I picked up this specialized crossroads a couple weeks ago and just finished fixing it up.
It came with some crusty vbrakes on it which I replaced with some new t4000 alvio ones. I have them on my GT outpost trail bike and love the stopping power.
Just went for my first ride and they worked well but setting up the rear brake felt weird with how the cable rubs against the guide on the seat post and not being able to fit anymore housing.
It’s seems like the bike was originally made for cantilevers, but is it weird/dangerous to run v brakes?
I’m a n00b.
by stalkaRS
15 Comments
They’re likely fine as long as they work and pads are hitting the rims. Looks like it’s set up as it was meant to be.
I personally opted to do a full run of brake housing and circumvent the cable guide on the seat tube. Not having brake housing plumbed into the v brake noodle is a good way to let water in. If the bike doesnt see any crummy weather probably be fine.
Why do they splay so much? I have never seen that before. Usually they are more vertical, are they not?
If you want the arms to be closer to vertical you might be able to swap the sets of dish washers. It looks like the thicker pair are on the inside of the brake arms.
You don’t have to use that little pass thru on the rear but you gotta think through your cable run. Looks unnatural I agree.
The front brake does most of the work, don’t worry
too much spacer on the pads.
Yah bro this isn’t the routing you want for *3 brakes bypass the cable guide noodle thing on the tube completly or you’ll have a soft rear brake. Get a clamp on cable stop from problem solvers and use that up the top tube a bit from the seat tube. Run housing from the rear of that stop all the way to your noodle. Really cool bice bro have fun also love that rug dude! Really ties the room together!!!
ETA: *vbrakes sorry I’m blazed
How are there so many comments and nobody has pointed out that v brakes require cable housing at the noodle to function properly?
OP, this is going to get you hurt. Get a clamp-on cable stop and add the rear section of housing.
> is it weird/dangerous to run v brakes
no, it’s alright. you just need to make sure your levers are v brake levers and not cantilever levers. cantis and road brakes need the same pull from the lever to work correctly, while v brakes and mechanical disc brakes have a different pull (i always get them mixed up, one is short pull, the other is long pull).
if the braking’s all good, it’s most likely already taken care of.
the photo doesn’t show very good, but it looks like the rear brake has an arm closer than the other to the rim. IF the wheel is correctly centered, then you need to adjust the brakes’ springs. the small screw on the lower side (one for each brake arm) gets the spring stronger when tightened and weaker when unscrewed. it’s very subtle.
while looking at the brake, pull and release the lever many times: the brake pad side that touches the rim first needs its spring to be unscrewed, the other needs to be tightened. if/when the pads touch the rim at the same time, it’s good.
Can you do me a big favor and tell me the model number on the back of the brakes, or take a photo of it? Thanks in advance.
Yes. Originally spec’d with cantilever brakes. Rear cable/ housing routing is just an adaptation. Feel free to reconfigure or add a rear facing housing stop.
They’ll work fine, but you’ll want to swap your brake pad spacers to make your brake arms more vertical so you don’t lose braking force.
The setup on your rear brake is wrong and possibly dangerous. You probably want to buy a clamp-on cable stop to mount on the top tube, just in front of the seat tube, and then run a short piece of cable housing to the left and into the noodle.
Do they stop your bike? Yes: keep. No: replace.