Running these on the cyclocross and they seem really hard to get right.
http://www.merlincycles.com/tektro-926al-mini-vee-black-64256.html

any advice is appreciated (and not the ‘you should get discs’ option please!!)

thanks

cut a few mm off the noodles

I use them on the front of the cx and they work well with campag shifters. The good thing about campag is that they have a cable release button so you can get the wheel out ok.
You really need a barel adjuster on your noodle to dial them in though
Cant imagine adjusting them without that. think planet x did them.

I use them with SRAM shifters on my bike, Shimano shifters on wifeys. I got the best setup results using Problem Solvers Travel Agents and Kool Stop Salmon pads. I’m not a rider than can hop on and off at 20mph so a CX brake that almost works is quite handy.

I have the same setup on my CX bike, I’d recommend either ditching the standard noodles and replacing them with ones that have a built in barrel adjuster or fitting some inline barrel adjusters to the cable.

Once fitted you’ll have the fine adjustment you need to get them feeling right initially and keeping it as the pads wear. They also let you get the wheel in/out with the tyre inflated.

excellent advice all, many thanks. Barrel adjuster noodles ordered!

+1 for Travel Agents, barrel adjusters, modifying the noodles and fitting decent pads. Still wish I’d just built the bike with disc brakes in the first place though…

+1 for the travel agents. I could never get mine right, they either felt way too loose and spongy and when I really tightened them up it was an arse to get the wheels out and I ended up breaking one of the calipers where the noodle clips in because the tightness of the cable ended up bending the metal (god knows how).

I gave up after that and went back to calipers, but one of the lads in my lbs said that if I’d have used the travel agents everything would have worked better.

I had mini-v’s and thought they worked great – what exactly isn’t working? I just used noodle-adjuster things and some decent softer compound pads (not the cheapo hard ones that tear aluminium shards out of the rim and make scraping sounds)

Aren’t travel agents meant for “normal” size v-brakes?

The TRP pad holders that take road pads can give you more options there, too.

Thanks for all the advice. I’ve been struggling to get right clearance on pads so they are responsive and not spongy. Will await the adjustable noodles and have another go then. Thanks all

Are you using the latest 11speed shimano shifters? If so, i understand that the pull ratio is different with the newest 11 speed gear.

If not, I’ve used the same brakes on 10 speed 105 and they’ve been fine. Only ever used a barrel adjustable noodle when i had really fat tyres fitted, the point there was that i could remove the wheel without tools.

For best bite, power and feeling in your brakes, Mini V’s will need to be set fairly close to the rim. Use the brake block adjustment spacers (fat one in the inside) if you’re running a typical narrow road rim. The easiest way to tell, is to hold the brake arms in against the rim. The arms themselves still need to be 90 degree or greater from the rim for the best performance. If they are beneath that angle (closer to the tyre) then you’ll be looking at to much cable pull, which typically will result in squishy breaking.

Post some photos if you’re still stuck.

TIPS – make sure your outer cable is not to long.
+ Tension the spring screws a reasonable amount, will make the responsiveness far more snappy.

Hateful things to set up. I always get the impression they’re designed for v-lever cable pull, even though nominally they’re supposed to work with canti/road levers. And woe betide you if your wheel is even 0.2mm out of true.

Thanks all. Will have a play with the adjuster noodles and then bash some pics up here is still having issues. I’m using 10 speed levers.
Ta