gnrboyd

Hello,

I am overhauling an early eighties Raleigh Rapide 10-speed road bike. I recently acquired some brand new old stock Lee Chi 500A brakes. The arms appear a little too short to fit my bike but I can't tell at the moment because the bike is disassembled.

If by chance they do fit, would this be considered an upgrade to the original Raleigh brakes? Other than the Lee Chi brakes being brand new, they basically look the same with the exception of the arm length and they also have what appears to be a cam lock on the cable connection that the originals don't have. There were no instructions so I am not entirely sure how they even work. I assume it's a quick disconnect to be used when changing tires but not sure. Am I correct in my assumption? Were the Lee Chi brakes any good in their day?

There is a small black plastic washer on the end of the cable tube. I can't tell if that is supposed to be there or was just put there to keep the tube from falling out and getting lost until it was mounted. ??? It certainly doesn't seem very durable. (If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see it on the very bottom of the cable tube.)

Also, the Lee Chi set came with new hand brakes as well. Mine were a little beat up so am using the new ones. The new brakes didn't have the second lever that is used when your hands are on the top of the handlebar. (Like they were made in the 70s-80s .....I know bike enthusiasts frown on these but I happen to like them because I don't always like to be in the down position.) I took this lever off my old one and mounted it to the new brakes. The problem I'm having is that the new levers have a piece of aluminum around where the cable end mounts which allows it to pivot so you can gain access to where the cable end connects. It's riveted on but also has a spring to allow it to slide to the side to access the cables and it slides rather easily. When it moves to the side, it could interfere with the secondary brake lever and might cause some braking issues. I've ground out some of the under side of the secondary bracket so it doesn't catch as bad on the riveted piece but if the riveted piece moves too far, it can still hit the secondary brake lever. Has anyone ever encountered this type of problem? What solutions would you recommend? I thought I might just put a small piece of duct tape on it to keep it in place but would probably come off ever so often. It may not ever be a problem and I'm just rambling for no reason. I guess I won't know until I try it. Anyway, I thought someone might have ran across this before and have a better idea than grinding part of the lever away with a dremel tool. (sorry.. the photo of the brake levers isn't very good)

Thanks for the assistance.

Lee Chi.jpg

Lee Chi Brake Lever.jpg

RobbieTunes

1-the small black washer helps to keep the barrell adjuster from bouncing loose.
2-the small black washer is upside down in the photo
3-it also helps when the fork swings around and larger washers protect the down tube from damage done by forks/calipers hitting it.

4-Many Rapide's had center pull brakes, or Dia Compe side pulls. Your substitutes look better, in my view.

sonatageek

I have heard from one of the staff mechanics at out bike coop that the Lee Chi brakes tend to be pretty poor when it comes to getting them adjusted. If might just be the old ones on the bikes we tend to see down there, but just FYI.

USAZorro

The Lee Chi tend to flex a bit also. Not a good thing for brakes. They're not dangerous, but they're not the greatest.

cudak888 

What were the original brakes?

Personally, I would never use those Lee-Chi brakes. Wal-Mart quality - lots of flex, and horrid to adjust. Heed the advice above.

-Kurt

wrk101

You can find side pull diacompes on ebay all the time. Those were good brakes of that era, and should fit your Rapide.

I had a 1980 Rapide, and I just rebuilt the brakes that were on it. They were fine.

The real braking issue with the Rapide are the STEEL RIMS! I would put my money and effort there (get some replacement 27 inch alloy wheels).

RobbieTunes

I'll check with LBS junk box. Last I was in there, he had 2-3 sets of NOS Dia Compe side pulls, $1 per caliper. He's moved his building, so I'll check to see if that box went dumpster.

He's trying to get me to take a box with about 20 forks, most of them 1" threadless, or 1" threaded, all take-offs from 80's mountain bikes. Some are new in wrapper. Almost all have canti bosses. I think $25 and shipping would get the entire lot. He just wants it outta there.

Amani576

Dang... I need to make friends with your LBS owner!
-Gene-

gnrboyd

I don't know the brand name. They have "640" molded in them. Does that mean anything to anyone? The little thin washer on the front has Raleigh on it but that doesn't tell me much.

I got the Lee Chi brakes from eBay and didn't pay much for them so if they don't work, I'm not out much. After reading the comments, I may not even try to use them and just use the originals.

Just curious.....what are you doing to rebuild the brakes? Washers ? Spring? Or are you just meaning you replaced the pads?

I'm always interested in a deal. The local shop in my area doesn't seem to have much in the way of old stuff like this.

Thanks everyone for your input.

wrk101

In regards to what I did to rebuild the brakes: I completely disassembled the brakes. I cleaned all parts and pieces. Greased pivot points, installed new pads and reinstalled them.