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Help with fixing MAFAC tandem brake hood.

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Help with fixing MAFAC tandem brake hood.

Old 07-10-12, 05:01 PM
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Help with fixing MAFAC tandem brake hood.

I am working to fix up a buddies tandem in hopes of adding another team to our town. Subject bike is a Peugeot with MAFAC levers. Of course they dumped the bike and among other things, snapped the "brake clamp band". Actual hood and lever is fine but the trivial band snapped. And, it is of the era with the dual brake cable, one controlling the front brake and one the rear brake. Left controls the drum. That is a project for another day.

I have read THIS link also posted in the tandem forum. I am not a newbie but I am experienced enough to know MAFAC is always a PITA. Trying to use some non MAFAC gear from my parts box I suspect will only yield frustration. That is the next step. I suspect this "brake clamp band" is not unique to the tandem item due to being a duel cable lever. Hopefully it is the same as used on millions of other MAFAC equipped 10 speeds. I just have never parted one out.

I have always found this tandem forum to be very helpful and thought someone might have some pearls of wisdom. My local biking network is a bit atrophied.

Here is a picture of the snapped "band" and back of MAFAC hood. LooseScrews had nothing. Harris nothing on first review but I did not spend a great deal of time on their site. Other suggestions??

https://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...706_edited.jpg

As info the front hub is Mallard with 35 82 stamped in it. Does this suggest a 1982 build? Model is a Grand Tourisme I think.
Brakes are Mafac cantilevers so switching front levers to Shimano might be problematic. Uses Suntour bar end shifters. I know, this is near yard sale fodder but there may be hope. The wheels and hubs, 40 spoke Rigida 700cc rims seem quite true given the rest of the bike's condition.

Last edited by AD-SLE; 07-12-12 at 08:54 AM. Reason: Tourrismo to Tourisme...correct model.
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Old 07-10-12, 07:47 PM
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A quick search for "Mafac" on eBay netted 2 separate auctions for levers complete from which you could scavenge the clamps if they're the same. Both are currently under $20, and both end in a couple of hours.
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Old 07-11-12, 02:58 PM
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Thanks for the eBay suggestion. Stopped at a bike shop today. Busy busy! No MAFAC but a few ideas. In truth, the direction of the project has taken a turn for the worse. As I was going through the rest of the bike I figured I could at least tune up the cantilevers geometry. One was very "floppy". Turn as I would on the pivot bolt, it would not release. Acted as if there was a nut holding on the bolt. Very close examination and comparison to a healthy canti boss uncovered some bad news.

Seems these canti bosses are of the "two piece" design where the boss is braised to the "frame block". The boss had become loose so that the boss would just turn in the frame block. But, it was well enough fitted that it would not release it self from the frame block. Ugh! After many efforts I just decided to pull the cantilever and boss off the bike. Even with full access to the boss, it was seized on the pivot bolt. PB blaster over night still not enough. Some heat got it off. So, now I have a brazing project which is beyond my scope of skills.

It would seem this same issue happened on the left rear canti boss as well. It has been nicely re-brazed and painted.

All this work on someone else's bike encouraged me to get my Duet out and get it ready for a ride. Heading out soon.

All counsel welcome. I'm thinking the smartest thing would be to return it to him and politely walk away. But the bike will never get fixed if that happens. Perhaps that is a reasonable outcome.

Thanks!

Jud


PS: Here is a tidbit I had never read before. From Sheldon's website.

He wrote: "The cheaper, old style studs are two-piece, and do need to be brazed together. Modern one-piece studs cost a tiny bit more, and are well worth it."

I now fully appreciate what he is talking about first hand.

Last edited by AD-SLE; 07-11-12 at 07:28 PM. Reason: spell braze correctly....
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Old 07-11-12, 04:17 PM
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Certainly returning it will be the easier way out, and that's what I would do if it is the "lady-back"/rear mixte/TM88 model. I've never considered them worth the effort, but then again I'm no Peugeot aficionado.

If it's the TH8/double male bike though, I'd probably go ahead with it. And there's bound to be a competent bike shop somewhere in Concord that can either handle the brazing or knows who around your area CAN handle it. Touch-up painting on a fixed-by-my-buddy, no-charge repair consists of a rattle-can job, and then you're back to the brake band!

