is a bit of a hijack.

Why are there people running around saying canti's are better than V-Brakes?


What people are saying in this thread, I have seen before many times, yet still the canti-pushers exist. :twitchy:

The cantilever brakes on my rigid fork mountain bike definitely require three fingers and a lot more hand strength to get the same stopping effectiveness as my hybrid with V-brakes and one finger. Both with new pads and carefully tuned. Not better or worse but very different.

But for folks with hand strength issues or arthritis, V-brakes have much better mechanical advantage. The only tricky bit is remembering to use only one finger and modulate pressure carefully.

Both bikes and brake types will handle tires as wide as possible or practical for the frames. The V-brakes have plenty of clearance for the 700x40 tires I usually run on the hybrid. The mountain bike with 700x42 tires has a somewhat tight squeeze due to the Kool Stop Eagle 2 pads being so long and thick they interfere with fully opening on the fork, but I can wiggle the wheel in and out without deflating the tire. I'm planning to swap the Kool Stops for Jagwire canti pads that are even longer but thinner and should offer a bit more clearance.

I carry a spoke wrench and have become obsessed with truing.

This reminded me of a 6-speed Schwinn Cruiser Supreme 26"x2" I bought in Iowa in 1987. When I moved to Colorado Springs in 1992 I added a triple derailleur up front. The 40+lbs. bike had flimsy, old-school side-pull brakes. I rode down a long steep hill trying to break 50 mph. As I climbed into the upper 40's it seemed possible but I was running out of street and was approaching a busy intersection. At 49.7mph and what seemed like a hundred yards to go I squeezed the brakes. After a couple of seconds I realized I wasn't going to stop in time. I ended up "Flintstoning" and seriously considered steering towards the curb hoping to fall before entering the intersection. Scared me so bad I rode home, took off the rack and seat off and threw the bike in the dumpster. That weekend I bought the Nishiki Blazer, a relative lightweight at 32lbs.

I do.

This is my concern; I will see over time.

My point in another thread.

If you get the tension correctly and true the wheels, you won't have to think again about truing a wheel for 10,000+ miles.

I build my wheels, set the tension and true. After a couple hundred miles, I check the tension, make any adjustments and true them once again "IF" they happen to go out.

After this, I don't have to true them again for another 14,000 miles.

No exaggeration here, I have taken my wheels to a shop 3 or 4 weeks in a row for truing after having a wheel built for the simple fact that they true the wheels but don't pay attention to the tension.

Again, there is a 3 good reason I started building my own wheels. True stand, dish tool, tension meter! :thumb:

about the lack of power in your hands, when i broke my hand i could still use my rear brake because it had disc brakes, no power needed

Yes my mechanical discs do not require much squeeze, but they don't grip the wheel like the V-Brakes.

The first time I hit the V brakes years ago on my first hybrid I almost went over the handlebars.

I have several bikes with different brakes. My biggest concern by far is locking up wheels and control issues in hard stops. I will take less power and better control every time. I may have to change my ways as I get older and lose hand strength and cold wet days with long descents have been a challenge but I am still liking my two dual pivot brakes de-powered with V-brake levers. (A different modulation - excellent wrt stopping vs hand pressure but the levers don't move!). I also like Mafacs and regular Tetro road levers. Very different feel but except the feel, I get no surprises going from one to the other. And my Mooney's circa early '80s Shimano OEM cants just strike me as "right" every time I use that bike.

(I never liked the dual pivots with regular levers, what was supposed to be the holy grail of the braking experience. Always felt like a crash waiting to happen when I had my guard down. By contrast, on one of my first rides with the V-brake/dual pivot setup, I rode fixed down McKenzie Pass, coming into a steep blind corner way too fast, grabbed an handful and promptly blew off a lot of speed. Nothing else happened! I was sold.

So, for me, V-brakes are probably a long ways away, but I do like those V-brake road levers. (Another plus - they make wonderful, huge hand holds for out of the saddle climbing; great for big gear climbs.)

Ben

V-brakes can require more frequent adjustment than cantilevers. I run V-brakes on my Birdy folder, and when releasing tension on them to fix a flat, or otherwise remove a wheel, once I put the wheel back on and reconnect the brake, the pads are often no longer spaced properly. I then have to readjust the springs to get the pad spacing right. If I am not carrying the proper tool to set the tension, I have to flex the springs one way or the other until the spacing is correct. Cantilever brakes are much less fussy.

FWIW, I was once a bike mechanic at a LBS

OP wait until you try hydraulic discs