I was at the local shop that sells used components from bins "as is". I noticed there are Vanquer 600/999 red label brakes and 600/999 black label brakes. Any difference. Also, there were some brakes stamped Vanquer 999, but looked a bit older and maybe not as good of quality. Anybody know of the time period for that last one and what bikes it came on? Any significant difference in any of them as far as prestige? Thanks!

The Weinmann Vainqueur 999 design changed a bit over the years, but they have always worked well for me. Here's a very early (ca. 1959) specimen.

If those early ones look like John E's, I could use 'em...

-Kurt

"Looking for: Cheap, inexpensive, well priced or 'unwanted' Campagnolo parts..."

How about a left Veloce crank with a crack starting at the inside shoulder of the spindle eye?

Tempting, but I already have a R.H. Chorus arm with stripped extractor threads that I need to figure out what to do with :rollseyes:

You wouldn't happen to have an early Campy GS mech on hand though, would you? The one on my '61 Paramount is bent.

Take care,

-Kurt

I picked up some Weinmann 610/Vainqueur 999 red labels off a bike I found in the woods yesterday....they still operate fine. Worthy for the parts bin?

I was hoping to learn something about Weinmann brakes from this thread.

I bought a used set for my wife's Raleigh mixte, but I ended up using MAFAC Competitions instead. I've always associated Weinmanns with cheap bikes, even though they put them on some great bikes like the Schwinn Paramount and Raleigh International. It was also the fact that the pivot bolts were pitted.

i,ve always regarded wienmann centerpull,s as rather good brakes (but i,m no expert) lol

dia-comp made Wienmann,s under license in Japan and from what i,ve been told in this forum they are of better quality (go figure)

I asked that question here last week. I didn't exactly get a definitive answer.

Rule of thumb:

According to Forum Member #1, the Dia-Compe/Weinmann centerpull design is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
According to Forum Member #2, the Dia-Compe/Weinmann centerpull design is the worst thing since (fill in the blank with your favorite repulsive object/person/thing/place/et c.).

Personally, I hate them for their sloppy center cable.

The design of the Shimano 500 centerpull far surpassed that of the Weinmann 999/Dia-Compe design, in my opinion - both in performance, lever arm strength (resistance to bending under brake loads), and ease of cable adjustment.

Take care,

-Kurt

What about Raleigh CP brakes?

The ones that I have seen were rebadged Weinmanns.

Not sure if my "Schwinn Approved" Dia-Compe centerpulls are the exact same design or not, but I can report that they routinely and easily haul my somewhat lard-ass down from speed after 40+ mph descents. I've equipped them with kool stop salmon pads, FWIW.

Same thing, different sticker. You'll also find the rear of the caliper to be marked "Japan" if you unbolt it from the frame.

-Kurt

The weinmanns I was looking at have plain stamps for letter that say weinmann vanquer, and on the back say "made by weinmann in switzerland" or some such thing.

I also saw older shimano 600 F and R derailleurs with the swirly engraving on them. Anybody interested?

I also have a question about suntour "V" rear derailleur: is it above or below in quality to Cyclone? It looks to be at least as good of quality as the VGT luxe, except for 5 speed. Should I swap it for the cyclone I already am using? The bike is mostly Superbe, which is what I am aiming for, but I can't find superbe F and R ders.

Actually, neither answer above is correct. My experience with the brand was that they were always decent, solid, middle-of-the-road components. Their greatest attributes is that they were easily available and did a decent (although not great) job when put to the task.

When I got back into the sport, one of my first moves to start filling up a spare parts box was to stop at the local re-cycle bicycle shop and pick up about three or four pairs, which I then took home, disassembled, and polished. Some were used immediately, and other sit available for future projects.

Probably the best proof of their status is that Schwinn adopted them. This shows that they were neither cheap pieces of junk, nor expensive example of mechanical brilliance. I always found that this is a very good rule of thumb on 60's/70's components - the Huret Allvit being the only exception.

Syke
Deranged Few M/C