Thought now would be good time to bring this up. I have a set of Mafac centerpulls that look almost like Weinmann's. They use a bolt on pad. Only adjust up and down. The ends of the straddle wire are both formed in the shape of a ball rather than the way Weinmann and DiaCompe did theirs. Any idea what these were called?
Thanks
Pete Geurds Douglassville, PA
The description sounds like the MAFAC "S" brake. I'm staring at a 1978 Mafac catalog and this brake appears like your description: Ball end straddle wire, and brake pad slots like those used in sidepull brakes that allow up/down adjustment but no rotation. Like sidepulls, the slots are oriented side to side on the brake arms unlike other Mafacs where the slots are oriented front to back. It shows it having nylon bushings. According to the specs, it came with two stirrups, a small size giving 64-49 reach and a larger one giving 69-54 reach
Dan Goldenberg