V brake levers with caliper brakes?

[swee'pea99]

My fixie project rolls on...I've seen a lot of fixies with what look like a centrally mounted v-brake type lever, as opposed to a standard drop bar type - is there any reason you can't use bmx/v type levers with standard 'old-style' caliper brakes?

 

[MartinC]

V brake levers pull more (about twice as much) cable than levers intended for cantis or calipers. If you use them they'll feel nice and hard but they won't exert much pressure on the brakes.

You need to get canti/caliper levers for flat bars - they exist, Shimano and others make them for "fitness" bikes.

 

[HLaB]

The other way round, I run v brakes with sti's and use a problem solver to overcome the lack of pull of the sti levers. I think you could use them the other way round to reduce the amount of pull but I'm no expert. The compatability between the two systems aint that great IME.

 

[mickle]

There's Linear Pull ('V') brakes and there's everything else. Drop bar levers, cantilever levers, road bike levers, BMX caliper levers, roller brake levers, U brake levers are all interchangeable. If you are using a flat or riser bar use any non 'V' flat bar lever. Thorn have new-old stock Suntour XC levers. If you intend to use a drop bar or lo-pro/ cow horn type bar you'll need something like Cane Creek Cross Tops.

Mix Linear Pull brakes with others at your peril.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks all - esp Mickle - that sounds pretty definitive & authoritative. Much appreciated.