Originally Posted by
Geoff16W
I have 1983 Trek 600 that I absolutely love. But I am also a avid user of my vintage bike. It is my commuter bike and I use it everyday.
I've been dissatisfied with the performance of my breaks lately, and I am tempted to upgrade to a newer side pull dual pivot caliper.
But I'm wondering if this is a great faux pas in vintage bikes. My bike currently has the original breaks from 1983 (Weinnman 605, side pull single pivot).
I really want to take care of my bike and preserve its vintage quality -- but good breaks in the city of Boston are pretty important.
So, I'm wondering if people who really care about preserving vintage bikes have an opinion. In other words, if I got new calipers, would real hard core hobbyists look down on me for doing so.
Thanks,
JW
Trek used a lot of different brakesets in those days. My 1984 610 has Shimano 600, which I (uniquely it seems) think are terrible. But, they are the right length and are nutted.
Try the aero levers first.
I would look for a set of proper-reach dual-pivot calipers with suitable tektro aero levers, and figure out carefully how to manage the non-nutted attachment. Or look for a set of Campy Gran Sport or Super Record caliper brakes. I like those.