Dural Forge brakes appeared in the 1950's and we're the early Racers. The first version also had the brass bushings. I have had several 1950's bicycles these were stock/OEM. Though similar to the bike-boom Racers, I have found the earlier Dural Forge models better finished and more attractive than the later Racers... Just my 2 Francs....uh Euros.
Matt Gorski Dural Forge Shores, CA
> Dural Forge, meaning "forged aluminum" appeared in the late 60's on pretty
> much the same Mafac brakes which were marked "Racer" in the early 70's. I
> traded/sold a circa 1968 PX-10 frame too big to me to a list member (Russ
> Fitzgerald, maybe) and left these brakes on as they were original to the
> frame. Catalogs may have listed these brakes as Racer, despite the
> markings.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos,
> Houston, Tx
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Louis Schulman" <louiss@gate.net>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Monday, May 12, 2003 10:40 AM
> Subject: [CR]Mafac "dural forge" brakes
>
>
> > I have a very nice set of Mafac centerpulls marked "dural forge"
> > (forged hard aluminum or something like that). They don't say "Racer",
> > although they appear to be almost identical (except for the lack of
> > washers behind the arms).
> >
> > I seem to recall a set of Mafac "dural forge" brakes bringing some
> > ridiculous amount on eBay.
> >
> > What is the story here? Do these pre-date the use of the term "Racer"?
> >
> > Mine are shiny with only some corrosion on the steel nuts. If these
> > are valuable, I would gladly trade them for Racers (or Competitions)
> > and hordes of cash.
> >
> > Louis Schulman
> > Tampa, Florida