Originally Posted by
Jeff Wills
A lot of us hang out on both the Mechanics and C&V forums because we're old and we worked on bikes back in the day.
Like wschruba, I was thinking they were IRD cantilevers, but the details differ. In particular, the Shimano-ish brake pads lead me to believe these are Taiwanese knock-offs of the IRD design. There was (and still is) a lot of that happening in the bicycle aftermarket.
Here's some genuine IRD cantilevers:
IRD 5-10 Cantilever Brake: 1990's RARE - Bike Recyclery
Right, they look a little like a lot of brakes (I really didn't realize how many manufacturers made a similar brake- for this kind of stuff I just go straight to Paul), which is making my search a little harder. The top of that right side is pretty distinct, I thought it would be a giveaway. Looking at those IRDs, these look cheaper, but I'm no machinist.