Originally Posted By: nthach
Originally Posted By: JOD
v-brakes don't work well at all with road levers--the cable pull leverage points are different, and it pretty much provides on/off braking with little modulation. That's why cyclocross guys use cantilevers and not v-brakes; they work poorly with road levers.
A modern dual pivot brake modulates really well with a road lever, and provides enough stopping power to lock up the wheel if you really need to. Ultimately, your tires end up being the limiting factor with your stopping distance, not the brakes. I will say that road brakes have come a long way singe the days of single-pivots.
SRAM and Shimano says it's A-OK to use cantilever brakes on STI or DoubleTap controls. After all, cyclocross bikes use road components anyway.
Cantilevers, yes--V-brakes, no. V-brakes use a different cable pull ratio than cantilevers. I was working in a shop during the advent of V-brake introduction, so I actually remember the 2-position mountain bike brake levers which would work with both types, along with specific "v-brake" levers. Road levers will really only work with cantilevers, though.