Am I an idiot for using V-brakes?

[kmxtornado]

The bike I recently revived from 2011 uses V-brakes. I was thinking about disk brakes but finally decided it's not worth the money for me currently. The only reason I have concern now vs before is b/c I'm taking on my hills since moving and also I've overvolted it to run on 48v so it's got a bit more speed than it used to. I find that stopping from 20mph on flats already takes quite a bit of distance. I've tuned the existing brakes to be as good as they can be but looking to replace them with another set of mechanical v-brakes unless there are other budget options you may recommend.

I did consider switching to disk brakes, but the compatibility even with the various kits that allow me to attach a caliper may not have as much tolerance as I need. Watched several YouTube videos on the disk brake conversion and I'm worried the various measurements may not fit it well. I will not be riding on wet roads.

Any v-brakes you recommend? or perhaps just better performing pads?

 

[neptronix]

kool-stop salmon pads on vbrakes work fantastically if it isn't easy to fit disc brakes. Expect a +50% to braking if they're properly aligned, your brake handle isn't loose, etc.

If you have mega hills you may be better off with a DD and regen because regen doesn't fade like rubber and metal will on long descents.. won't need disc brakes then, the hub will be doing that extra braking you're looking for.

 

[kmxtornado]

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations! Excuse my ignorance, but what is DD?

 

[LewTwo]

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations! Excuse my ignorance, but what is DD?

DD = "Direct Drive Hub Motor" (as opposed to a geared drive hub motor)

 

[Hillhater]

The brakes on that bike in the picture are a very early form of Vbrake, and do not perform well compared to modern V brake designs.

 

[Debunker]

Disk brakes are for rich kids, not for road warriors.

A disk brake is more prone to failure, it needs periodical maintenance, change the oil etc... the pads last less and can be contaminated and shit, and the disk can break or deform, also on the Mad Max you will struggle to find replacements.

A e-bike with disc breaks is not the best choice for the apocalipsis.

V-Brakes are simple, easy to repair, need little to no maintenance and you got replacements everywere.

 

[e-beach]

I have to tinker with my v-brakes all the time. However, when properly adjusted I can lock-up the back wheel with ease. I never adjust the front wheel to the point of being able to lock up the front tire because it can A) wash out the front end or B) stop the front so fast that you will fly over the handlebars. And, yes, I have done both.

Make sure your rims are always trued so you can get the best out of your v-brakes.

+1 on the kool-stops.

 

[Chalo]

The bike I recently revived from 2011 uses V-brakes. [...] The only reason I have concern now vs before is b/c I'm taking on my hills since moving and also I've overvolted it to run on 48v so it's got a bit more speed than it used to. I find that stopping from 20mph on flats already takes quite a bit of distance.

Those aren't V-brakes (Shimano trademark, generically called "linear pull brakes"). Yours are cantilever brakes, which have a different cable pull ratio and entirely different tuning parameters.

It looks to me like you might have V-brake levers, though. If that's true, the brakes will feel firm (even hard) at the lever, but they won't get a good bite on the rim because of inadequate mechanical advantage.

True V-brakes/linear pull brakes with the correct levers will almost always outperform cantilever brakes, which have a falling mechanical advantage through their stroke.

 

[JackFlorey]

The bike I recently revived from 2011 uses V-brakes. I was thinking about disk brakes but finally decided it's not worth the money for me currently.

Rim brakes vs disk brakes are a religious issue to some people. Both work.

As Chalo mentioned you don't have V-brakes, but you should be able to retrofit them. It will take some cable work.

 

[kmxtornado]

I wanted to follow up so you know you're not responding to a ghost. Thanks guys for correcting my reference of v brakes when I actually in fact have cantilever brakes. My mistake. Thanks for the recommendation and feedback on replacement pads.

I now have Kool-Stop Salmon composites. Gotta love Amazon. Next day shipping. Raining so will wait until it’a dry out to get a test run. Boy are they ugly, but maybe that'll keep the thieves away.

 

[Chalo]

The red iron oxide filler gives those pads higher coefficient of friction, longer wear, less rim abrasion, and better wet braking than black pads. Kool Stop wasn't the first to make red oxide pads-- Scott Mathauser red pads were crème de la crème in the '80s-- but KS Salmon pads are unexcelled today.

