What's up with sticking V-brakes?

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09-09-21, 10:18 AM

#26

cyccommute

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson

I'm sure they are lovely, but what is the difference in price between Paul's and, say, Shimano Deore or Alivio that work just as well (in my experience)... like 4X more?

Set up and balancing is far easier with the Pauls. Since the pads are on a separate carrier, toeing them is simple. The way that the brake pad attaches to the arm also allows for more up and down adjustment. Although I haven’t tried it, a conversion from a 26” (559mm) wheel to a 27.5” (584mm) would likely be trivial if you wanted to go that route.

Balancing the arms is also easier with the coil spring and spring adjuster nut. Shimano uses a screw that pushes against the end of the spring which can slip off, especially as the brake ages and the plastic parts degrade. This applies mostly to the Alivio but it can also happen with the Deore.

Yes, they are expensive but mine were purchased off Fleabay for a lot less. I’ve owned Shimano…including the linkage XT brakes…as well as Avid. They are pretty good brakes. They do their job well enough. My point was more about adjustment…Paul’s are way easier to adjust…than anything else.

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09-09-21, 10:50 AM

#27

cyccommute

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth Lefty

They’re never really balanced because one side is attached to the frame by housing and the other isn’t. Ideally the housing isn’t a factor but really it’s firmed up in compression. If you really crank up the springs, it can help, but then the lever effort gets bigger.

I’ve also had trouble with the hole in the arm being just barely too long for the post so it drags when cinched.

I think the main reason for the adoption of v brakes was that they allowed the brake to go on the moving part of the suspension fork or swing arm. Hydraulic disc brakes are so much better at that it isn’t even fair. It’s no wonder their heyday was brief. They survived a long time on cheap bikes though because they were just a little better than cantilevers

You are incorrect on a number of your comments. Linear brakes…even really cheap ones…are easy to balance. The fact that the cable housing is attached to one side and not the other has no impact on the balance. I have adjusted many v-brakes and never had an issue getting the brake to hit both sides of the caliper evenly if the cable is clean. Dirty cables cause problems but that can be solved easily by cable and housing replacement.

As for the heyday of linear brakes being “brief”, nothing could be further from the truth. They were ubiquitous from the mid90s to the mid2000s on mountain bikes even on high end bikes. I have a 2004 Specialized S-Works Epic that has cantilever bosses (as well as disc tabs). That’s a decade of “heyday” which is pretty long for mountain bike related equipment.

By the way, I agree that the pin on the brake can be a problem. Another plus for Paul’s. No pin.