You can use the STI with V brakes with a cable pull adapter called the Travel agent, made by problem solvers.bob161069 said:Does This Combination Work. Tiagra Sti Shifters And V Brakes And Whats The Best Solution To Drop Bar And V Brake. Want To Turn Flat Bar Road Bike To Drop Bar Roady. Im Told That V Brakes Wont Work With Sti Shifters
A "normal" length V-brake can be used on the rear AS IS if the wheel is true ... I used Ultegra 6500 levers on a "hybrid" frame, briefly, and any concerns about lack of modulation for the rear went away after the first ride. Again, as noted, the wheel should be TRUE!artemidorus said:Your advice is incorrect. Ordinary v-brakes will work with ordinary sti levers, with some provisos. Although this combination leads to very powerful braking, the main problem is that the lever will "bottom-out" against the drop if the system is not kept perfectly adjusted. The rim must be absolutely true and undamaged. The calipers must be perfectly centered. The cable must be kept as short as possible, so that the pads, at rest, are almost skimming the rim. You must actively keep shortening the cable as the pads wear. Because you will have no cable release lever, you will need to keep an allen key handy for loosening the cable anchor bolt to allow removal of the wheel.
This may all sound like a pain, but you are rewarded with a system that is much more powerful than a standard road dual-pivot side-pull system, or a non-linear-pull cantilever brake.
I'm using this system as the front brake for my commuter and it works very well. If you don't already own the standard v-brake calipers, it may be worthwhile buying mini v-brakes as george has suggested above.
Yes:bob161069 said:Are The Tektro Rx3 V Brakes Considered Mini V Brakes.
That would be my choice too.John M said:You can use the STI with V brakes with a cable pull adapter called the Travel agent, made by problem solvers.
This is a link to one online supplier in the US, but they are widely available and any good LBS can get them
http://www.excelsports.com/new.asp?page=8&description=Travel+Agent+Each+Barrel+Adj+Black&vendorCode=PS&major=6&minor=8
Front brake does not need a travel agent.alfeng said:A "normal" length V-brake can be used on the rear AS IS if the wheel is true ... I used Ultegra 6500 levers on a "hybrid" frame, briefly, and any concerns about lack of modulation for the rear went away after the first ride. Again, as noted, the wheel should be TRUE!
Also, as John M noted, the front V-brake will need a travel agent. I did NOT use a travel agent for the rear brake.
Now, as far as carrying an Allen key to release the cable, I've tried to explain this once before (might have been outside this Forum) and for some reason it just didn't register ... it's how I have ALWAYS (since the first pair I installed) released the V-brake ... so, having said that, here goes:An ad hoc CABLE RELEASE on a V-brake when using a road lever is to SIMPLY remove the noodle from the toggle on the left caliper ... when you manually squeeze the calipers, the nipple on the end of the noodle will clear the toggle AND the cable will exit the slot.Of course, this works with MTB levers, too!
If the cable is loose enough to be able to unclip the noodle in the system I describe, then it is too loose for the system to work with sti levers.alfeng said:Now, as far as carrying an Allen key to release the cable, I've tried to explain this once before (might have been outside this Forum) and for some reason it just didn't register ... it's how I have ALWAYS (since the first pair I installed) released the V-brake ... so, having said that, here goes:An ad hoc CABLE RELEASE on a V-brake when using a road lever is to SIMPLY remove the noodle from the toggle on the left caliper ... when you manually squeeze the calipers, the nipple on the end of the noodle will clear the toggle AND the cable will exit the slot.Of course, this works with MTB levers, too!
To each his/her own!artemidorus said:Front brake does not need a travel agent.
Well, I was ONLY relating how I "release" the V-brake calipers regardless of whether it was with V-brake levers on a MTB or with STI (Ultegra 6500) levers.artemidorus said:If the cable is loose enough to be able to unclip the noodle in the system I describe, then it is too loose for the system to work with sti levers.
If you use sti levers and standard v-brakes, without travel agent, and leave enough slack in the cable to allow the noodle to be unclipped, then the lever will hit the handlebar when braking, before you've managed to get much braking. This is the major disadvantage of not using a travel agent. If you did use a travel agent, then use of the noodle would be allowed.alfeng said:Well, I was ONLY relating how I "release" the V-brake calipers regardless of whether it was with V-brake levers on a MTB or with STI (Ultegra 6500) levers.
As I mentioned, apparently the notion of closing the calipers by hand (at the brake calipers, themselves) & slipping the noodle out are inconceivable to some/many people.
Not much else for me to say about it -- I have been able to do it ... apparently, you & others can't.
OKAY. I'm sure the brain does learn "how hard to pull the lever to stop" BUT there is ZERO modulation if you don't use a travel agent on the front brake. To each his/her own.artemidorus said:If you use sti levers and standard v-brakes, without travel agent, and leave enough slack in the cable to allow the noodle to be unclipped, then the lever will hit the handlebar when braking, before you've managed to get much braking. This is the major disadvantage of not using a travel agent. If you did use a travel agent, then use of the noodle would be allowed.
As for the endo, well I've always found that the brain quickly learns how hard it has to pull the lever for any given stop.
Bob, You will also need to change the Front Derailleur. The Flat Bar Derailleur is for MTB style shifters. I suggest a FD the same model (Tiagra Triple or Double, 9 or 10 speed) as the STI Shifters.bob161069 said:Does This Combination Work.
Tiagra STI Shifters and V-Brakes
And Whats The Best Solution To Drop Bar And V Brake. Want To Turn Flat Bar Road Bike To Drop Bar Roady.
Im Told That V Brakes Wont Work With Sti Shifters
Alfeng, are you being deliberately obtuse? I, like the rest of the cycling world, have long known how to unclip the noodle to release the calipers on a standard v-brake system. I am talking specifically about the combination of an sti lever and a v-brake caliper set, without a travel agent. Noodle cannot be unclipped. Cable too tight. Anchor bolt must be released. Geddit? Your comments only lead me to conclude that you have never used such a system.alfeng said:OKAY. I'm sure the brain does learn "how hard to pull the lever to stop" BUT there is ZERO modulation if you don't use a travel agent on the front brake. To each his/her own.
As I have previously noted, I found that the rear brake does not require modulation ... and, a travel agent on the rear is superfluous.
Now, allowing that you may be correct regarding cable "slack" AND since I don't have the configuration OR the bike any longer, I have to conjecture as to how I did it (with ALL levers, road & MTB) -- and, I will concede that perhaps (but, not necessarily) AFTER squeezing the calipers that I first, simply unhooked the housing from the frame (the cable stops are SLOTTED on most bikes which have cantilever brake mounts, now) BEFORE slipping the noodle out of the toggle! I don't remember ... all I know is that it can be done without any extraordinary effort while otherwise adjusting the cable tension adequately when using a ROAD/(STI) brake lever ... and, ROAD brake lever movement is (as you must surely know) minimal without a travel agent when using a V-brake.
I guess MY brain was able to figure THAT part out ...
TRY IT! It will greatly expedite releasing-the-brake for EVERYONE when removing their wheels rather than un-doing the anchor bolt each time you need to fix a flat OR do other maintenance!
Gosh, if everyone has been using an Allen key to "open" their V-brake calipers for all these years, then it is no wonder that disc brakes have become so popular!
Thanks for "asking" for clarification of the process ...
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