Mini v canteliver or travel adapter ?

[martinn]

Hi all,

I did a search for this but didn't come up with a clear answer ( there might not be one )
I have an Ridgeback with flat bars, its a little small for me, but I decided to change the bars to drops. The bike has full size V brakes. I have an old set of Sora STI levers (9 speed), that I was going to use..... Then came the understanding that's it's not that simple so if I go down this route, should I use travel adapters with the existing Vs, buy a set of mini v or a set of canteliver brakes with the hangers. This is only going to be my really foul weather bike ( only one that could take studded tyres), so cost is also a consideration.
Or should I go down the route of buying drop bar brakes that work with V brakes, and either run it as a single speed or buy a set of 9 speed bar end shifters as well?
I have been going around in circles with this one for a couple of months now


Any thoughts appreciated. ( I do want drop bars and not flats, happy to consider any other proposals)

Many thanks
Martin

[MikeF]

Hi all,

I did a search for this but didn't come up with a clear answer ( there might not be one )
I have an Ridgeback with flat bars, its a little small for me, but I decided to change the bars to drops. The bike has full size V brakes. I have an old set of Sora STI levers (9 speed), that I was going to use..... Then came the understanding that's it's not that simple so if I go down this route, should I use travel adapters with the existing Vs, buy a set of mini v or a set of canteliver brakes with the hangers. This is only going to be my really foul weather bike ( only one that could take studded tyres), so cost is also a consideration.
Or should I go down the route of buying drop bar brakes that work with V brakes, and either run it as a single speed or buy a set of 9 speed bar end shifters as well?
I have been going around in circles with this one for a couple of months now


Any thoughts appreciated. ( I do want drop bars and not flats, happy to consider any other proposals)

Many thanks
Martin

If Sora STIs work with your front derailléur, then travel adaptors seem the cheapest solution, but I'm not an expert in these matters.

[reohn2]

We had a Santana Arriva tandem with full sized V's/ Travel Agents operated by Ultegra 9sp STI's that stopped well with good modulation,I reckon a solo touring bike similarly set up would stop very well.

[Norman H]

I would go for bar end shifters, keep the full V brakes, and buy some Tektro RL 520 levers. For a little extra you could invest in some Kelly Take Off's

[horizon]

I would keep the straight bars and save yourself all the time, money and hassle (though travel agents are probably the best solution IMV for the drops).

You don't say which Ridgeback it is but for foul weather and ice/snow (you mentioned studded tyres) it sounds fine - I presume it's a 700c hybrid hence the drops idea. I think straight bars, upright position (looking ahead for that pothole and ice patch in the dark) and with straight bars levers and gloves is the best. And you've got the V brakes which may give you better performance in the wet than cantis.

But that's all just my opinion .

[martinn]

The problem with the bike currently is that with the flat bars its massively uncomfortable, I have tried moving saddle forward and back, back is better, but even with a layback seat post it's not far enough. It was the first bike I bought when I returned to cycling after a 20 year hiatus, and to be honest I didn't have a clue when I went into the shop.
With the drop bars on the bike, it feels much more comfortable to ride. Hence the change. I made a similar change to a tandem, but went for the bar end shifters approach. The tandem fits me much better with drop bars.

Thought I would try to explore all options, and go for the most cost effective for this one.

Martin

[mercalia]

My Dawes 1-Down ( 1999) came with drops and V brakes and travel agents. They work well enough, but make sure you get the ones with the adjustable"top" so you can easily adjust the brakes without having to fiddle with the cable where it is bolted to the brake. A pair will set you back about £40

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cables/travel-agent-br0411-black-each/?geoc=US

[bikepacker]

Hi all,

I did a search for this but didn't come up with a clear answer ( there might not be one )
I have an Ridgeback with flat bars, its a little small for me, but I decided to change the bars to drops. The bike has full size V brakes. I have an old set of Sora STI levers (9 speed), that I was going to use..... Then came the understanding that's it's not that simple so if I go down this route, should I use travel adapters with the existing Vs, buy a set of mini v or a set of canteliver brakes with the hangers. This is only going to be my really foul weather bike ( only one that could take studded tyres), so cost is also a consideration.
Or should I go down the route of buying drop bar brakes that work with V brakes, and either run it as a single speed or buy a set of 9 speed bar end shifters as well?
I have been going around in circles with this one for a couple of months now


Any thoughts appreciated. ( I do want drop bars and not flats, happy to consider any other proposals)

Many thanks
Martin

Both my wife's bikes have Sora stis and mini vs and my Jackson has the same. The Sora mini vs R353 on my bike are the best I have found although Tektros also work fine. Something to consider is that you will need to run the pads quite close to the rims so have some inline adjuster to make small but often adjustments. I use these: https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BSTKCGP90 ... -90-degree

[fatboy]

I've had mixed success with mini vees. My new Spa tourer has new SSLR levers and 90mm v brakes and it works well. On my older Spa tourer I have SSLR levers (old sora shifters are likely to be like that) and I've made 85mm mini Vees work OK on the front but need to be set too close for the rear (I've gone back to Cantis on the back). I had to lower the rear mudguard as well.

My other attempt was on a Dawes Horizon and the pivots were too low to make mudguards work at all.

If it was me I'd probably do travel agents.

Don't forget that the front mech probably won't work (road and MTB have different pulls).

[Brucey]

there are three different models of sora 9s STI, ST-3400, ST-3500, ST-R3000. All [edit; except ST-3400 as fatboy points out] have 'New Super SLR' (NSSLR) cable pull which means that they will work OK with Mini-Vs, moreso than older STIs will.

Provided the bosses are not set unusually high on the frame or something (which would alter the system MA in the wrong direction), I think that mini-Vs will be better than travel agents, and will probably cost the same or less (mini-Vs start from about £10 per brake). With either setup running clearance at the brake blocks will be small, and it is more or less required that your wheels run pretty true.

BTW I try not to refer to the new (~2008 onwards in most groupsets) brake cable pull as 'SSLR' (even though shimano and others have started to do so) because that name has already been used for an older shimano system. At launch in 2008 shimano described the revised version as 'New Super SLR' to avoid any confusion; shame they didn't stick with that.

cheers

[epa611]

What about trying butterfly/treking bars?

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my STF-L09 using hovercraft full of eels.

[fatboy]

there are three different models of sora 9s STI, ST-3400, ST-3500, ST-R3000. All have 'New Super SLR' (NSSLR) cable pull which means that they will work OK with Mini-Vs, moreso than older STIs will.

I think that 3400 are not NSSLR. I think that the change was when they switched from thumb shifters to paddles.

[Brucey]

there are three different models of sora 9s STI, ST-3400, ST-3500, ST-R3000. All have 'New Super SLR' (NSSLR) cable pull which means that they will work OK with Mini-Vs, moreso than older STIs will.

I think that 3400 are not NSSLR. I think that the change was when they switched from thumb shifters to paddles.

you are quite right, I was looking at the line on the chart for ST-2400, not ST-3400

BTW if ST-3400 I would (personally) consider fitting cantilever brakes as a very viable solution.

cheers

[531colin]

Full-size Vee brakes, every time.
Part of the advantage of full-size Vees is that the cable travel is longer....therefore lower tension.....and Bowden cables work better under conditions of low tension, because frictional losses are less.
The only reason to go for mini-vees is if you are wedded to road STIs, and even then, you could be better off with mid-profile cantilevers like Shimano CX70, because if you use an adjustable length straddle you can fine tune the mechanical advantage.