RE:[CR]Cantilever brakes (mafac or ?)

(Example: Production Builders)

From: "Steve Birmingham" <sbirmingham@mindspring.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: RE:[CR]Cantilever brakes (mafac or ?)
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 15:39:36 -0500
In-Reply-To: <CATFOODqGN5q2lTQmZx0000002f@catfood.nt.phred.org>


Unless your local shops are pretty good with older bikes, I'd say stick with the Mafac cantilever brakes. I don't have a bike with them, but I also haven't heard any thing particularly bad about them.

Many of the shops in my area denounce almost anything old out of hand. It would be neat if I had a couple extra dollars for each job another shop said couldn't be done. I usually take this to mean they can't understand the part, Want to sell some new part, or in rare cases, actually have a reason for not

liking a part. Just to say they wouldn't ride a bike with those brakes seems to be one of the first two choices.

It takes time, but looking around for a good local shop is worth the effort.

Don't rule out smaller shops, many of these are just fine. Different financial pressures allow them to do stuff the big shops can't / won't do.

Steve Birmingham Lowell, Ma

Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2004 10:33:27 -0800 From: Christopher Rose <crose@stanford.edu> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Cantilever brakes (mafac or ?) Message-ID: <6.0.1.1.2.20040308103320.01c25430@crose.pobox.stanford.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed MIME-Version: 1.0 Precedence: list Message: 8

Hi gang,

I have not posted here in quite awhile. Life has been a bit busy.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for me here. I have a Jack Taylor (http://www.stanford.edu/~crose/Bikes/JackTaylor/font.JPG) that has been to CycleArt and refinished. I am in the process of putting it back together but am having a problem with finding Cantilver brakes that will work. I have updated to use STI brake levers. I have tried a pair of shorty 8's on it and the were just a bit too long so I bought a pair of Paul's neo retros. Well, that does not work ( I found) because the springs are where my racks are in the front of the boss.

So, I have a new set of original Mafac cantilvers that I found but have found from local bike shops that they "would not ride a bike with those brakes on it" so now I am stuck again. I still have those old Deores that are in the picture, too. I guess I could clean them up, get new straddle cables and new pads.

Anyone have a suggestion on a set of good cantilevers that will work with my racks so I can get this bike back on the road?

Thanks, Chris