I have an Independent Fabrications Steel Planet X which is kind of a neat, unique frame that had these Tektro V-brakes when I bought it. They work fine, but they just look a little cheap and I had told myself I would eventually upgrade them. The bike is designed for cantis, but as great as they look it seems like that may be a downgrade if anything. I was also looking at potential v-brake upgrades or something like a Dia-Compe center pull. I’d like to maintain my wide tire clearance for versatility, so probably not calipers. Not looking to spend a ton, but interested in y’all’s suggestions. Thanks!
by Double_Resident9972
7 Comments
Nice bike!
The sort of “gold standard” for cyclocross are TRP mini Vs or Paul cantilevers. There’s been a bunch of other equally great things used as well: Shimanos, Mafacs, etc. But your Tektros are good brakes: I’ll take them if you don’t want them! These also have good Kool-Stop pads on there, so you’re probably going to see more of a performance difference by using compressionless brake housing and making sure cable routing is solid than by changing brake models. You might be able to swap out the fork for a disc-specific one, but then you’ll also need a disc caliper and new front wheel.
You might also be able to run dual-pivot calipers on this bike: there’s a mounting hole on the front fork.
If the bike is designed for cantis, then the v breaks shouldn’t fit on them even remotely. Edit: I was thinking of lever compatibility. This statement is wrong
Remove one (1) (ONLY ONE) brake pad. Look at the dome washers (very aptly named, you’ll know them when you see them, theres two convex and two concave per brake pad) and notice which ones are thicker and thinner – you currently have the thicker ones on the inside of the brake arm; let’s fix that!
Use the brake pad you *didn’t* remove as reference to reinstall the pad you removed with the thin dome washer on the inside, instead of on the outside. Make sure they’re all oriented correctly – this is why we’re doing it one pad at a time.
Once you have both pads’ dome washers swapped, reset the cable tension and pad alignment, and you’ll have better performance immediately. They work better when the brake arms are parallel to eachother, which should also be when your brake lever is parallel to your grip (for max hand squeeze efficiency).
If you have any questions, look up Park Tool’s videos and go from there.
TRP Mini Vs
[https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/brakes/linear-pull-brakes/minimoto/](https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/components/brakes/linear-pull-brakes/minimoto/)
No other brake compares. EDIT: Actually, you may need the “Motolite”. I’d consult with them before making a purchase. Both are fantastically engineered and machined brakes. Enjoy!
Shimano Deore BR-T610
Cantilevers are definitely not a downgrade. In terms of “upgrades” look into Paul brakes. They make cantis and v brakes
The TRP calipers are upscale Tektro and are very nice.