Centerpull vs V-Brakes in terms of maintenance and use

[Robert Calton]

I'm curious what the differences are between these two types of brakes with regards to their respective maintenance and general use. Is one easier to adjust and keep in good riding order than the other? Does one feel fundamentally different than the other during the ride? 

I've read that "stopping power" is greater on v-brakes, but is it really that much better to hold out for a frame that supports v-brakes? Are there other factors I'm overlooking other than stopping power? I wouldn't run more than 43mm tires and fenders. 

[Bill Lindsay]

The answer to each of those questions is "It depends".  There are great and lousy set ups with center pulls.  There are great and lousy set ups with V-Brakes.  You decide if you prefer one over the other.  Ride bikes to develop your preferences if that's what you want to do.  If you're going to buy a bike without riding it first, then just know it's a guess and you may end up changing things.  If you end up turning into a person who hates V-Brakes (for example) you may find that you want to get rid of a bike because of your hardened preferences.  But there's nothing objectively "better" or "worse" between center pulls and V-brakes in the abstract general sense.  As you search for "the right bike", I think the bike you buy will present itself and then you'll decide to buy it.  Once you buy it, you'll try to like it.  If you fail to like it, you'll have to do something else.  It's all part of the journey.  You are the captain of your own ship.  Some people can't be satisfied with anything and keep searching.  Some people can love anything because bikes in 2024 are all excellent.  Most people are somewhere in between.  What makes you happy has more to do with you than it has to do with brakes, or bikes.  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Eric Daume]

Bill says “it depends,” but I can only offer my experience, which is that both are adequate in the dry, but centerpulls are spooky weak when the rims are wet. Centerpulls do look nicer, but in every performance category, V brakes are a clear and easy win for me. 

Eric

V brake fan 

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Robert Calton <nca...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm curious what the differences are between these two types of brakes with regards to their respective maintenance and general use. Is one easier to adjust and keep in good riding order than the other? Does one feel fundamentally different than the other during the ride? 

I've read that "stopping power" is greater on v-brakes, but is it really that much better to hold out for a frame that supports v-brakes? Are there other factors I'm overlooking other than stopping power? I wouldn't run more than 43mm tires and fenders. 

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[Bob]

My pertinent experience (including, for completeness, cantilevers):

• V-brakes: Tektro 834A around 40 mm tires and fenders did indeed have good stopping power, except in winter before the rims and pads warmed up and dried off a little. A significant number of times when I disconnected the noodle in order to remove the wheel, I had trouble getting the brake centered after installing the wheel and reconnecting the noodle. This was no doubt due to my own ignorance, but nevertheless it was annoying.
• Centerpull, bolt-on: Paul Racer around 38 mm tires and fenders stopped fine and, just as some users have claimed, seemed to have better modulation than any other brakes I've used. I should note that I never rode the bike with these brakes in really bad weather, so I have no idea how the brakes would have done in winter. Always easy to center after having disconnected the straddle cable to facilitate wheel removal, or even after removing the brake, installing a fender, and reinstalling the brake. It was so easy I thought I was doing something wrong.
• Centerpull, direct mount: Compass/René Herse around 42 mm tires and fender stop fine with excellent modulation, and have always been easy to center after disconnecting the straddle cable.
  
• Cantilever: Paul Neo-Retro/Touring Canti around 54 mm tires and fenders stop brilliantly with good modulation, though maybe not with as good modulation as centerpulls. Stop well even in crappy winter weather. I don't find cantilevers difficult to adjust to my taste, but they're not as easy as centerpulls. Again, all impressions may be due to ignorance.

In short, v-brakes felt more "grabby" to me, but occasionally were harder to adjust; while centerpulls, though maybe not quite as good at stopping quickly, have better modulation and are easier to adjust. Could be that my experience with v-brakes would be better with a different v-brake, like a Shimano or Paul Motolite; and that my experience with centerpulls would be less pleasant in a wider variety of conditions.

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Bob

[Josiah Anderson]

I agree both with Bill's "it depends" and Eric's "(some) centerpulls are spooky weak when wet." That depends on the centerpulls. DC750s, for example, I would agree are marginal-to-dangerous when wet, which I attribute to their flexy arms and low mechanical advantage. Mafac Racers and Raids, however, are the equal of any brake I've used, dry or wet or icy, when set up well and with salmon pads. I have not used René Herse centerpulls, but since they're basically Raid copies I'd expect them to be excellent as well, which matches what I've heard about them. V-brakes seem to have fewer possibilities for variation in performance because they're so standardized in design and simple to set up, and therefore people don't experience bad ones as often. Bad v-brakes do exist but they usually come from Walmart.

Josiah Anderson

Missoula, MT

Le jeu. 25 avr. 2024 à 15:28, Eric Daume <eric...@gmail.com> a écrit :

Bill says “it depends,” but I can only offer my experience, which is that both are adequate in the dry, but centerpulls are spooky weak when the rims are wet. Centerpulls do look nicer, but in every performance category, V brakes are a clear and easy win for me. 

Eric

V brake fan 

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, Robert Calton <nca...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm curious what the differences are between these two types of brakes with regards to their respective maintenance and general use. Is one easier to adjust and keep in good riding order than the other? Does one feel fundamentally different than the other during the ride? 

I've read that "stopping power" is greater on v-brakes, but is it really that much better to hold out for a frame that supports v-brakes? Are there other factors I'm overlooking other than stopping power? I wouldn't run more than 43mm tires and fenders. 

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[Eric Daume]

I have to admit, my only centerpull experience is with bolt on Dia Compes and Weimnmans, none of the fancy brakes.

Then again, blue collar V brakes work great.

Eric

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[Robert Calton]

Thank you for all the insight, folks. I just pulled the trigger on my first Riv, one that comes with Paul centerpulls. So I will do a deep-dive into this type of brake to learn as much as I can about them. Cheers!