cicliste666

Guys,

I found a steel frame that I like. It is rigged for cantis.

I have a set of cool Mafac centerpulls and a tidy little front rack that will work with them if they are brazed on just so.

Is it a big deal for a frame repair place to lose the canti studs and braze on a set of smaller, higher-up studs for the centerpulls? I ask because it looks like the canti ones are really on there! Will it ruin the frame to have this surgery done? I assume this would entail repainting the whole thing? It's gloss dark blue and I can't see how they could really touch it up all that well.

Thanks for any heads-ups.

Tim_Iowa

Brazing work isn't super difficult; my friend does it in his home shop with a homemade brake post jig. He added some rack and fender eyelets to my Schwinn KOM, and I just dropped it off at the powder coat shop.

But, it's super messy.

The work you entail (removing brake posts and replacing with others) would require removing the paint from the upper half of the fork and the seat stays. For refininshing, the cheapest option would be to have the frame blasted and powder-coated after the brazing work is done (~$150).

Of course, this doesn't even go into whether the fork and frame you have are even compatible; brazed on centerpull posts must be very precisely placed, and they may not work well with the fork crown.

I understand what you're going for; Mafac racer centerpulls work pretty well, and that mini-rack is slick.
Have you considered just getting a new or vintage fork with the proper centerpull posts already brazed on?

fietsbob

Ask the person doing the work if they are capable rather than this bunch of Spectators in the Bleachers ..

Budget for a full repaint if the aesthetics Matter to you .

You can use a Bolt on center-pull and use the empty cantilever brake bosses for a Front Rack mount..

JohnDThompson 

Or use cantilevers and these special bolts to mount the rack on the cantilever posts:



Canti Brake Rack Mounting Bolts - Racks, Decaleurs, Accessories - Accessories

Tim_Iowa

I used those bolts to mount a Nitto M-12 on cantilever brake posts (the bolts were included with the new rack). Very secure, small, and dandy.