Thanks to all for the info and insight, but one question that still remains (in my mind anyway) is: Are the Competitions a 'better' brake than the Racers? Specifically the first generation Competitions. The reason for the inquiry is that there's a Peugeot available locally with first generation Competitions on it. I haven't had much of a chance to look at it closely but I'm debating picking it up. The brakes are likely not show quality, but 'users' so really the debate in my mind is whether there is significant performance improvements to be gained by going to the trouble of buying this whole bike just for the brakes (there may be other parts of use and interest I just don't know yet).
Eric's response detailing the reach differences was very helpful (many thanks Eric!), and it's good to know that the straddle cables are important parts. I was wondering if they were stiffer or stronger, or better finished.
As an aside, I've slowly been filing, cleaning up the flash and casting marks and wet sanding and polishing to a high gloss finish a set of Racers that have been sitting around the shop. Sort of making them look the way the designer had perhaps originally intended them before the ravages of mass production technology got to the form. Perhaps not worth the effort for a 'lowly' set of Racers and not really 'correct' for a period piece, but this is the sort of stuff I'd do as a 16 yr old kid with a basically crappy old bike. Lavish attention and detail on it, it's not like another bike was about to land in my lap!
David Bilenkey Industrial Designer in cold and wet Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
> -----Original Message-----
> From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
> [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org]On Behalf Of
> wayofftheback
> Sent: September 30, 2003 8:36 PM
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR]Mafac Competitions vs. Racers
>
>
> Howdy,
>
> This is all off the top of my head, without looking at
> my parts stash (except for the gold Mafacs on the
> commuter parked next to me in the office0>
>
> The original Competition had stamped lettering,
> similar in style to the Racer, and shared the same
> half-hooded lever. Also, these early Competition were
> not anodized, rather having a plain finish similar to
> the Racer. Of course, this version of the Competition
> had the now hard to find "quick release" straddle
> wire.
>
> The later Competitions were anodized silver or gold.
> Some of them had tire guides, some did not. All the
> gold ones I have seen have had the tire guides. The
> name often was not stamped on many of these; rather,
> it was placed on a little sticker in a depression on
> the left side of the brake (as you face it). These
> stickered brakes were later than than the stamped
> ones, judging by the bikes I have seen them used on.
>
>
> The later Competitions also often had better
> levers--fully hooded, often drilled, and of more
> substance than those half hooded levers. The gum
> hooded levers were slighted larger than those with the
> black hoods. Both had barrel adjustors.
>
> The later ones also sometimes came with a different
> type of straddle wire. These wires were double balls,
> similar to that used by Weinmann et al.
>
> Mafac also had the 2000, which appeared the same as
> the later Competitions. I have both Competions and
> 2000s, and other than the sticker, I have not noticed
> any difrence between the two. I cannot recall if
> there are any stamped Mafac 2000s. If there is a
> difference between the 2000 and the Competition, I
> would like to know as I may well be ignorant.
>
> I don't if it helps, but I do believe that there was a
> lot of just "whatever" at Mafac towards the latter
> half of the seventies.
>
> =====
> John Taglia
> Chicago, Illinois