Originally Posted by
kommisar
I wonder if I could run a v-brake in the rear, face the noodle down, and come up from below? Has anyone seen that done?
Regarding the diamond frame, I need the step through due to hip mobility issues. Makes the ride much more pleasant if I have to dismount to walk the bike past rough parts.
Lots of step through frames have v-brakes but they are routed differently from what your bike has. For example, this bike from
Priority is similar (but better proportioned) to your frame. The red arrow points to a braze-on on the frame that holds the cable against the frame so that the cable doesn’t pull away from the frame during braking. Your bike doesn’t have that. If you put a v-brake on it, the cable would just flex into the wheel.
You might be able to find some kind of clamp to put on the frame but the housing needs to pass through the clamp with a bit of freedom. It can’t hold the cable housing tight to the frame or it won’t let the brake work like it should. Your bike also have a lot more distance to cover than the bike below. It might be possible use something like a
downtube cable stop or
downtube cable guide and drill out the guide so that the housing can pass through.
There also is a matter of cost. You’ll need levers, calipers, housing, and the clamps as well as a fair amount of work to get everything to work together. But there are no guarantees that you can make it work so you might just be out that cost.