--------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mark A. Perkins <bicyclemark@juno.com> To: rchasteen@kc.rr.com Cc: classicrendevous@bikelist.org Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 18:58:57 -0800 Subject: Re: [CR]Centerpull brakes Message-ID: <20020308.185858.-71749.0.bicyclemark@juno.com>
Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag, I am a Shimano Dura Ace fan. I've been buying the stuff as my first choice since the first Dura Ace components were advertised in Bike World and Bicycling magazines. I have to confess to having strong feelings for the Campagnolo N.R. and S.R. components though too. I have lots of both brands on my bikes and in my collection of parts. It was Campy that caught my eye first, with their somewhat fancier appearance, especially on the NR front and rear derailleurs and shifters. I really like the simulated beading around the edges of the levers, as well as the way they made the area around their name look rough. And the logos are very appealing to the eye. And one bike photo that stands out in my memory, and it wasn't even in color, was in the book "Two Wheel Travel - Bicycle Camping & Touring", was a picture of a Masi G.C. with full N.R. groupo.
But let me pose a question on this subject. All the time we hear (or read) about someone's Campy component that broke or cracked, but how many Dura Ace components can you recall hearing the same stuff about? In fact, in 30 years of serious riding, I can't remember ever hearing of Dura Ace cranks cracking, or axles breaking (that ought to get a few comments).
As an example of Dura Ace durability, I would like to tell a true story about an event that took place in my life 27 years ago. Terry Shaw will probably remember this one.
Back in late'76, I moved away from the Fresno area for the first of three times. I was moving to San Jose, and I had a U-Haul trailer behind my '57 Chevy pickup. I also had 4' tall plywood sides installed around all four sides of the pickup bed. In the bed I had more stuff, and on top of that load were a drafting table, a long shelf board which was protruding forward over the cab of the truck. On top of that was my Bob Jackson, orange and white w/chrome lugs, stay ends, and fork ends, and a full compliment of the very first Dura Ace components. There was plenty of space above the bike, and I thought it was safe, so I made no effort to tie everything down. However, I didn't count on heavy winds as I was driving west across the San Joaquin Valley. Some where out in the middle of nowhere (I remember the exact spot very well), the wind lifted that shelf board enough to also lift the drawing table, and once they both had caught air they lifted themselves and the bike right over the back plywood board, fell straight down in front of the trailer... Well, I felt this jerking through the steering wheel, and the seat of my pants. When I looked in the rearview mirror, what I saw was my Bob Jackson (I really loved that bike), tumbling through the air in a cloud of dust. It had already gone under the trailer's double axles and wheels.
The hardwood drawing table was shattered, but the shelf board survived. But the bike was a different story. None of the frame's tubes survived, but were only bent, not cracked or broken. But the frame was still mostly in one piece. The rear brake had been yanked so hard that it tore the brake bridge out from between the stays, and the rear wheel was yanked right out of the dropouts. The fork was the only part of the frame that survived without harm, and was later sold to be used on another bike. The right crank arm was bent, and the front derailleur was torn apart, and both brakes had at least one bent arm. My friend Michael and I, using a large bench vise and a long piece of pipe, straightened that crank arm. You should have seen me standing on the edge of the bench, pulling with all my weight, backwards. If the arm had broken I would have fallen backwards hard. I have since straightened the brake arms, and intend to use them too someday. But the crank is on my Klein Team Super, and has been on there since about 1978 when I decided to take the new 172.5's off and install the old 170's (I'm a spinner - and at the time was riding on the track a lot). I am now confident that that crank arm will never break. I have riden the Fresno Uphill Climb to Kaiser 4 1/2 times on that bike, since straightening that arm, and for a long time that was my regular bike.
Incidentally, I replaced the rear axle (which was only bent), laced a new set of rims onto those first generation Dura Ace hubs, Installed a new QR, and they are still going strong, on the Klein. And the rear derailleur and shift levers on the Klein are the same ones that survived the destruction of the Bob Jackson.
But that's not why I like Dura Ace so much. One reason is that Dura Ace has chrome in a lot of places where Campy has black-oxide coating. And the anodized finish is at least as good as Campy's. And of course, the Dura Ace shifts so much better than Campy, with it's double spring loaded pivots and forward angle of the parallelogram. For a long time I wished they could incorporate Sun Tour's slant parallelogram, and years later it happened.
Currently, I am faced with a need for components for my early '70's Masi G.C. with KAS team colors, and as much as I would like to, I can't bring myself to use Dura Ace on this bike. I still think of that black & white photo of the Masi with the cool looking Campagnolo Nuovo Record groupo.
Needless to say, since that incident, I never put a bike in the back of a pickup, or on a rack, without using something to hold it down securely. You just never know what can happen. End of story.
Cheers everyone, at least it didn't happen to you.
"Bicycle Mark" Perkins Fresno Cycling Club - Historian Fresno, California, U.S.A.
On Thu, 7 Mar 2002 21:52:54 -0600 "Rick Chasteen" <rchasteen@kc.rr.com>
writes:
> Mark:
>
> I think I have a set of levers along with 2 sets of calipers. You're
right,
> the levers aren't pretty and mine have "Safety levers"!!! But, they
say
> Dura Ace.
>
> I like Dura Ace, also, and think it is way under rated. If I were
buying a
> new road bike it would be DA equipped, no question.
>
> Thanks,
>
> RC
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mark A. Perkins" <bicyclemark@juno.com>
> To: <rchasteen@kc.rr.com>
> Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 9:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [CR]Centerpull brakes
>
>
> > Hello Rick:
> >
> > I'm afraid I can't help you with the part number at the present time,
but
> > in the near future I might be able to come up with one. I have moved
> > myself and a minimum of my things to a different town, and county,
over
> > the past year, and all of the rest of my posessions are currently in
> > storage in that other county. I believe I have magazines or
brochures
> > containing that information.
> >
> > I can tell you that they were very early in the 1970's, maybe '72 or
'73,
> > and I believe they pre-dated the first Dura Ace side pulls. They
look
> > almost exactly like the Tourney center pull brakes of the same
period.
> > They aren't very pretty, but they are good quality and with a little
> > sanding and polishing they would look very nice and unique.
> >
> > Like I said, I believe I have a pair. I saved them because of their
> > unique and short place in component history. And because Shimano
Dura
> > Ace components have always been my prefered choice, even over
Campagnolo
> > in most cases. Maybe they will be worth something someday. For now,
> > they are also in storage, and I don't intend to part with them yet.
If
> > they weren't in storage I would try to take some photo's for you, but
> > maybe someone else on the list will be able to help you sooner. In
fact,
> > just today I received a message from a new member who listed a bike
> > that's equipped with Dura Ace center pulls. If you don't have any
luck
> > finding any more info. or a set of brakes, in the next month or two,
drop
> > me another email, and maybe by then I will have moved the rest of my
> > things here to Fresno.
> >
> > "Bicycle Mark" Perkins
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