# Tektro mini v brakes 926a and RX5: What's the diff?



## jared_j

Tektro markets two models of "mini-V" brakesets:

926a appears to have shorter arms relative to the RX5.

My intuition is the longer arms on the RX5 would correspond to greater force applied to the brakepad relative to the 926a.

Can anyone tell me about the differences between these? I have no experience with mini-V's.


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## pretender

Yup, it's a trade-off between mechanical advantage (leverage) and the clearance between brake pad & rim. IMO any mini-V has plenty of leverage so I'd go with the shortest arms that clear your tires. 926a should be fine. The nice thing is, you could buy both for not much money.

TRP (Tektro's high-zoot racing division) carries two mini-Vs, the 9.0 and 8.4. They say:
_The CX8.4 features 84mm length arms designed to work seemlessly with SRAM and Campagnolo shifters. Not content to just stop better, the CX8.4's also feature an integrated barrel adjuster on the noodle to make those on-the-fly adjustments simple! For newer Shimano levers, you'll want to choose venerable CX9._
TRP


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## beaker

*BMX stuff too*

Also check the BMX listing on Tektro's site. There are a few other brake options there as well. That, and Sinz has rebranded a set of Tektro's in an 85mm arm length that can be found as cheap/ cheaper than some of the Tektro stuff ($9 ).


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## tihsepa

I am running the TRP 9.0's and they are awesome. The stopping power is impressive.


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## mttklmrr1

Actually, Tektro makes three mini v models. 926a has 80mm length arms while RX5 has 85mm and RX6 has 90mm.

Choosing the right one depends on the amount of cable pull your lever has. Longer arms produce more stopping power and shorter arms give more clearance between rims and brake pads. 

I choose the RX5's and braking is excellent with 5700 shifters/levers. The new Shimano levers pull a bit more cable than its predecessors.

Your levers might be your deciding factor.


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## jared_j

I'm running SRAM levers. The TRP site suggests the TRP CX8.4 for SRAM levers. I'm thinking the Tektro analog to this model is the Tektro 926a. Is that correct?

I don't want to mess around with a Travel Agent or any of that jazz.


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## mttklmrr1

TRP CX8.4 are closer to RX5. I would go for 926a's for a bit more rim and pad clearance and lessen the risk of needing a Travel Agent. You might also need to buy adjustable barrel noddles. I am using Jagwire Noodle w/Brake Adjuster Barrels on my mini v brakes.


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## LC

Shorter the better for use with STI levers so go with the 926. You already have plenty of mechanical advantage, enough that you can lock your brakes with one finger. Pad clearance before running out of lever pull is more of a problem.


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## davidka

As LC said, the leverage is in the lever. You can easily have too much power since we ride skinny little tires with small tread.

Another real issue is if the brake arm length is a large enough mis-match with the lever, it will be difficult to disconnect the cross-cable/brake noodle to remove the wheel.


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## winmac

I have Ultegra 6600 levers. Will the Tektro RX5 or 926A work for real?
I keep getting different answers.


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## tihsepa

winmac said:


> I have Ultegra 6600 levers. Will the Tektro RX5 or 926A work for real?
> I keep getting different answers.


I am using 5600 levers with my TRP 9.0's and they are good. Whatever tektro's are 9cm long will work fine. They pull close to the bar but will lock cross tires on any surface. Takes some getting used to. The stopping power and modulation in awesome.


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## krisdrum

Sorry to drag this up but am finding conflicting information out there.

I see the 926AL listed on Tektro's site. No specifications around what lever pull they match up to. In online stores I am finding listings for both the 926AL and a 926A. The A (no L) model seems to have a long pull designation associated with it, which would not match with a short pull drop bar lever as I understand it. The Tektro w ebsite does not list the A (no L). 

Are they really 2 different models? Would getting the A and trying to match it to a SRAM road lever be an effort in futility? I'm so confused. 

