From: Amir Avitzur <avitzur(AT)013.net>
"Mafac RAIDs, on the other hand, were designed for touring bikes with wide tires and fenders. They are rare.
I was at an aluminum caster today to ask about making some brake calipers. I may pursue the idea if there is enough interest.
So here goes: If Repro RAID brake calipers were available at around $100 a set, would anyone be interested?"
Hi Amir,
I may be mistaken, but I thought most aluminum brake calipers were forged i nstead of cast. A mechanical engineer can describe it better, but I believ e that forging provides a better grain structure and eliminates voids in th e metal. The end benefit is that it is stronger than a cast piece.
The dies used in the forging process can be fairly pricey. If I had to gu ess, I'd say that the price would be a minimum of several thousand dollars. If you were lucky, you'd be able to get the original forging dies from M afac, but they were probably scrapped decades ago.
regards,
Steve Kurt
Peoria, Illinois USA