Pete Paine wrote:
>
> Hello All
> Bowden brakes seem to appear just before the turn of the century, The
> first type of cable brake , usually fitted to the back wheel was just a
> simple horseshoe shape. It was really a case of the right thing at the
> right time . It ment that a cycle with the standard set up of the time
> with a fixed wheel, could easily be upgraded to have a freewheel. There
> were coasters available but this was a lot cheeper option and easy to
> fit.
I would like to add that these side pull Bowden brakes were attached to the fork blades and seat stays with integral clamps. You didn't need to drill the fork crown or the seat stay bridge to attach them to your bike. This was pretty much normal practice up to the early 1930s.
Chuck Schmidt
SoPas, SoCal