At 10:59 AM -0400 07/09/04, Pete Geurds wrote:
>From: "Thomas R. Adams, Jr." <kctommy@msn.com>
>> Here's one I can't recall seeing or hearing about before. A set of Mafac
>centerpull brakes using Weinmann style threaded stud brake shoes, not the
>usual Mafac stud style shoes. Does anyone know the history of these items?
>Was this a last generation Mafac product, an attempt to join the mainstream
>of bike parts, forsaking Gallic independence? Was Mafac, indeed, a sell out
>at the end? ;-)
>http://ebay.com/<blah>
>
>
>I had a late 70's /early 80's Peugeot Sport with these or similar
>centerpulls.
>I remember thinking they were a Weinmann knock-off.
>No one ever did come up with a model name when I asked.
>
>Pete Geurds
>Douglassville, pa
I've got a set of these as well; in my case they're takeoffs from a c.1981 Peugeot that came with a mixture of French and Japanese parts. They do seem something like a hybrid between a Competition (straddle cables) and a Weinmann (springs, pad mounting). The bolts for mounting the brake arches to the frame are also different from those on Racers, and seem much closer to those used by non-MAFAC centrepulls. These brakes will, however, easily accept a TA ref:270pl mini-rack, while in my experience Weinmanns & Dia-Compes will not unless you do violence to the rack.
I did some digging around in the archives after I got these brakes, and came across some bits of information. This message suggests the brakes up for auction may be an example of the Mafac "S":
http://catfood.phred.org/
I have no way of checking the catalog in question, however. Does anyone have a copy of the 1978 MAFAC catalog they could check this auction against?
Jeff Noakes
Ottawa, ON, CA