Thank you, Neil, for your wise counsel. I wonder if you, or others, have suggestions for brake pad material for wood rims rather than steel or aluminum. I ride my '38 Paramount on the road, and fit it with a front brake for this service, and have been concerned that the conventional pads might be a bit rough on the rims. Leads to a better workout for the hind legs stopping the back wheel, as I try to minimize use of the brake, but I think there must be a better way.
Harvey Sachs mcLean va
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Hopefully, your LBS should be able to help you out, but as Michael says, suitable blocks are sold under the Fibrax name, and ones with leather inserts were made (to give better stopping in the wet) but I think that these are no longer in production. I've bought some on eBay - they turn up from time to time. They may well have been made by Fibrax, and I've also bought them under the brand name "Raleigh Raincheck". I've checked mine, and I have two patterns - one has the leather in a "sandwich" with the normal brake block material, and the other (marked "Sturmey Archer") has the leather full width across the face of the block. I haven't used any of these for years, and can't remember how good they were, but I think they were quite effective.
The Fibrax 269 blocks are the ones for the 1950's British caliper brakes, such as GB, Phillips and Monitor. These are still available, but a friend told me that the dimensions of the current (outsourced) ones differ from the old ones made by Fibrax.
In any event, my advice would be to see what your LBS has to offer, and compromise on the side of safety, rather than originality.
Don't let all this put you off; literally millions of cyclists rode steel rims in all weathers. You just need the right equipment.
Neil Foddering
Weymouth, Dorset, England