Mini v Brakes

kangarouge

I'm thinking of changing from cantilever type to mini v brakes on my tourer and would like to know if the braking power will be improved and if they will work correctly with some old standard brake levers, i.e. not STI type that are currently fitted.

cervelofan

I think V brakes will be superior to your canti's. Dependant on the levers they can be a bit spongy but mini v's less so than std V Brakes. If this is the case Problem Solver's Travel Agents would help eliminate this.

andrew_s

Standard V brakes have 102mm arms.

"Mini V" brakes are available in 80, 85, 90, and 95mm lengths.
Short 80mm brakes give similar power to cantilevers but don't suffer from weak braking due to poor setup like cantilevers often do. They also limit tyre size to 28mm + mudguard.
Using models with longer arms gives progressively more powerful braking and more tyre clearance, but increased likelihood of the levers pulling back to the bars.

If you are looking at switching to standard non-STI levers, you could also use standard V brakes with long pull levers such as the Tektro RL520.

"Spongy feeling" is a sign of powerful braking and nothing to worry about.

smidsy

I would say hitting a mini will stop you quicker than any brakes .....Sorry could not resist when I read the title :oops: