v-brakes and ergopower levers

[Walter Mitty]

Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want to
move to v´s.

What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
touring bike using 26" wheels.

regards
--
Walter Mitty.

 

[Menno]

Probably not. Road brake levers usually do not have enough cable pull for V-brakes. V-brakes require
25 mm cable pull while the Shimano road brake levers only provide 16 mm. That's why you see the
funny adapters on road bikes with standard V-brakes.

I'm using the Strange Brakes which are V brakes designed for road brake levers. They're not cheap
and the initial adjustment was a bit of a pain but the do provide breaking power. I use them on my
touring bike with Shimano Ultegra STI levers and these brakes still provided enough braking power
coming down the mountain in an Indonesian downpour.

Check out http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/strangebrakes.asp

I got them through a local bike shop in Ottawa (Canada).

Menno

"Walter Mitty" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want to
> move to v´s.
>
> What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
> touring bike using 26" wheels.
>
> regards
> --
> Walter Mitty.

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, Walter Mitty <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want to
>move to v´s.
>
>What issues do I need to be aware of, if any,

You will need to install a device to correct the cable pull, such as this:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=2647

Many bike shops will have them in stock.

> and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded touring bike using 26" wheels.

I have personally used Deore XT and Avid Single Digit 7 v-brakes, and both work fine but the Shimano
parallelogram design became sloppy so I went to the simpler Avid the second time.

No matter what you buy, if you ride a loaded touring bike down big hills you will cook through the
factory brake pads pretty quick, especially if you ride in the wet. Many people choose to replace
them with a harder pad, such as the Kool Stop salmon colored pad.

--Paul

 

[Mark Freedman]

Walter Mitty <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want to
> move to v´s.
>
> What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
> touring bike using 26" wheels.
>
> regards

Some tourers use Tekto Mini-V brakes. These don't fit every
frame and can be tricky to set up with fenders (no clearance).

The recent Marinoni Turismo bikes which I've seen use Tektro's. 700 wheels though.

My bike uses LX with v-dapters (700 wheels). Small eccentric pulley. Cable tends to fray where it
wraps around the pulley. Travel Agents take another approach - a small and a larger pulley.

Alex Wetmore has a page about touring bikes which discusses
v-brake issues. May be something at www.sheldonbrown.com as well.

 

[A Muzi]

"Walter Mitty" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
> Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want to
> move to v´s.
>
> What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
> touring bike using 26" wheels.

We've done quite a few Ergo conversions to tandems this year, mostly with cantilevers. If you must
have linear brakes, use a cam adapter.

What do you expect to gain from them (linear brakes) as opposed to the nice clearance and adjustable
leverage of a standard cantilever set?

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Walter Mitty]

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> brightened my day with his incisive wit when in
news:[email protected] he conjectured that:

> "Walter Mitty" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>>
>> Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want
>> to move to v´s.
>>
>> What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
>> touring bike using 26" wheels.
>
> We've done quite a few Ergo conversions to tandems this year, mostly with cantilevers. If you must
> have linear brakes, use a cam adapter.
>
> What do you expect to gain from them (linear brakes) as opposed to the nice clearance and
> adjustable leverage of a standard cantilever set?
>

I'm not sure : but I do know that I'm not happy with the rear brake at the moment - very poor
braking despite closely aligned pads, adjusted cable etc. I have read that v-brakes are a better
bet. I'm just trying to do some research

--
Walter Mitty.

 

[Mike S.]

> >> Can I use a v-brake with campag ergpower brake levers? Currently I use RSX cantilevers but want
> >> to move to v´s.
> >>
> >> What issues do I need to be aware of, if any, and what v-brake would you recommend for a loaded
> >> touring bike using 26" wheels.
> >
> > We've done quite a few Ergo conversions to tandems this year, mostly with cantilevers. If you
> > must have linear brakes, use a cam adapter.
> >
> > What do you expect to gain from them (linear brakes) as opposed to the nice clearance and
> > adjustable leverage of a standard cantilever set?
> >
>
> I'm not sure : but I do know that I'm not happy with the rear brake at the moment - very poor
> braking despite closely aligned pads, adjusted cable etc. I have read that v-brakes are a better
> bet. I'm just trying to do some research
>
> --
> Walter Mitty.

2 words: Scott SE. See if you can't dig up some Scott Self-Energizing brakes. Work great for
tandems. At least they did on mine...

Mike