I have Dia-Tech Mini-Max's (basically the same as the Tektro) on a touring bike I built up for my
fiance, and they work very well. A few caveats:
Sheldon is right, they do give you a bit too much mechanical advantage, requiring that they be set a
tad closer to the rims than Avid Shorty's.
With a narrow rim (Mavic MA3), I had to set the brake pads to maximum protrusion (put the largest
washers between the pad and the arm) to prevent the noodle holder (?) from bottoming out on the
opposite brake arm.
With tires larger than 25mm, there may not be room for fenders.
As the cable hanger typically incorporates a barrel adjuster, you need to replace this
functionality. The solution I chose was to use a noodle with an integrated barrel adjuster, which
works quite nicely (the Tektro's may come with this). Another solution is one of those 'in-line'
adjusters that you see sometimes these days.
However, a major advantage of Mini-V's is that they do not require a cable hanger, which is
particularly helpful for the front brake. My fiance's very small frame had no room for a cable
hanger either front or back, thus my motivation to install these.
Overall, I'm happy with them.
Kyle
"Sheldon Brown" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... Ben Reuter wrote:
> Has anyone used Tektro Mini V-Brakes w road levers on a cross or a touring bike. Supposedly they
> are designed to work with standard road levers. I
am
> currently using the Avid canti's w my ss cross bike, but am debating
whether
> to try these. Any comments on them positive or negative are appreciated
They work OK, though the mechanical advantage is a bit more than optimal.
Not a good choice for a touring bike, though--to make them work, the cable crosses much lower than
on most direct-pull cantis, making them generally incompatible with fenders.
If you've already got Avid Shortys, in my opinion you'd be foolish to replace them.
Install Kool Stop BMX brake pads and adjust the Avids properly, you'll have all the braking power
you can use, with good fender/tire clearance to boot. This is the hot setup.
Sheldon "Avid Fan" Brown +-------------------------------------------------+
| I’ll be appearing with the Sudbury Savoyards | In Gilbert & Sullivan’s _Patience_ | February
| 21-March 1, Sudbury, Massachusetts |
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