Will these Kona brake levers work with V's....?

LikeClockwork · Mar 13, 2016

They came as standard spec on a '94 bike that had been converted to V's, but I stripped it for the parts so didn't try out the brakes.

Does the presence of the cable carrier mean they will work, and work effectively (!) with V's or are they only any use for canti's, as the bike would have had from new....

(Sorry for muck and grease in pics, no point cleaning them if they won't work!)

cce · Mar 13, 2016

it's the distance between the cable end and the pivot point that determines it

I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but the Mk1 eyeball and experience says "cantis" for those levers

did some digging around - 20-25mm for cantis, over 30mm for v brakes

LikeClockwork · Mar 13, 2016

Re:

Ah, thanks for that, if I'm measuring things right then these are deffo canti levers.

Oh well, back to Plan A

legrandefromage · Mar 13, 2016

I've got a funny feeling that they might be v-brake levers... They 'look' right?

I have been known to be wrong though at least 100% of 50% of the time.

Cavalier · Mar 13, 2016

Re:

There's not much cable pull difference between cantis and Vs so there won't be a problem. You're supposed to use specific brake types with specific levers but I've been mixing and matching for years and never had a problem. The only issue I had years ago was using a short reach lever with some really old baggy sidepulls whereby the levers hit the bar before the brakes hit the rim and even after adjusting I could never create enough pressure on the rim to stop effectively, and this is probably the reason why brake/lever choices came about. But today pretty much everything is pretty much shortpull.

LikeClockwork · Mar 13, 2016

Re:

Thanks chaps. 'Spose the simplest solution would be to try them and see! Not got a lot else to do today and the sun is out, so......

Cavalier · Mar 13, 2016

Well, it's definitely the weather to be out and about!

cce · Mar 13, 2016

v brakes with canti levers is bog awful if you actually need any control. It's all spongey and then full force braking.

LikeClockwork · Mar 13, 2016

Re:

Problem solved - bought some Avid FR5 levers for under 8 quid delivered from ebay.....

To be honest, not worth mucking about when you can buy new for about the same price as 2 or 3 new cables, and it will definitely solve any issues....

cce · Mar 13, 2016

Re: Re:

LikeClockwork":uivb53u4 said:
Problem solved - bought some Avid FR5 levers for under 8 quid delivered from ebay.....

To be honest, not worth mucking about when you can buy new for about the same price as 2 or 3 new cables, and it will definitely solve any issues....

Exactly this. I ran a few lashup combos back in the day when v brakes were new and expensive, but there is simply no need nowadays.

Will these Kona brake levers work with V's....?

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