V brake question

Monkeyman01

I was just wondering if anyone cam tell me what the difference between a rear and a front v-brake is.

I have a few sets in one of my many boxes of stuff. I can't say that I'd ever noticed a difference in them, but when you buy them, they come as either a front or rear.

photonic69

The noodle supplied with the set?

The Rookie

No difference I have ever discerned, as suggested though you usually use a 135 noodle on the front and a 90 on the rear.

Monkeyman01

Thanks for the replies.
i have fitted v brakes in the past and been annoyed at the angle of the noodles - i never really considered that one was for the front and one for the rear.
Nice one.

bikaholic

Front and rear v-brake calipers, bolts and pads are identical. The direction of the pads, if directional, may differ between front and rear but you can swap the left caliper pad with the right to make the caliper set front or rear.

The noodle may differ in size - in which case, you put the big one at the front and the small one at the rear. Carefully bend them to a nicer curve if required.

If the tops of the calipers elbow out at an unsightly angle (to the point where your legs will catch on the rear brake) then just swap the conical spacers around, but make sure they don't rub on the tyre after the adjustment.

The Rookie

bikaholic wrote:

Front and rear v-brake calipers, bolts and pads are identical. The direction of the pads, if directional, may differ between front and rear but you can swap the left caliper pad with the right to make the caliper set front or rear.

Or just loosen the bolt and rotate the pad 180 degrees, much easier!

bikaholic

Visualise the solution and you will see that what I stated is correct.

Only pads that are symmetrical along the pad contact area, with the threaded peg in the middle of the pad, can be rotated. But, generally, those types of pads can be used in both directions.