Maybe I,m going nutz but,I have noticed that most (nearly all) the bikes in here that have been restored with centerpull brakes (namely weinmann) put the wire grab clasp on backwards !when i was a kid ( oh here he goes) the clasp was positioned so the name could be seen which also partially hid the main brake cable behind it,doesnt it matter ? or am I loosing the plot ?

Hmmm...I don't have any Weinmann centerpulls and I don't think my Universal or MAFAC hangers have anything written on them. I put them on with the cable going through the nut on the backside of the brake and the open side of the hanger towards the front of the brake so that it's easy to remove. Like so:

Komissar89, the cable hangers usually are mounted the other way round with the brake cable running behind the straddle cable. It doesn't matter much in reality but still...

I side with Kommisar's setup as being the convention of the time. I never saw any factory new , fresh from the box bike with the equaliser cross-cable mounted behind the hanger on a Weinmann centrepull.

Perhaps the American variation?

Dunno, but Mafac hangers I've seen have MAFAC on them in big letters. maybe only the older ones do? I like to have mine with the cable in back. Looks much cleaner.,,,,BD

Not the Schwinn way ...



Bob

The recent Super Sport from the dump I restored.

And the Twinn Sport I swapped sidepulls for centerpulls.

I suppose I pass the down under Bike Mechanic's quiz?

It doesn't matter, but I think it looks better this way:

Looks like it to me. Nice machines you have there.

It doesn't matter, but if you look at the literature issued by Dia-Compe, Weinmann and Mafac, they show the yoke/cable carrier with the lip facing away from the frame and the cable routed on the same side as the lip (i.e. same as the Schwinn pic posted by Bob). This method certainly provides a neater appearance, but I always did the exact opposite, simply because I found it easier. When the cable is routed on the side away from the frame there is also less chance of the cable scratching the frame if the fork flops, particularly if the cable has been bent per common practice, the end cap is missing and the cable is frayed. Admittedly, this is a minor point.

In Kossimsar89's case, the cable is routed on the opposite side of the lip. In this case the cable anchor is offeset and not located directly over the straddle cable. Theoretically, this is not the optimum set-up for smooth operation and maximum transfer of energy, though in practice the difference is almost certainly imperceptible.

The bikes in all the local shops I had seen BACK THEN were fitted with the main cable routed behind the engraved face of the straddle cable hanger. Yes, it was a more awkward fit, and it was more difficult to set up and still look good. The later straddle wire hangers had notches [butt cracks] in the back of the hanger behind the straddle wire to help center and ease the main cable as it dropped down behind the channel and this left the cables looking cleaner than the side twist of the main cable which BobHufford's Schwinn page or Dirtdrop's Carlton photo shows. But, they were still a bother. Perhaps this was why shops continued to do this against logic and reason: ... a minor detail which demonstrated the great care they took to even centering the cable attractively.

I think Kommisar89's set up is entirely more practical and intuitive [but, would you please trim that brake cable ] and I have set up some bikes this way too. It is much more sensible if you do not have a quick release hanger for the brakes [think MAFAC], because you can more easily lift off the straddle wire entirely when removing a wheel. But, for both correctness sake and well finished look, I think the cable is better concealed and with the manufacturer's logo proudly displayed out front.

So, yes, you are being picky Ozneddy, but why not.

Of course, you could also combine the two and just set the exposed main cable out the front, right across the Logo.

I have learned so much from T-Mar, and alanbikehouston, it pains me to say that during my most recent round of messing with centerpulls (caliper and cantilevers) I have to side with Kommisar89's method of routing the lip facing away from the frame and the cable facing the frame. With well maintained cables and casing operation is smooth and clean. With the lip facing the headtube, its a snap to engage and disengage the straddle carrier from the straddle cable.

Done long ago - it's an old picture

Funny 'cause whatever the original setup was is lost in the mists of time (or I killed those brain with a night of drinking, whatever) so I just set it up the way that seemed to work the best. I got tired of the brake cable blocking the removal of the straddle cable. Now I can just pinch the calipers and pop the hanger right off the straddle cable in seconds. I'm fine with the way it works in practice, especially on the MAFACs.

I hate centerpulls!

wrong! centerpulls rule! this thread has been an enlightnment to me. To think all along I was jamming the brake cable and the straddle cable behind and facing the frame, now I can set it up however for ease of use! sometimes it is so like duh you fell like an even bigger turd burglar

Just seen your pic,s Stronglight,---> Off to the Norty Corner ! lol