I guess that I'm lucky that I was a child of the seventies when I really got into nicer bikes. My first bike w/ caliper brakes was a new 1966 Schwinn Supersport w/ Schwinn approved Weinmans and I never gave a thought about braking. Then my UO-8 w/ Mafac racers and chrome rims, perfectly OK till the rims got wet, then a bit scary. Then I moved up.
It's only now that I've gotten the vintage bug and wish to ride authentic bikes from before my learning curve. So far I've just got the vintage fixed gear on the road that started with a pair of GB Coureur Plus's. Good thing I was riding fixed, my speeds weren't high and foot braking helped out too. Still a panic stop couldn't come near to what I'd been used to. Next the Synchron dual pivots. Better braking, but what a mushy feel, and just watching the calipers moving around on those nylon pivots ... no wonder Mafac racers were such an improvement. The bike now has what was a NOS set of long reach Universal calipers that besides being more minimal, seem to stop the bike just a bit better. I've got the take offs in the bins for my next build, a Carlton International soon to be built up with a Sturmey FW. Should be nice for climbing most of the hills around here, but I'll be certain to start braking near the top of the steeper ones!
Happy trails,
Dan Artley, thinking it would be better to be off work riding on this Sunny, cold day in Parkton, Maryland USA
Archive-URL: http://search.bikelist.org/
Curious if anyone has trouble stopping with vintage single pivot sidepulls. I read on list here that they don't stop well, or only modulate or slow a bike, or are only for racers who merely need to moderate speed occasionally.
...Lots of stuff ...
--Mitch Harris
Little Rock Canyon, Utah, USA