Having an opinion about the color of brake pad material is like having an opinion about the color of tire tread rubber. It's not accidental, and it's not there for cosmetic reasons.

 

[circuitsmith]

DIsk brakes on mountain bikes are like low profile tires and big rims on cars: fashion over function.
I'm using black Kool Stops on the front of my Schwinn Frontier, the red are too sensitive with the Bafang levers.
Two tone KS on the rear.

 

[jordison]

I also have vbrakes, but I changed the front one to Magura hs33, they'r hydraulic, powerful and adjusting them is very easy

 

[JackFlorey]

DIsk brakes on mountain bikes are like low profile tires and big rims on cars: fashion over function.

I have caliper brakes on my folding bike which I keep at work for trips at lunch. They work . . . OK.
I have V-brakes on my road bike. They work great. Only downside is that there's an extra step when I remove the front wheel, which I do often for transport.
My first serious ebike used a front 160mm disk and rear cantilever brakes. (Hub motors didn't have disk mounts back then.) Also worked great. The rear brakes didn't have a lot of power, but for rear brakes you don't need as much power.
My current ebike - a heavily modified RadBike - has two 180mm disks. They also work great.

 

[Chalo]

I also have vbrakes, but I changed the front one to Magura hs33, they'r hydraulic, powerful and adjusting them is very easy

I used Magura hydraulic rim brakes in the early '90s. They were strong, but not stronger than my Scott Pedersen or Suntour Self Energizing cantilevers at the time. I gave them up for a few reasons: They were fussier to disconnect for wheel removal than cable brakes, bleeding them was an annoying chore, and I wasn't fond of the lever (but couldn't change it to something better).

It seems to me that lots of people prefer hydraulic brakes just because they're hydraulic. But I think hydraulics are a nuisance, and I only tolerate them if they have some major functional advantage-- which bicycle hydraulic brakes do not.

 

[CONSIDERABLE SHOUTING]

It seems to me that lots of people prefer hydraulic brakes just because they're hydraulic. But I think hydraulics are a nuisance, and I only tolerate them if they have some major functional advantage-- which bicycle hydraulic brakes do not.

Probably also because, they see/hear hydraulic brakes are the types on cars, and think "Oh! It must brake better because cars are heavier!"

I'm a newbie, but frankly I can't see a scenario where you'd want hydraulics on a bike. Cars have tons of trick ways to exert more braking force, but we don't.

 

[tomjasz]

I used Magura hydraulic rim brakes in the early '90s. They were strong, but not stronger than my Scott Pedersen or Suntour Self Energizing cantilevers at the time. I gave them up for a few reasons: They were fussier to disconnect for wheel removal than cable brakes, bleeding them was an annoying chore, and I wasn't fond of the lever (but couldn't change it to something better).

It seems to me that lots of people prefer hydraulic brakes just because they're hydraulic. But I think hydraulics are a nuisance, and I only tolerate them if they have some major functional advantage-- which bicycle hydraulic brakes do not.

Are these Suntour SE XC Pedersen still a good option? I bought a set of Magura rim brakes but find the messing with fluid a PIA. The instructions are so much more complex than I really want to get. Someone will get a good deal...

EDIT seems Suntour SE XC are only available used. SO, next best?

 

[Chalo]

I used Magura hydraulic rim brakes in the early '90s. They were strong, but not stronger than my Scott Pedersen or Suntour Self Energizing cantilevers at the time.

Are these Suntour SE XC Pedersen still a good option? I bought a set of Magura rim brakes but find the messing with fluid a PIA. The instructions are so much more complex than I really want to get. Someone will get a good deal...

EDIT seems Suntour SE XC are only available used. SO, next best?

The various Pedersen SE brakes (Scott, Suntour, and later Tektro) were as potent as cantilever brakes ever got, and the best available before Shimano introduced V-brakes. But good linear pull brakes with the right levers and pads are just as strong as SE brakes were, and less temperamental. For better lever feel and maybe even more bite, you can add a booster arch to stiffen the pivots.

If you can't get more braking power than you can stick to the ground with something like Avid Single Digit 7, Speed Dial levers, Kool Stop pads, and a booster, then there's a problem with the cable or adjustment. (Or you're running a heavy multi-passenger pedicab.) You can turn up the gain with long blade levers if grip strength is a limiting factor.