Parts
- Evolution V-Brakes adapter (from Porkchop BMX here)
- Tektro 930AL bicycle V-brake and 313A right hand lever set (from Porkchop BMX here)
- 313A brake lever
- 930AL V-brake
- 2x V-brake mounting screws
- Brake cable
- Cable housing
- Cable end crimp
- Brake cable holders
- Could use zip-ties
- Porkchop BMX sold out, tried something from Amazon, but still looking for a good solution
- Shim to fit 22.2mm ID brake lever to 19mm OD handle bar
- Used 3/4" OD, 5/8" ID clear vinyl tubing that I had laying around
Tools
- Cable cutters
- Crimping tool
- Torque wrench
- 5mm hex socket (for torque wrench)
- 4mm hex socket (for torque wrench)
- 2mm hex key for brake lever reach adjustment (not shown)
- Phillips screwdriver for moving bell (not shown)
Background
I bought a Co-op Cycles Rev 16 bike for my son about 3 years ago. I don't know much about bikes, but this one seemed a good compromise between quality, weight and cost. Not long after buying it, I learned about Woom cycles and I really liked their philosophy of teaching kids to use their hands from braking from the beginning. While it is too late for my kids to start from hand brakes, I thought I could at least get them started now. My soon losing the chain (and thus coaster brakes) on a recent bike ride provided the final nudge. :-)
Alternatives
This conversion costs nearly $100. It would have been better to buy a bike with hand operated brakes in the first place. I even checked local classifieds and could have bought a used bike with V-brakes for $80 (but it was very masculine and I plan on handing this bike down to my daughter). Anyhow, I decided to plow forward and enjoy the project regardless of practicality.
The bike
The bike has a mount for caliper-style brakes and I could have been done for $20-$30. However, I found multiple references to people saying their kids' hands were not strong enough to brake with caliper brakes, and that V-brakes work much better. I decided to take their word for it.
Of course, the Rev 16 doesn't have V-brake mounts, so that's where the Evolution V-brake adapters come into play. They're clamp on V-brake mounts, but be aware that they will damage the paint on the bike where they're clamped on.
The next obstacle is that the handle bars on the Rev 16 are 19mm in diameter at the grips, while the industry standard is 22.2mm. Tektro does make kid-specific brake levers for 19mm handlebars (see here), but the kit ordered from Porkchop was a great deal. I instead used a bit of vinyl tubing as a "shim".
Conclusion
I am very impressed with the Tektro kit. Everything seems to be good quality and they paid attention to the details. The Evolution adapters are well-designed and well-made too.
My son hasn't ridden yet, so no verdict yet on how it all worked. I am a bit worried the levers are still too long a reach even with the adjustment screw maxed-out. If so, I'll source a longer screw. The kid specific levers might work better, but I haven't tried them.
