There are two categories of biking road and mountain biking, and the cables and levers of both of these brakes are different from each other, due to which v brake levers are compatible with mountain bike brake cables and v brake levers are non-compatible with road bike brake cables, if you have road bike then it is not possible to use V brake levers for disc braking but if you are a mountain biker then you can use traditional rim brake or V brake levers for mechanical disc brakes.
Difference In Brake cables:
There are two types of brake cables short cables and long cables, both have a noticeable difference in their and also price ranges, short pull cables are cheaper and don’t last long but long pull cables are expensive and are long-lasting, so it would be better to measure the length of the brake cables from the central lever pivot till the cable pull point near the rotor and calipers before installing or buying new levers for your bike. because sometimes the cable length would match with the other types of brake levers which you own in your garage or home, in such a way you will prevent your bucks from spending on new levers. check different levers with the same disc brake cable if the levers are not matching then buy a new compatible lever for your braking.
Compatibility With Shifters:
Shifters are gear changed and these are mounted with the brake levers, while using V brake levers with the disc brakes, you have to inspect the shifters of the disc brakes and the clamp hole of bolt and nut of the shifters and the should be the same as that of the V brake levers, if V brake levers are compatible with the brake shifters then you can use V brake levers for disc brakes.
Lever Distance From Grips:
Levers are used for bike handling purposes and the fingers are trained for pulling the levers of V brakes from the handlebar and grips, interchanging and replacing levers with new levers require training practice for your fingers for many days, it is the reason most riders use their old and previous levers for new brakes, a distance of levers from the grips would matter a lot and increases bike handling on the trails, you should also check the distance of the levers for your fingers if it is easy and comfortable for your fingers then go for it.
Advantage Of Using V Brake Levers With Disc Brakes:
V levers do not give a sudden jerk when pulling the levers of these brakes, and they behave the same as that of the V brakes, but mechanical brakes and mechanical are reverses, and by pulling the levers of mechanical brakes these would give a sudden stop to bike wheel and even it is said that using disc brakes and disc brake levers on hard and aggressive terrains, always carry an extra wheel spoke with yourself because sudden stopping of the wheel would sometime cause breaking of spokes and unthreading the spokes from the spoke nipples.
If the rim is cracked and untrue and the spokes are bent, then disc brake levers would not perform better on these rims because their levers have higher braking and stopping power as compared to V brake levers.
Disadvantages Of Using V brake Levers With Disc Brakes:
V brake levers do not give a smooth stopping ability when pulling their levers on the terrains, most of the time these levers would get stuck in their halfway through pulling and squeezing. you have to squeeze and pull V brake levers fully with a force applied on your fingers, but disc brake levers would not perform like V brake levers.
And when the V brake levers get stuck in their half of squeezing then there are more chances of rubbing of brake pads with the rotors, it is risky because it will decrease the lifespan of the brake pads.
Are V Brake Levers Recommended For Disc Brakes:
V brake levers and disc brake levers are different in pull ratios and bite ratios, and V brake levers are not recommended for disc brakes, although there are adapters that are used with the V brake levers for maintaining the pull ratio of the brake cables with the V levers.
Same Brand And Number of Gears:
Changing this setup also needs the same and matchable branding of V brake levers and disc brakes and also the number of gears for V brake levers would exactly match with the disc brake cables and calipers. different brands of V brake and disc brake lever would perform and cause many issues and problems and do not swap easily.
Is V Brake Levers Recommended For Road Bikes?
No, V brake levers are just and only used for mountain bike handlebars and MTb disc brakes and these are not compatible with the road bike disc brakes due to the differences in the cables and mounting places.