[CR]=?ISO-8859-1?q?Walter=B4s?= question about 20/30s brakes

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

From: "toni theilmeier" <Toni.Theilmeier@t-online.de>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]=?ISO-8859-1?q?Walter=B4s?= question about 20/30s brakes
Date: 17 Dec 2002 15:05 GMT

Hi gang, first the obligatory well-wishing according to the season at hand, this time it´s Christmas.

Brakes: In the twenties people had a wide choice of smaller manufacturers, but one of the larger ones must have been Bowden Hilary mentions. However, I´ve got a pair stamped Bowden, Tyseley, Birmingham. Their cable brakes were used by many cyclists as they were about as reliable as brakes then came. They were fixed to the fork blades, not yet the crown. Those can indeed be found on many French twenties racers. Many nice sets are completely unbranded. Weirdly enough, in the thirties after the introduction of internal expanding brakes, these would also be used on racers because of their heightened effiency.

Then, of course, one must not forget the many special coaster hubs raced in Germany and German-export influenced countries. Either racers would use a straightforward Torpedo by Fichtel & Sachs of Schweinfurt, Germany, or even special, expensive Renntorpedos, racing Torpedos. These were all single speed coasters. Because of their reliability (and weight) many racers would do away with the front brake altogether. This setup would also increase wood rim life as the rims would not be braked on. The Torpedos might feature a double sprocket to be switched by hand (same side), then three sprockets switched by a rear mech, and Renntorpedos would in their dying years, about 1955, sport as many as five sprockets.

I hope to have not been too general. Perhaps I can muster answers to more specific questions.

Toni, Osnabrueck, Germany.