Thanks for all who suggested I should NOT bend the Universal calipers. I'll space them instead. Glad I asked... How the calipers I have seen on other bikes achieved their bent-forward shape is another issue. I better don't ask, but treat these with circumspection when riding.
Jan Heine, Seattle (give me Mafac or give me...)
>I have a couple of these Universals in a parts drawer, each with one of the
>arms broken from a mechanic bending the arm with a wrench to toe it in. I
>seem to remember a tendency for squealing with them. I also have a broken
>Universal centerpull caliper from a Cinelli Mod B that I had and I am the
>fool who snapped it off. It was amazingly easy to do for a guy who had bent
>thousands of Weinmann arms without any problem. This was a standard
>adjustment on the Boom bikes we setup.
>
>I would be very, very careful about bending those arms, and I would suggest
>spacing before tweaking.
>
>--Steve Barner, Can't ride with 2' of snow on the ground, Bolton, Vermont
>
>----- Original Message -----
>> Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 17:11:09 -0500
>> From: <raleighpro@dejazzd.com>
>> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>> Subject: Re: [CR]Universal brake questions
>> Message-ID: <20031215221109.HDYO17581.de-fe01.dejazzd.com@de-fe01>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>> MIME-Version: 1.0
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>> Precedence: list
>> Message: 12
>>
>> From: Jan Heine <heine93@earthlink.net>
>> > Date: 2003/12/15 Mon AM 10:05:14 EST
>> > I have a Universal rear brake, the sidepull with the extra arm. When
>> > I mount it on the bike, the pads interfere with the seat stays.
>> > Checking images of Universal-braked bikes, it appears that the arms
>> > are bent slightly to provide clearance. Before I start bending - is
>> > this correct?
>>
>> Jan,
>> Do they look like these?
>>
>http://ebay.com/<blah>
>> Can you space them out from the bridge so the pads clear?
>>
>>
>> Pete Geurds
>> Douglassville, PA