Greetings...

I have a cross bike with a flat/mountain handlebar...and v-brake/linear pull brake levers. Well, the front v-brake needs to be replaced. Any problems with using my existing v-brake levers with canti brakes? I understand that v-brake levers pull more cable than road brake levers...

Also, what v-brake would you recommend? Spooky? Frog legs?

Thanks, Matt

I'd recommend using another v-brake. The canti won't work as well. It'd be a real downgrade to switch to a canti without replacing the lever with a canti-specific model.

Mismatched brakes (V-brakes with cantilever lever, cantilever brake with V-brake lever) give poor performance. Why do you want to use a cantilever brake, anyway? In some ways, V-brakes are superior - they give a more linear response, and they don't need a fork/frame mounted cable hanger. If you've got V-brake levers, you'll get the best performance by use a V-brake.

My old commuter with cantilevers (Dia Compe?) just went through a major overhaul that ended up including Shimano LX levers (brake lever and trigger shifters in one unit). Braking is better than ever.

My mountain bike has Shimano Deore V's and the brakes are much more powerful and sensitive.

Unless you have mud-related clearance issues where you ride, stick with the V-brakes. When I built up my "cyclocruise" bike from an old JtS frame, I went with LX levers/V-brakes and the braking is definitely superior to the cantis/105 brifters on my "normal" JtS.