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I need to replace the V brake on this bike: enter image description here

It uses Shimano EZ FIRE 40 brake levers, and has Shimano V brakes installed (Tektro TK837).

Can I replace these V brakes with any other V brakes available on the market (E.g. Shimano Deore BR-T780 XT V-brake), or are there compatibility issues to consider?

More generally, if a bike already has V brakes installed and working, can I just go ahead and fit any V brakes I find without having to worry about whether they will fit?

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  • 2
    Yes it should be compatible' – paparazzo Feb 18 '16 at 10:07
  • While the levers are compatible with the brakes some align better with Revo-style shifters than Rapid-Fires and vice-versa. – mikes Feb 18 '16 at 11:24
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Yes, they all work together. Only exception is all mini V-brakes. They are not compatible with standard V-brakes.

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  • Does this mean mini V-brakes are for standard road brake levers? – Yolo Perdiem Feb 18 '16 at 16:01
  • Yes, more or less. I had a set of mini-V's that didn't work well with Campagnolo levers, I gave them to a co-worker who has Shimanos and they work much better on his bike. – ojs Feb 18 '16 at 19:48
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I installed the brakes and they were compatible, though the rear brakes didn't fit as snugly as the originals; note the gap between the brakes and the frame:

But it all works fine regardless.

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  • Is the bolt too long? Would a shorter bolt eliminate the gap? Or could you insert a washer as a spacer? As an engineer, I don't like gaps - they put strain on the bolt. – RoboKaren Nov 14 '16 at 5:58
  • @RoboKaren Yeah I think the bolt was too long, though I can't confirm as I don't have the original bolts anymore. I think I might need quite a big washer to remove that gap! – texasflood Nov 14 '16 at 16:18

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