V-brake choice - Avid 5.0/7.0 or Shimano XT?

[watanabe43]

Hi, I have googled this but found a lack of up to date opinion...

I have almost finished the rebuild on my 1998 Kona Caldera which was built from a frame in '99 with mainly scrounged bits then used as a hack.

Anyway, I want to upgrade the crappy V-brakes which were a free sample from Taiwan at the time but basically Tektro quality.

Groupset is M570 but I'm reluctant to get matching Vs second hand as the parallelogram linkages will doubtless be knackered and can't see me getting any spares now :roll:

Keeping the current levers for now as combined with shifters and mint condition.

Buying new, I can get Avid SD 5.0 for £12 or SD 7.0 for £24. But then I've also seen some XT M780 for £18 or so.

Period correct would be nice (Single Digit 2.0 were stock on the Caldera OEM build) but the comedy prices sellers want on the bay for knackered old callipers put me off especially as er, they're my brakes :facepalm: and the Thomson bits which have gone on are not exactly retro anyway.

Any advice much appreciated, or if anyone has something suitable for sale...

 

[markwashington]

Hi mate, I've run both Avids (SD1.9, 2.0, 5.0, and arch rivals) and XT's (M739 and M750) in the past and If I was forced to choose between the two I'd probably go with the Avids, purely because I prefer the feel of the lever, but since you're not using them then I've not really noticed a huge amount of difference. The XTs were always a bit harder to fit and sort out but I like the parallelogram looks and had them on a fully XT build.

I know you're keeping the levers you've currently got, but if you could be tempted to change I'd be going for Magura HS33s, they're period correct and the best rim brake I've ever used, plus there's the bonus of only having to set them up once as long as they're on the bike. The Evo 2 fitting kits are also much easier to set up and available for pretty cheap online.

 

[watanabe43]

Re:

Thanks for the reply - I'm tending towards the Avid 7s (having looked slightly harder for reviews rather than comparisons :roll: ) - even though they're more than twice the price of 5s and look pretty much identical there are enough differences under the bonnet to justify it. Plus they came out early 2000s and haven't changed so kinda the right era.

The new XTs don't have the parallelogram yet are still twice the weight of the Avids :shock: I have to say modern XT sure isn't what it was and the T780 look pretty cheap and tacky so think they're out.

I will go for separate levers eventually but only when I find some mintish pods - the M570 levers are at least the ones Shimano blessed with modulation adjustment even if it's 3 positions instead of the Avid's infinite. Not sure if one of the screws is rounded off though, waiting till some decent allen keys arrive.

Maguras - never had them (couldn't afford them back in t'day) so could definitely be tempted but still pricey, spent a bit too much already