from Rookie’s keyboard

Hello, friends

I have prepared another post that will help some confused rookies out there.

To the untrained eye, the pads of rim brakes may look identical, but they are not and differ according to brake type.

Yesterday, a customer almost bought V-brake pads for his road bike. I saw his bike (some overpriced “Special”) and asked him if he was buying the pads for that model. He nodded. And I immediately gave him actual caliper pads.

What’s the issue here?

The attachment mechanism of V-brake pads allows you to install them on caliper brakes.

But V-brake pads are TOO LONG than the models designed for calipers.

Consequently, the pads fail to clear the fork blades.

• Attachment System

V-brake pads have a protruding bolt (stud) part of the pad’s body and a retaining nut.

To mount the pad, you slide the stud through the brake and then tighten the nut.

Caliper pads use the opposite combination. The body of the pads has a threaded section designed to accept a small bolt.

To mount the pad, you slide the bolt through the brake opening and tighten it into the pad.

Old-school caliper pads (e.g., Weinmann Brev) rely on a threaded stud and a nut too. However, the threaded stud is much shorter than the one on a V-brake.

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Both attachment methods are similar enough to allow the installation of V-brake pads on calipers, but as mentioned, the problem is found elsewhere.

• Length

V-brake pads are much longer and result in limited clearance when placed on a road machine.

The photo below shows how close caliper pads are to the blades of a road fork. If the pads were any longer, you won’t be able to install them because the fork blades will be in the way.

The only option would be to close the brake even more so that the pads can get between the fork blades.

If you do that, the brake shoes will greatly limit the fork’s clearance.

If the fork is particularly narrow, which is the case for most road bikes, the wheel won’t fit.

If the fork is somewhat wide, you may successfully install a wheel with a narrower tire.

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But even if the pads can fit on the fork, you will have a difficult time removing the wheel because the blades will not allow the brake to open sufficiently.

To remove the wheel, you will have to deflate the tire first.

This creates yet another level of inconvenience.

The seat stays of a road bike have a bit more clearance than the fork. However you will still experience clearance problems when installing and removing the wheel.

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Stopping Power

Theoretically, the longer body of V-brake pads comes with extra friction and thus more stopping power.

In reality, this doesn’t happen because V-brake pads are narrower than caliper pads. The overall contact area is similar.

Ultimately, the material that the pads are made of, their position, and technical state are the qualities that determine stopping power.

A set of quality caliper pads offers just as much stopping power as any V-brake model.

Looks

The studs of V-brake pads are much longer and will stick out of the brake significantly. People who care about the looks of their bike may not like that.

Stick To The Classics

V-brake pads on road brakes create many problems without offering any value.

Caliper pads are cheap and can be found in just about any bike shop. Stick with them.

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Until next time,

Rookie