jebensch

I converted a 79 or 80 Peugeot UO-10 to single speed and stripped off a lot of the touring doodads that came with it. I'm not a stickler when it comes to keeping true to stock components so I planned to switch out the Mafac Racer cps with a sidepull up front and no rear.

Am I neglecting a good piece of metal here? The reach is a little long so I can't use the shorter 105 and 600 calipers I have laying around but dang - center pulls remind of me of orthodontic headgear and I like forgoing the cable suspender (what is that called) that has to go on the headset.

Yes: naive, but learning.

T-Mar

The Racer was a good brake with lots of adjustabilitry to fine tune them and big pads for good stopping power. . However, the adjustability was also their Achilles heel. They were prone to coming out of adjustment and squeeling. If you want to ditch them go ahead, they are nothing special or valuable, but I'd keep them in the spares box just in case you have a change of heart. The cable suspender is usually cable a cable hanger. You may have some difficulty finding sidepulls with sufficient reach but they are out there.

dbakl

The Mafac squeal comes from the pads I think; haven't been made for decades and any still around are probably hard. I just got a set of Kool Stop rubbers to fit Mafac shoes, going to try those on a bike.

Grand Bois

The Kool Stop pads that are being sold for Mafacs are actually made for Compagnolo. They slide right in because the width and bevel angle are identical, but the pads are a bit too short for the Mafac holders. They work fine, but they look a little odd. You could shorten the holders, but that may look more odd.

They're pretty good brakes once you add good pads and get them set up right. I've never had a problem with them getting out of adjustment and I've been living with them for over 30 years. I finally replaced them on my Peugeot with Campagnolo SR, but they're on my Carlton now.

dbakl

Could be right. I'm going to use them on this Arbos, which needs a lot of work.

EDIT: Ever use the Kool Stop mountain type shoes in Mafacs?

Bikedued

I have Mafac Competition brakes on my PX10, and was pleasantly surprised at the performance of them, even with the old shoes. I may change them when I get around to rebuilding the bike, but for now they're
great. I'm also putting a set of the Racers on my Falcon, which is also in line for a rebuild.,,,,BD

balindamood

IMHO there is lttle performace diference in the crappiest of center-pulls and the top of the line center-pulls. They all work very well and they all can be PIA to adjust sometimes. This is in contrast to side pulls whihc vary from useless artful trinkets to super-duper (dooper?) stopping mechanisms.

I'd have no problem using the CP's.

jebensch

Thanks folks. I switched out for a NOS Shimano side pull that has 'Tourney' in raised letters on the caliper. Maybe that's the model? It was pretty cheap and had no panic-stop power but then I Simple Greened the rim and all is well in Brakeland. I still might experiment with some long narrow Kool-Stops I have sitting around. The style actually blends surprisingly well: the angular bends in the caliper kind of echo the Peugeot logo at that time.
I am a nerd.

stronglight

I think you'll find that ANY new pads will make a big difference on any older brakes.
Even NOS calipers can have inferior braking - just because the pads are now simply old and dried out.
These are modern knock-offs of the pads which Weinmann had used on most of their brakes for a few decades.
They are great replacements for many older calipers where the longer modern style pads may not fit too well... and they're cheap, too!

Grand Bois

I think I'll try those Jagwire pads. I have Koolstop Continentals on a set of first generation Dura Ace brakes and I don't like the way they look. They work great, but they're butt ugly.

Bikedued

I'm not a big fan of those, of course most of the times I've used them were on steel rims. It resulted in the grabbiest, throw you over the bars stops I've ever encountered. They may be different on alloys though?,,,,BD

Grand Bois

Are you talking about the Koolstop Continentals? They work just like any othe Koolstop pads. I don't know about steel rims. The last bike I rode with steel rims was my girlfriend's new '73 Peugeot UO-8.

John E

I strongly recommend salmon KoolStop pads on just about any brake calipers.

I also strongly prefer Mafac centerpulls over any equivalent-reach single pivot sidepulls.

Bikedued

I was speaking of the Jagwire blocks. They're not steel rim friendly. You must brace yourself before applying the brakes on steel rims. They stop faster than properly set up canti's with new shoes on a hot Summer day. They may work just fine with alloy rims, I haven't tried them. I agree, Koolstops of almost any
compound are outstanding. They know their business.,,,,BD