No need for a new cable. On MAFACs they're adjustable. On the end that's anchored to the brake you can loosen the nut, adjust the cable length as desired and snug the nut down again. Nothin' to it!

SP
OC, OR

ps - LOVE my MAFACs. Not quite as stiff as modern short-reach dual pivots, but I'll put 'em up against ANY other rim brake (except maybe Magura hydraulics) for power and modulation.

I haven't had to adjust very many centerpulls, but I've never had a problem doing so.

read post # 18

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...I'm really surprised by all the MAFAC h8erz in this thread. I have probably had, over the years, fifty or sixty bikes with MAFAC centerpull brakes, and they all modulated and stopped just fine. If there is a drawback to them, it is the lack of a quick release, other than the straddle cable end. So the kludge for that was (is) to swap out the levers for something with a release, or to use something inline on the cable.

Any centerpull brake from the glory days of them has the obvious advantage of dual pivots, while most (if not all) of their sidepull contemporaries were single pivot. Just don't get the hate.

lack of experience, patience, ability and taste.

Love centerpulls, which is why I was willing to lay out the money for the Paul Racers. They take centerpull technology and ability to a very new level. The ones I pictured earlier are the standard size. Some day I might invest in a the smaller version to run on a more race oriented road bike.

Me neither. No hate coming from this direction. Mine work as well as any other CPs, which is to say quite well.

Bob, those black calipers look pretty slick on that black bike. Betcha' they stop well too!

Master of understatement?

"Modulation" is a marketing term for flex.

I hate squishy brakes...

Here's my third hand tool. A couple of bucks at the hardware store. Just clamp the pads to the rim.
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...c4133a_400.jpg

I'm also a big fan of most centerpull brakes. I have a set of Paul's racers, too, and they're great. I bought them after having great luck with my brazed-on Dia Compes that were totally impressive.

One time I set up the Paul's with the normal coin's-worth of toe-in, and found they squealed a lot, and then remembered they recommend zero toe-in. I did that, and they've been fine ever since.

I recently replaced a set of cheap, old plastic frame-mounted cantilever calipers with ultra cheap v-brakes on my city bike, and for the life of me I couldn't stop the squealing. I figure the problem was either related to the fitment on the frame-welded pivots, the flex in the fork, or some other thing outside the control of the manufacturer of the brake. I replaced them with some middle-end modern Shimano MTB V-brakes (perhaps 15-20 USD) and the problem went away, even with cheap brake shoes.

That's much better than my way.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...psix8xdf7j.jpg

Can't comment on MAFAC racers, since I've never had any, but the MAFAC competitions I set up on my CILO bike with KoolStop pads worked perfectly from the get-go with no issues.
https://prnjxg.dm2301.livefilestore....uild%20046.jpg