Ultimate day rider. New Club Tour

[B cereus]

Looks great, it's good  when a plan comes together.

I'm another Club Tour MK IV owner, I've had mine about a year now and it's a joy to ride. I run mine with different tyre and wheel options and of all the bikes I own, it comes closest to a do it all bike.

I'm also a little surprised that you're disappointed with the V brakes. One of the benefits of freeing oneself from the tyranny of STI's in my view is the ability to fit V brakes. That said, cantilever brakes win on aesthetics I think  and generally provide excellent stopping, even if they are more fussy to set up.

[JimK]

I set up a bike with index downtube shifting for the rear and friction for the front. I loved that because I could trim the front a bit when I shifted the rear, to correct any kind of chain rubbing.

[smithhaddon123]

I set up a bike with index downtube shifting for the rear and friction for the front. I loved that because I could trim the front a bit when I shifted the rear, to correct any kind of chain rubbing.

Exactly the same here. 

I'm also a little surprised that you're disappointed with the V brakes. One of the benefits of freeing oneself from the tyranny of STI's in my view is the ability to fit V brakes. That said, cantilever brakes win on aesthetics I think  and generally provide excellent stopping, even if they are more fussy to set up.

I do accept being in the minority here.  One of my beefs against Vs is I find the left/right spring balance to be hugely affected by the length of cable between the cable stop (rear) or bar tape (front) and the noodle, because the noodle is on one side only.  I think it was a particular problem with my choice of V brake - the Gusset Boom.  An excellent brake except in one regard—very little spring tension adjustment.  I just prefer the modulation, feel and inherent balance of a nicely set up canti. 

[Pavel]

Sometimes numbers and the unbalanced use of the left-brained engineering side only, inexplicably doesn't carry the day.

I have those super duper XTR brakes V brakes, and a set of bargain basement canti's. I can't even remember the brand but I pulled them off the old Fuji touring bike. If it were not for the fact that both my thorns force me to use V-brakes I'd have gone to the canti's long ago.  I just like them better. Why ask why, when you can feel it?