Stopping in the wet
So having survived the wet ride home I noticed that my v-brakes weren't hugely effective.
Anyone got any specific tips on tweaking them to work a bit better? Should I just tighten them up as much as possible or is it more keeping them as dry and warm as possible while riding?
changing the blocks can make a whole world of difference - what blocks are you running now?
Shouldn't be any problem in the wet with V-brakes.
You don't want them to bite too soon. The bite point should be where the levers are reasonably close to the bars, where your fingers have more power (but obviously not so close that the levers can touch the bars).
Otherwise I second what purplecup said. The compound in the blocks can make a big difference in the wet.
two wheels good; four wheels bad
clean your rims too, give the braking surface a good scrub. a bit of emery board out of a puncture repair kit is good for roughing them up a bit and giving your brakes more bite, careful you don't sand your tyres though 
Thanks for the tips. My backs are ashima 3 function blocks which felt pretty good until the wet day, think I did some 'on the move' adjustment and think I've moved them right off.
May be some sunday arvo tinkering methinks.
Start Cycle Commuting. Write off your car!
Going back many years the block compounds were different colours - black which were harder was suitable for dry weather and red which were softer was suitable for wet. Using red blocks in the summer just wore them out faster.
I remember swapping the blocks - or at least using red blocks on the winter bike.
Hope this helps.
Make sure the blocks are correctly positioned too. This can make quite a difference.
OldRidgeback
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