Re: [CR]braze-on history

(Example: Framebuilders:Alex Singer)

In-Reply-To: <OF79C1E893.89D4C458-ON85256F34.0050332B-85256F34.00524589@mail.gm.com>
References:
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 12:28:23 -0400
To: marcus.e.helman@gm.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]braze-on history


At 10:58 AM -0400 10/21/04, marcus.e.helman@gm.com wrote:
>Third post in one day, I must be nearing my limit. Anyway, I was wondering
>if there is an accepted chronology of braze-ons. Generally it seems that
>the more braze-ons a bike has, the newer it is.

Actually, it's somewhat cyclical. There was a period from the late '60s through early '70s when braze-ons had gone out of fashion, at least for racy bikes, possibly due to fears that they would weaken the frame tubing.
>When did the various
>braze-ons become common? Are there national differences? Could anyone
>supply approximate dates for these? Here is my hypothesis.
>
>In order of oldest to newest
> Top of BB derailleur guides

Those were common from the mid '70s through the mid '80s. They disappeared with the advent of mountain bikes, where there was an issue of the bottom of the front derailer cage bumping into the rear derailer's shift cable. Once the manufacturers realized how much money they could save by going under the BB, they switched with great alacrity.
> Chainstay cable stop (perhaps these appeared at the same time as the top
> of BB derailleur guides )

Yep.
> Shift lever stop
> Shift lever bosses

Not sure what distinction is meant here. Shift lever bosses go back to at least the '50s. Their popularity was limited by the fact that there were several different proprietary boss designs, with limited interchangeability between brands. Thus, to provide a suitable boss, the frame builder needed to know what kind of derailer was to be fitted.

These went out of fashion in the late '60s as noted above.

By the early '80s, the varying competing styles had gone extinct, and the industry adopted the Campagnolo style as the de facto standard, which it remains to this day.
> Top tube brake cable guides

Schwinn pioneered the slotted style of top-tube housing stop that allowed the cable to be lubricated without undoing the anchor bolt. They were doing this in the late '60s.
> Bottom of BB derailleur guides

See above.
> Brake cables routed through top tube

Yuck!
> Inside seat stay chain hanger
> Front derailleur mount (Are these too new for the CR timeline?)

Front derailer braze-ons are the work of SATAN!
>
>What about lamp brackets on forks?

Veddy, veddy British. Disappeared by the '70s pretty much, alas.
>What about rear brake cable stops for centerpulls?

I believe those originated with French touring bikes, probably in the '50s.

You forgot what has become one of the most ubiquitous: water bottle mounts. These are a relatively recent development, not appearing on mass-produced bikes before the very late '70s...but now they're everywhere.
>What about pump pegs?

Those go way back. Formerly they used to mainly be on the down tube, but the popularity of bottle mounts drove them away from this location.

Low-rider fork braze ons go 'way back on French touring bikes, but only appeared on mass produced bikes from the mid '80s.

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