I think you need something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Calipe...1611314&sr=8-8

More like this.
Going to need nutted and likely longer reach.
https://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Calipe.../dp/B0777NVXW4

Just clean the calipers you have, buy some new pads, and call it a day.

What tires are you running? What is your budget? I have found modern dual pivot brakes for that much and that is what I would rather have. However those brakes are at least 105 level quality granted it is old with a less than optimal design and missing the "Golden Arrow" that makes it look nice and a bit more desirable. They are not great but potentially could work a bit better in your situation if they will fit your rims and clearance and all of that. However looking at the photos you have long reach calipers and these may not hit your rims right.

These are probably what you need: https://www.tektro.com/products.php?p=45 (or some variant thereof) They aren't high end brakes, they aren't ridiculously expensive and they won't attract much attention but will stop you decently and of course with good pads, cables and housing you will be doing pretty well and will have a much safer bike.

I'm running 700x38 front and 700x28 rear but I might change that around to get the tire diameters more even in the near future.

I am assuming that my brakes are a long caliper design due to the use of 27x1.25 tires this bike was designed for? Or is it because they are just cheap brakes, and that short reach calipers are better quality?

What is the difference between modern shimano and tektro sidepulls? Should I look at shimano?

For $20, I may as well give that old shimano caliper a try just for now. I will eventually upgrade to dual pivot.

My mistake. It appears that the model is 730. The number I was referring to is 1080, which stands for October of 1980 when the brakes were manufactured. It also says "Japan".

I also found this engraved:


no idea what it means.

A quick search of my caliper model reveals a 53-71 reach. The tektros you've specified would work great in that case .

veganbikes

According to this website the reach for the 105 caliper i found is 48-67, which i assume should work fine on my frame with a 700c rim. I guess I will give it a try on the front.
https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=cdd39e1e-1a32-40e2-b624-446be86a9ca0&Enum=117

It says here that the 105 caliper with or without the golden arrow engraving is the same thing.
my budget directly corresponds with the fact that, while my norco is priceless to me from a sentimental perspective, it is still a classified advertisement dumpster bike. Worthy of some better brakes nonetheless. I'll have to look more into models and pricing.

other than some skipping in the smallest cogs and this new ghost shifting problem, my Norco is in safe riding condition. The issues with skipping cannot affect riding safety in any way, all it does is stop me from pedalling hard.

I'm going to bikehub tommorow to try out a new hangar/derailleur and figure out what the problem is.

Back in the day the Diacomps were a second tier side-pull. Usually relegated to low-end "10-speeds"; however, as side-pull brakes go, they worked ok but weren't the strongest brakes in the bunch. New pads and some cleaning might bring them back.

It was likely a conversion from 27" hence the long reach. The length does not equate to any sort of quality. Paul makes their Racer brakes that have a longer reach and are some of the highest quality center pulls being made today.

The difference between them depends on the brake being compared but Shimano doesn't do a ton of long reach stuff in the higher echelons of brakes especially these days most people don't. Tektro makes a ton of brakes and they aren't top notch but looking at your situation they will be Dura-Ace (they won't but...)

I am of the type to buy what makes the most sense rather than minor upgrades and spending more money. Take that $20 and put it towards decent brakes rather than spending $20 and then another $20 plus to upgrade. You can take that extra $20 and buy yourself a nice lunch of dinner (or a whole bunch of Taco Bell ; )

Also don't run such a massively wide tire at the front and such a skinny tire at the rear. You aren't doing yourself any good by running skinny tires at the rear when you could probably fit something wider!

Okay, I found these:

105, model 5501, 80$ cad. Looks like long reach.

EDIT nevermind reach isn't long enough.





What about these?


Only a cool $350

(Just kidding)

OP should post a few pics of the mounted brakes and levers. OP should measure the actual reach, both front and rear, without brakes mounted. Use a metric ruler: center of bolt mount to center of rim. And Babs is your aunt.

Centre of bolt mount to centre of rim, without the caliper mounted? How?

I'll get better pics and measure tommorow.

veganbikes, if you think it's a good idea, I will buy the R559 tektros on Amazon for $80. Are there any other models i might want instead? Should I look into shimano as well?

Thank you for your help.

How do i measure the "reach" for brake calipers when converting from 27 to 700c?

I never said buy on Amazon but yeah those are probably the brakes that would make most sense for your build. You can look around but I think for what you are doing there is not much point. However I would measure as SurferRosa said. You can't go wrong there they are named after probably my most listened to Pixies Album (though I cannot say if it is in my mind above Come On Pilgrim or Doolittle maybe they are all three at the top)

Sheldon is really good at answering basic questions. In this case, search google for "sheldon brake reach," and you'll see this image in his article:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/images/forkreach266.jpg

Whatz wrong with Amazon? Where should I buy from

What is recessed nut vs regular?

Have you ever simply typed something into google before coming here?

I don't know if we can trust some people with power tools

LOL That is true.

Many things but to not turn this into a political post I will link to a Wikipedia article on the subject. If you are looking for a good place to buy parts I recommend supporting your local bike shop or at the very least an online bike shop with a brick and mortar location. No need to support a multi-billionaire right now he is doing just fine but local shops are struggling right now with COVID and bike shortages and they would appreciate your business.

In terms of Recessed vs Nutted, a recessed brake is for more modern bikes (80s and beyond though cheaper bikes will tend to stick to nutted) It will have a recessed mounting hole that will use a hex bolt rather than a nut to mount it. However Sheldon Brown probably would be of the most help and so I leave his legacy to it (with help from John Allen)

I am assuming my Norco is nutted?

I was looking into some TRP U-pull brakes such as these ones:

https://www.googleadservices.com/pag...BAgCEB0&adurl=

https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...SABEgIgQPD_BwE

Very nice brakes, but didn't find any with long reach and too expensive. I'll look around some local shops and see if I find the tektros.

What? Those are direct mount brakes for TT bikes those are not at all what you want. You need some form of single bolt brake. Exactly what you need will determined by looking at your brake, is it nutted or not?

Stick with the Tektros, if you need to upgrade SwissStop or KoolStop and Jagwire Pro Cable Kit will solve that problem. If you DO NOT (I repeat DO NOT) have nutted brakes then here is a good source Scrodzilla is a forum member and does have a brick and mortar location. Rivendell Bicycle Works also sells them and is a big proponent of them but I believe they are currently out of stock of the Nutted version.

If you had the very specific mounts for Direct Mount brakes, Direct Mount is what to go for but those frames are few and far between and all quite modern. The closest vintage cousin would be the Centerpull brakes but those are different mounts and also different mounts from Cantilever and Linear Pull (or V-brakes if you are. talking Shimano specifically) brakes.

Well, you took them off.... Did you need a allen wrench or a combination wrench?