I like the idea of more stopping power and no fork shudder for my cross bike. I also like the idea of longer pad travel to facilitate mud clearance. So an 80mm armed V brake looks great. I just don't want to waste my time and money if the ones I am seeing advertised for $10-15 won't work with my levers.


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## GearDaddy

krisdrum said:


> Sorry to drag this up but am finding conflicting information out there.
> 
> I see the 926AL listed on Tektro's site. No specifications around what lever pull they match up to. In online stores I am finding listings for both the 926AL and a 926A. The A (no L) model seems to have a long pull designation associated with it, which would not match with a short pull drop bar lever as I understand it. The Tektro w ebsite does not list the A (no L).
> 
> Are they really 2 different models? Would getting the A and trying to match it to a SRAM road lever be an effort in futility? I'm so confused.
> 
> I like the idea of more stopping power and no fork shudder for my cross bike. I also like the idea of longer pad travel to facilitate mud clearance. So an 80mm armed V brake looks great. I just don't want to waste my time and money if the ones I am seeing advertised for $10-15 won't work with my levers.


I notice that some of the stuff that pops up on google says 926A, but they are really 926AL. Anyway, the ones that say 80mm arm length are what you want.

I used 926AL on my CX bike for the front brake with Campy levers, and it worked well. You will not get as good of pad clearance as canti brakes. You also don't get a lot of wiggle room in setting them up right for your rim width. If you set the pads too close to the rim, then it will be difficult to disengage the brake to get the wheel off, although the adjustable brake noodles that you can get will help that situation some. If you set the pads too far from the rim, then you'll run out of lever pull to really clamp down on the brake. If you change wheels with different rim widths, then you'll probably have to readjust the brakes.

Overall though they should work fine with your SRAM levers. Even though you'll still need to play around to get the pad clearance right, they are still easier to set up than cantis.


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## krisdrum

GearDaddy said:


> I notice that some of the stuff that pops up on google says 926A, but they are really 926AL. Anyway, the ones that say 80mm arm length are what you want.
> 
> I used 926AL on my CX bike for the front brake with Campy levers, and it worked well. You will not get as good of pad clearance as canti brakes. You also don't get a lot of wiggle room in setting them up right for your rim width. If you set the pads too close to the rim, then it will be difficult to disengage the brake to get the wheel off, although the adjustable brake noodles that you can get will help that situation some. If you set the pads too far from the rim, then you'll run out of lever pull to really clamp down on the brake. If you change wheels with different rim widths, then you'll probably have to readjust the brakes.
> 
> Overall though they should work fine with your SRAM levers. Even though you'll still need to play around to get the pad clearance right, they are still easier to set up than cantis.


That was my issue, all of them said they were 80mm long arms. I'll probably just jump in and see what happens. Thanks.


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## jkretsch

krisdrum said:


> Sorry to drag this up but am finding conflicting information out there.
> 
> I see the 926AL listed on Tektro's site. No specifications around what lever pull they match up to. In online stores I am finding listings for both the 926AL and a 926A. The A (no L) model seems to have a long pull designation associated with it, which would not match with a short pull drop bar lever as I understand it. The Tektro w ebsite does not list the A (no L).
> 
> Are they really 2 different models? Would getting the A and trying to match it to a SRAM road lever be an effort in futility? I'm so confused.
> 
> I like the idea of more stopping power and no fork shudder for my cross bike. I also like the idea of longer pad travel to facilitate mud clearance. So an 80mm armed V brake looks great. I just don't want to waste my time and money if the ones I am seeing advertised for $10-15 won't work with my levers.


I scoured the internet trying to find the definitive answer as to the difference between the 926A and the 926AL. It wasn't until I actually ordered a set off of eBay that I got my answer. The 926A is all black whereas the 926AL is black with silver. Also, the 926AL has an additional brake post bushing which the 926A does not. The 926A will NOT work with the brake post found on cyclocross bikes. I can only assume it is BMX-specific. I encountered a situation where the box was mismarked if you intend to order these online you want' to make sure the the seller examines the brakes themselves to verify they are black and silver and have the additional brake post bushing.


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