Thomas Rawson wrote about Mafac Centerpulls:
> I am surprised,
> now that I have them in hand, at how little clearance there
> appears to be for getting fatter tires in and out. Have i got
> that right?
Thomas,
There are a few of ways that additional clearance is gained:
1) Try to find brake hangers with a cam mechanism attached. They will change the tension on a the brake cables and open up the calipers for tire removal.
2) Weinmann and Dia Compe have brake levers that have a mechanism built into the front of the lever where it meets with the body just underneath that can be activated to also release cable tension and increase clearance.
3) Squeeze the calipers enough to remove one side of the straddle wire.
I suspect that the tire clearance issue may be more of a challenge today with wider tires on narrower rims than it used to be as the width differential between the rims and tires could be more pronouced.
Regards,
Jim Narlesky
San Jose, CA