Hi All,
Balilla brakes came stock on the worst bike I ever owned. It was a Vainquer,
in provincial gold purchased from a bike shop on Long Island called Willy
Mae in Nassau County. If I recall correctly these brakes had very flimsy
bushings which left the calipers extremely wobbly and I do recall the
distinctive crunch of the calipers rubbing against each other when
activated. This bike was memorable to me in other ways . The BB cups ripped
away from the frame after maybe a month or two. The bike shop 'fixed' this
by welding the cups to the frame. My father and I were actually ok with the
repair until the weld broke. I believe my father then escalated the problem
and got his money back on the bike. My what a piece of XXXX it was!
Randy Blatt
Raleigh NC
> Ballila centerpull brakes - when used and are they good? I've seen
> them on cheap bikes, but were they originally used on top-level
> bikes, or did those only use Universal?
>
> Were there different models? Anybody got some levers for these?
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> Jan Heine, Seattle