replacing cantilevers with v-brakes

[rudeboymcc]

hi. i've got an old raliegh bike and don't have the £££ to buy a new one so i'm just upgrading it.

whilst choosing my groupset i found shimano levers with built in shifters. but the levers are for v-brakes. i have cantilevers.

somoene told me that v-brake are a type of cantilever and use the same bosses as normal cantilevers, but i went to halfords and asked them and they said i'd have to have new boses brazed on if i really wanted them.

can anyone guerantee me that they will or will not fit?

if they don't fit, is there anythign wrong with fitting v-brake levers to cantilever brakes? (i know it wil be very responsive, but it won't be dangerous right?)

 

[MtnBikerChk]

Originally posted by rudeboymcc

somoene told me that v-brake are a type of cantilever and use the same bosses as normal cantilevers, but i went to halfords and asked them and they said i'd have to have new boses brazed on if i really wanted them.

I changed the brakes on my old rockhopper from canti to v and used the same bosses. I'm not sure if there are different sizes though - but I bet you could make it work!

 

[rudeboymcc]

that;s what i thought. but then i bumped into a website that told you how to weld new bosses on old frames!

so from all the info we know old bikes have different bosses so it's just a question of having the newer one. thanks.

 

[MidBunchLurker]

I upgraded my 94 Kona from cantis to v-brakes without any problems. I think it depends on how high or low the bosses were for the cantis, which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

 

[frey]

I've upgraded from Cantis to Vs too, no problems. Seems unlikely to me that you'd need the bosses changed, maybe it's a VERY old frame and the cantilevers are a different design?
And you can run V-Brake levers to canti brakes, although you will lose a bit of power. V-Brake levers are designed to pull more cable so you lose a bit of the mechanical advantage you'd get with levers designed for cantis...