Next time, remember the third rule of bicycle mechanics which clearly states:
"Every time you volunteer to fix a friends bike, it will take you two times as long, three trips to the bike shop, and four times as much money as you thought!"
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Old 07-12-12, 08:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Onegun
If it's the TH8/double male bike though, I'd probably go ahead with it.
Darn. It is a double male. TH8? I got it fixed up enough to ride on my street using just the Atom drag brake. For all that mass you would think it would be effective. Current mode is a gradual stop. Perhaps I can adjust but that is for later.

When riding it I felt cramped relative to my Duet. Started with wheelbase. Peugeot is 66", Duet 68". Top bar is about the same. My stem is longer so that helps and the seat is in a silly forward location. But the stoker, they are in tighter than my Duet. Peugeot is 22" vs 26" on Duet, front post to rear post. I have never had two side by side to compare. Maybe that is why the captain's seat is where it is??

I think my plan is this. The folks are mostly good friends due to our kids who are pals. I have been able to trick my son into riding 4 miles to his house. 4 brutally hilly miles in NH. Both families do bikes but none avid, as I used to be. NH short season, sand, road quality makes riding a lot less fun than TN or TX. So, back to topic. I think I will pull off the fork, take pictures, package and label all the parts nicely and return the bike to THEIR storage. Before that I will get an exact measure of the rear bosses spacing and make a jig for the front. Given rims, brakes are identical, the spacing should also be identical IMO. Then, with fork in trunk, hit a few places for some estimates.

I don't see anything else wrong with the bike with the exception of things being a tight and perhaps unpleasant fit for the stoker. Rear wheel is more round than mine.

Codes: Stamped in the rear BB, 83 01 56. Front BB has a paper label covered by clear film. I can guess at the following two rows. 2683263. Second row, 1F8 60. 1 could be an I, maybe a T. I can't see it was ever a TH8. Could be a TF8. Although I measure 59 cm, I guess it could be considered a 60 cm. Interesting but not critical. The bike is what it is. A basic vintage, no frills retail tandem with some French oddities.





Wow, even the pedals are French threaded....phew!

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Old 09-10-12, 10:49 AM
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Help with fixing MAFAC tandem brake hood.

Originally Posted by AD-SLE
Darn. It is a double male. TH8? I got it fixed up enough to ride on my street using just the Atom drag brake. For all that mass you would think it would be effective. Current mode is a gradual stop. Perhaps I can adjust but that is for later.

When riding it I felt cramped relative to my Duet. Started with wheelbase. Peugeot is 66", Duet 68". Top bar is about the same. My stem is longer so that helps and the seat is in a silly forward location. But the stoker, they are in tighter than my Duet. Peugeot is 22" vs 26" on Duet, front post to rear post. I have never had two side by side to compare. Maybe that is why the captain's seat is where it is??

I think my plan is this. The folks are mostly good friends due to our kids who are pals. I have been able to trick my son into riding 4 miles to his house. 4 brutally hilly miles in NH. Both families do bikes but none avid, as I used to be. NH short season, sand, road quality makes riding a lot less fun than TN or TX. So, back to topic. I think I will pull off the fork, take pictures, package and label all the parts nicely and return the bike to THEIR storage. Before that I will get an exact measure of the rear bosses spacing and make a jig for the front. Given rims, brakes are identical, the spacing should also be identical IMO. Then, with fork in trunk, hit a few places for some estimates.

I don't see anything else wrong with the bike with the exception of things being a tight and perhaps unpleasant fit for the stoker. Rear wheel is more round than mine.

Codes: Stamped in the rear BB, 83 01 56. Front BB has a paper label covered by clear film. I can guess at the following two rows. 2683263. Second row, 1F8 60. 1 could be an I, maybe a T. I can't see it was ever a TH8. Could be a TF8. Although I measure 59 cm, I guess it could be considered a 60 cm. Interesting but not critical. The bike is what it is. A basic vintage, no frills retail tandem with some French oddities.



Wow, even the pedals are French threaded....phew!
A nice bike and well worth the minor repair. If one of you LBS's doesn't have a brazer available (a name may pop out if you do a little social engineering with the local mechanic and ask if he knows any one locally who can affix some braze-on's), then just look in the yellow pages for "Welding" and you should find several shops to call and see if they have someone on staff. You can pick up new set of studs on amazon. The Shelton Jig mentioned in the other reply looks easy enough to make and will ensure a good fit and alignment... Recommend compare your marks on the fork to the distance on the existing rears to make sure they are the same distance from the center of the axle jto the center of the studs.
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