Report on Shimano's V-Brakes

The same day I tested out Speedplay's Frogs clipless pedals, I also tested out Shimano's new V-Brakes. As you may know the V-Brakes are different from cantilever brakes in that they use a parallel push mechanism to activate the brakes as opposed to pulling up on a cross-cable to activate the brakes. This parallel pull creates a more powerful squeeze on the rim than does a cantilever.

The conditions for my test ride were snowy, muddy, and cold. When dry, the V-brakes stop on a dime at almost any speed. These brakes will definitely cause riders to buy more rear tires due to lock-up wear. In the wet and muddy conditions, the V-Brakes still performed well, but not to the extreme as they did when dry. They still had a tendency to slip a little when going downhill with wet rims, but not nearly as much as canti's.

When I had my brakes replaced with the V-Brakes, I also had to replace my levers. The V-Brakes require a lever with much more cable pull than do canti's. Also, my '94 Stumpjumper has a cable router going straight out and down from the seat tube. Great for canti's, not so great for V-Brakes. The wily bike shop mechanic, however, was able to rig up a tube (supplied by Shimano) and attach it to the brazed on cable router. This allows for a left side pull ( as opposed to a center pull) of the brake arms. The problem is that the cable now has a little more slop in it than I would prefer, but this caused no degradation in braking. I believe newer frames are (or will be) made to be more V-Brake compliant.

The only other problem I have found with the V-Brakes is the lack of a quick release. There is sort of one there, but it doesn't work as well as a cantilever quick release.

On a scale of 1-5 for braking power I give the V-Brakes a 5.

For general practicality - 4 (I hate to buy new stuff just to make other new stuff work)

For ease of installation and setup - 2 (My experienced mechanic had a hell of time figuring out the little tube thing for the rear brakes)

For ease of use - 5 (when riding) 3 (when transporting bike)