Old style calipers
 

Hello,

Want to add some of these : Tektro R538 long drop brakes.

http://road.cc/sites/default/files/i...review_500.jpg

http://road.cc/content/review/13794-...ng-drop-brakes

On a 1980's bike I picked up recently. my question is will they fit onto the bike ?
I will try a little later, to swapping out the 27 1 1/4 tires for 700c - will it work ?
That's the main reason for the long drop.
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/9016/oldstylea.jpg

Many thanks in advance !
P.

My guess is it'll work but somethimes 1 measurement is worth 1,000 guesses.

1. Measure the vertical distance between the brake mounting hole and the brake surface of your rim. Measure both front and rear. If you don't have a 700 c wheelset to trial fit, att 5 mm to the answer that you get with a 27" rim. I think that the brake set that you showed has a 47-57 mm reach.

2. Your bike has nutted brake mounting bolts. The new brake will be different. The front is easy, just drill out the back of the fork to match a recessed nut. The rear is a little more tricky because you can't get a drill behind the brake bridge. The easiest solution is to use the rear brake on the front with a longer recessed nut. Then use the front brake with it's longer mounting bolt for the rear along with the concave washer and nut from the brake that you're taking off.

+1

As long as the reach is correct they should work, but that's a dual pivot design and by the looks of it that big arm might not clear your fenders. Really tough to judge without actually seeing it on your bike though.

Thank you for replying...

The measurement is 55mm - both front and back from the bottom of the mounting hole, 60mm from the centre of it.

Would I be far better off getting the Tektro R556 ?

I think so. According to your link, the R538s have a reach of 47-57mm. If you're getting 60 now, you'll be at about 64 with your new 700c rims. In that case, you'd want brakes with a reach more like 57-67mm.

Also, good luck finding an appropriate high-strength longer bolt for dual-pivot calipers. Most require special bolts to say the least.

If you use the front caliper on the rear, it will fit as the old one.
BE SURE TO REVERSE ANY SLIDE-IN BRAKE PADS OR ELSE THEY'LL SLIDE OUT!

The rear caliper can then be fitted up front by using a nut inside the fork steerer tube. Add washers as necessary to achieve the right bolt length, a very minor adjustment, and be sure to get the nut tight. An allen nut from a V-brake pad will allow tightening by putting a 5mm allen key thru the existing hole on the beck of your fork crown. Again, use washers as needed for a good fit so the nut isn't bottoming out on the end of the bolt and has several turns of thread engagement.
Again, you'll need to have the pads facing in the proper direction!

I recommend the longer calipers per FastJake.

Take a look at VO, they have the long reach brakes with old style nutted mounts: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ch-brakes.html

Thank you everyone - I bow to your knowledge and expertise.

These are what you need. They have nutted mounting and extra long reach. They have no quick release, so you should use Tektro RL340 levers with them. I used them on the Jeunet I just put together and they're great brakes for cheap.

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...em_id=TK-800AF

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/40...600x600Q85.jpg