Hi all. I'm working on a conversion and I need a front brake and lever for it.

As always I am on a tight budget for this project, and the frame is not worth putting alot of money into. I just need something that will get me stopped.

As far as I can figure I need a brake with about 70mm of reach. (replacing the 27's with 700c)... (stretched the fork to hold a 700c front wheel off my other bike and measured center of hole to center of break surface)
I am also looking for a cross type lever.

I was originally looking at this... https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=1085
... however I don't think it has the reach I need.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


P.S. I was hoping to get through this build without asking any stupid questions that can be answered with a quick search, but I didn't find anything.

Take a look at Tektro R556 long-reach calipers. I found out about them when I was thinking about setting up a bike as a 650B conversion (I'd already found a long-enough reach brake for a 27"-700c fg/ss conversion). They definitely have the reach you want. Some folks think they flex a bit due to the long caliper arms. A number of on-line bike shops have them (bikeman.com in particular) and I see them on ebay frequently. They use a recessed nut, so you may have to drill out the back hole in the fork slightly.

Another option is the Dia Compe Mod 750 centerpull brake. Looks great on an older bike. Reach of 62-90mm so they'll fit. You'll need a headset cable bracket to line the brake line up. Rivbike.com sells them and also their version of the Tektro R556.

My wife's Peugeot Mixte with the Dia Compe's


I've just ordered the Tektro brakes for my Raleigh Sprite conversion. Even with the 27" wheels I needed a long reach brake and the old Mafacs weren't very good(and too rusty to keep).

As for levers, that'll depend upon your handlebars and your personal preferences.