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Mafac racer technical difficulty

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Old 07-12-09 | 03:45 PM
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Mafac racer technical difficulty

I'm having trouble getting the Mafacs to work properly. It seems that hard breaking causes the pads to move out of adjustment. I'm also getting a squeal at higher speeds. I've got kool stop salmon pads on now. Does kool stop make a Mafac pad for the original holders?

So what could be the cause of my pads moving around? Do I need to carry a wrench with me to adjust them after every 50 miles? I'm using Mafac racer levers with stock hoods. I'm pondering using the Cane Creek campy copy lever. Those hoods look a lot more comfortable than the Mafac hoods.
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Old 07-12-09 | 04:33 PM
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Are you using kools-stops that are 1 piece with the post? And when you say they move around do you mean rotate in the holders?

I find Mafac racers very hard to set up really well since the amount of torque you need to put on the pad nuts to prevent the above often screws up the adjustments. Are you sure you are doing up the nuts tightly enough?

For squeal, careful toe-in adjustment (using the factory authorized Big Cresent Wrench) works wonders....

I have Diacompe GS levers with my Mafacs with full hoods and they work fine....

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Old 07-12-09 | 04:55 PM
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The Kool Stops that are made for Campagnolo NR/SR will fit the Mafac holders but they're too short.


I'm using some old Tektro levers on one of my bikes with Mafacs and I wish I could find some more.


You just need to tighten that nut really tight while pushing the opposite direction on the shoe to keep it from moving. You can move the spring out of the way.
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Old 07-12-09 | 06:48 PM
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From: Smugglers Notch, Vermont

Bikes: Upright and Recumbent....too many to list, mostly Vintage.

+1 to really cranking them down. I had a Kool Stop Supra 2 pad work its self loose and fall off never to be seen again on a long ride. Now I carry a spare.
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Old 07-12-09 | 08:44 PM
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Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;

Dirtdrop, that is one gorgeous PR-10!

My UO-8 has a Mafac in front and a Peugeot-labeled Weinmann in back, and both seem to work well, albeit squeakily, with the respective KoolStop salmon pads.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
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