Submitted by
Curtis
a Cross Country Rider
from Minneapolis
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2003
Strengths: Light weight, easy to install, CHEAP!!
Weaknesses: Pads, cables, and housing are crappy
Bottom Line:
Overall this is a good deal on a brakeset. Simple design makes it easy to set up. Accesories listed above aren't the best, but I wouldn't expect them to be for a $30 package! I'm only 155 lbs during the summer, the topos are plenty to control most midwestern descents. Buy them if your budget is tight, or you just want to save money. If you need serious stopping power, spend more on a higher quality brakeset, or try disc. You get what you pay for after all.
Bike Setup: Leader carbon frame, xyclone wheelset, xt/xtr drivetrain
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Ellington, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2002
Strengths: Cheap, complete system, minimal moving parts --> easy to set up
Weaknesses: Stock pads are terrible
Bottom Line:
I got these as a complete set back in May. They were part of a rebuild/upgrade of my older bike so it would perform better. After everything was said and done, I went out to test everything, and I immediately noticed the huge increase in stopping power over my old Alivio cantilevers. However, when I hit the trail for the first time with them (nothing big, just some fair singletrack), I hit a patch of damp sand, which stuck to my rims, and the stock pads immediately picked this crap up, and held on to it. For the next hour or so, it sounded like I was grinding bare metal on metal. I didn't even ride the bike again until I put on two new sets of Kool-Stop V-type replacement pads, what a difference. I looked at the old pads, and there was sand and small pebbles (!!!) embedded into them!
Overall, these are a great, cheap set up as long as you replace the stock pads. If you're looking for a cheap replacement/upgrade from older or inferior brakes, go for these, I doubt you'll be dissappointed.
I bought this based on reading the few good reviews listed so far. Components are good quality and installed easily. But the hard brake pads ate up my Mavic rims! They didn't squeal but they GROWLED! Sounded like letting your disk brake pads go on your car... I ordered a set of Koolstop Blacks to replace them. Night and Day. Maybe they changed or had a bad batch in the rubber mix?
Bike Setup: Specialized Sportrock upgraded to Deore and XT components
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Submitted by
brad
a Cross Country Rider
from st. louis, MO USA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2001
Strengths: light weight, strong stopping power, cheap cheap cheap!!! has a nice design and style. bought one for my rear wheel, left the front canti and the system works well. the rear topo rarely squeals when wet and retains it's effective stopping power. simple adjustments and simple installation. the corresponding lever that i bought with the brake is strong and requires little effort for a large return.
Weaknesses: none, so far, that i can tell after 2 years of use.
Bottom Line:
i am about 195 lbs. and this brake does the trick. the pads have yet to wear down, although i did blow out my knee last season, so they didn't see as much work as they have this year. the topo brake line is very inexpensive and is perfect for the middle level biker wanting to upgrade for relatively little money. i love these brakes and will continue to use them as long as i can.
These were my first v brakes and i love them. they react quick, easy to set up and tinker with.
one problem: you cant really use a booster with them. if you want to pull more cable through the bolt to tighten your brakes after the cable flexes, you must take your brake booster off to get the bolt. this sucks when you are swapping wheels and need to re adjust the brakes.
Bike Setup: Don't laugh...the 2000 performance m100. coda stem, wtb speedmaster wheels, topo riser bar and yeti grips, lx drivetrain with xt cassette. nice frame to build up, guys.
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Submitted by
Murray Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000
Strengths: Price- paid 50.00 for brakes, levers, and cables. Ease of installation and setup. Work great and don't squeal. Lightwieght.
Weaknesses: Have not found any yet. Haven't tried them in wet muddy conditions yet.
Bottom Line:
I bought a kit(V-brakes, levers, and cables) for $50.00 and they work great and were easy to install and setup. I recommend these over Shimano LX for price and performance. I haven't used them in wet or muddy conditions so they may have weaknesses that I haven't found yet, but I doubt it. Can't go wrong if your a non-racer who doesn't have to spend $200.00 dollars on brakes just so he or she can brag or show off to buddies!
Similar Products Used: Avid SD20 with Shimano LX levers.
Bike Setup: 1993 Trek 930SHX(Lugged Cro-moly Frame), 00 Rockshox SID XC, Moxey suspension seatpost, Performance Topo Vbrakes and levers, and Panaracer tires.
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Submitted by
Ben-Jammin
a Racer
from B'burg, Virginia, USA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2000
Strengths: Cheap, light, simple, effective
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Bought these as my first set of V-brakes. I have a set on both bikes now. Can't beat the price, easy to set up, few moving parts (unlike Shimano!), lighter than XTR!
