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Given this is a 700c bike with short reach brakes, I'd put a modern dual-pivot on the front. If you don't want to drill out the fork (fair enough), nutted versions are available.
Because it's pretty oldskool, I'd leave the original brake on the back. Very little point upgrading a brake that can already lock the wheel. Vintage charm is all very well, but IMO the only place for a vintage front brake is on a bike that hangs on the wall. |
Centerpulls, IMO, are not as "good" because the extra center cable adds mushiness as the slack must be taken up each time you apply the brakes. With sidepulls, there is just 1 cable. the 'mush' can be a high MA.. & fresh brake pads. The dual pivots in my Brompton have a little more Mushiness, now, just by replacing the original dry Fibrax Pad inserts with new .. Kool Stop Salmon ones .. but stops nicely.. |
A possibly related issue is the true of the wheel. If it laterally out it will cause uneven rubbing on the pads. Make sure they are true.
Center pulls are great as they are really dual pivot brakes existing prior to the DP side pulls. When set up properly they are more than adequate. Keep in mind that back in the 60's and 70's, nearly all the top of the line models were Center pull, either Mafac "Racer" or Universal Mod 61, and for a good reason. The down side is the hardware required for the rounting. you need a specific cable stop for both the head tube and the seat cluster. Often used sets do not include these pieces, which can be frustrating. Here is an example of a Mod 61 from 1972 installed on a 1984 Trek 610 https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/...b1951b8c_b.jpg |
Originally Posted by Homebrew01
(Post 16901357)
If your brakes do not have the flats for adjusting with a cone wrench, then 1 other way is to place the tip of a flat blade screwdriver on the spring near the center of the arm that is too far from the rim. The give the screwdriver a few taps with a hammer until the spring moves enough to center the brake arms. (Same as Andy's "punch" method above). I don't see any downside, other than possibly a tiny scratch on the spring.
New pads, a little tap, and you're good to go. Park Tool OBW 3 Offset Brake Wrench 14mm Bicycle Brake Tool Bike Shop Tool New | eBay |
Originally Posted by Kimmo
(Post 16903495)
Vintage charm is all very well, but IMO the only place for a vintage front brake is on a bike that hangs on the wall.
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Okay, I'll admit a lot of the centrepulls can often be set up to work quite well...
But I guess it matters just as much how you ride. Since I tend to ride like a bike messenger, I often put the back wheel in the air (probably at least 2-3 times a week); I could make do with a centrepull but I'm a lot happier with a DP. |
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