General Cycling Discussion - what exactly is braze-on with derailers

What does the term braze-on mean. That i need to get the welder out and braze it on? Or what?

Some front derailleurs clamp onto the frame and require no braze-on. Others, lacking a clamp, bolt instead onto a fitting brazed onto the right side of the seat tube. Fortunately, there are clamp adaptors for many of the latter derailleurs.

The first time I saw a braze-on front derailleur fitting was on my friend's 1960 Schwinn Continental, which still had its original Simplex Competition suicide front shifter. My road bikes, completely spanning the 1960s and 1970s, all use clamp-on derailleurs. Sometime around 1990, braze-on front derailleurs became very popular on road bikes. The braze-ons are arguably slightly more reliable and save a bit of weight, but they can restrict your choice of chainring size and derailleur.

Braze on means the mech (front) fits to a bracket brazed on to the seat tube. It's potentially lighter than a band-on, but less adjustable.(not important on an out and out road bike-but may be on a tourer if you really change the ring size.

There are, I think, two methods for attaching front derailleurs to a frame. The first is to clamp them onto the seat tube. The second is to bolt them onto a plate, which is welded onto the seat tube.

You can leave the welder to rest...

I would say that the latter is more old fashioned and that the former looks better.

Just my opinion.

I'm just wondering did you all copy and past eachothers answers?

:D

All within a minute of each other from Scotland, Holland and the States. Now is that service or what? :D

Band ons (in my humble retro grouch opinion) look nicer too.

Rivendell or Heron (I can't remember which one) also states an issue with the seattube sometimes breaking near the derailleur braze-on. Another reason, they suggest, to prefer a band-on derailleur.