I was told that these brakes and the levers (st-3300) are not compatible but they seem to work pretty well, is this dangerous?
by hahahahaHans
I was told that these brakes and the levers (st-3300) are not compatible but they seem to work pretty well, is this dangerous?
by hahahahaHans
9 Comments
if it works it works what can i say
Yes and no.
Road shifters are “Short pull” while V-Brakes are “Long pull”. Short pull have higher mechanical advantage with shorter cable travel while long pull have less mechanical advantage and longer cable travel.
Using short pull levers on long pull brakes (as you have here) will work but you’ll have a harder time adjusting them so the brakes don’t rub. Your wheel needs to be very true and calipers dead center, but they should grip like crazy. One solution is to use something called a “[Travel Agent](https://problemsolversbike.com/products/travel-agent)”. I have one on my bike but after a few years I am not a fan- it adds friction and prevents you from using the pinch bolt to adjust cable length.
Using long pull levers on short pull brakes, on the other hand, will not give as much stopping power for the same lever force so that combination can be dangerous and should be avoided.
What you have will work. If you feel like spending some $, you could get cantis like Tektro Oryx, Avid Shorty6, or Shimano BR-CX50
Edited for additional detail.
In a emergency with reduced dexterity possibly, with good pads even more so.
The main danger is if you grab the front brake really hard in an emergency you could flip over the handlebars. That’s basically true of V brakes no matter what kind of levers you have, just a little more risky with these ones due to increased mechanical advantage. If you’re aware of this it probably won’t be an issue.
those brake levers are going to pull really hard on the cable making the brakes extremely reactive. i wouldn’t ride this personally. if you’re not careful you can easily flip the bike with the front brake, and the rear brake will probably just lock up the wheel and skid.
I did it with tektro RX1 mini v brakes. Works way better as with every canti.
https://preview.redd.it/cne71g2043fd1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=759bf7f1504b00fe9f0641bf2c2e89bcdc0077cd
I’ve been using Travel Agents for years, and they’ve worked flawlessly. Pair them with Kool Stop Linear pads (salmon).
My bigger concern is all that rust. It may accelerate fatigue, and you don’t want your brakes failing when you need them the most.
I’ve been using old Weiman levers will V-Brakes for 25 years without problems, but I found that with my new Sora levers I needed adapters, and even then they were not great. I would say if you can get both wheels to block (without going over the handlebar!) that’s as good as you’ll ever get – but otherwise, I would be weary…
Replace the brake calipers. That much rust on front brake makes me sweat just by looking at it.