Center Pull Brake Question
 

Hey Gents, new to the board an i got a question

Ive got a 70's ish Nishiki Sport that ive been cleaning up and Its got the old school center pull brakes on it.
The mount looks identical to the dual pivot Road Brakes you can buy today. are these interchangeable?


I ask because i cant seem to buy Center pull any more (and even if i could i would rather have better brakes hehe)

You have to pay attention to buying the ones with correct reach and nutted or recessed mounting.

If you're changing them for better performance, save your money... center pulls brakes work just fine.

I agree. Try out new cables, brake pads, and maybe levers & see what a difference it makes in performance.

Oh, and cleaning & relubing helps a lot, too.

There is nothing wrong with centerpulls, as long as you can get replacement parts, such as that two-headed straddle cable. Nick and Noah are right: you need KoolStop pads, new cables, and new housings. I still have the original Weinmann Vainqueur 999 centerpulls on my Capo and wouldn't dream of replacing them. Likewise, I have a Mafac racer in front and a Peugeot-branded Weinmann 999 in back on my UO-8, and have no complaints about braking performance.

To boost your braking leverage by about 10 percent, replace your brake handles with the modern aero type.

one word of warning on aero brake levers and center pull brakes, the turn of the cable from under the bar tape to the cable hanger on the top of the headset can get a bit on the tight side. With the cable flowing right down to the brake on the side pulls it can made for a bit easier of a routing situation. I believe this may be part of the reason TheCahill is asking, that and I sense a bit of upgrade fever in him.

all good info thanks guys, im sticking w/ the brakes i got on it but just in case its good to know my options are open in the future.

put some Universal levers on it (61 or 68s)
big discussion currently on CR about this very topic.

Marty