[CR]Re: Top Tube Cable braze-on's

(Example: Production Builders:Peugeot)

Date: Sat, 29 Oct 2005 21:16:22 -0700
From: "JJ & KK" <designzero@earthlink.net>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
In-Reply-To: <MONKEYFOODPFR6sKBEr0000481e@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>
Subject: [CR]Re: Top Tube Cable braze-on's

Bob Hovey wrote ...the 60's was the heyday of the "don't mess with the frame tubes" school of frame building, at least for Italian lightweights. At that time, one rarely saw anything at all brazed on the frame, with the exception of the derailleur cable stop on the chain stay, and in the early 60's even that was a clamp-on with some builders. But in the 70's, bits began to appear one by one... first, the top of the BB cable guides in the early 70's, then the bottle bosses in the early to mid 70's, top of the top tube cable guides in the mid to late 70's, shift lever bosses in the late 70's, under-bb cable routing in the early to mid 80's.

Way back, we had some discussions while assembling bikes at the shop for which I worked 30 years ago, urban legend at the time was that due to a tubing failure during the Tour, Reynolds sent a notice out stating that braze-ons were not desirable. Builders got away with it on the chainstay as the tubing wall was reasonably thick near the dropout. But obviously, not everyone got the memo.

My notice of the braze-on bits about matches with the above, note the BB cable guides were attached to the shell, not the tubing generally, they kind of became common first. Also, the majority of component manufacturers at that time could use the same basic cable routing, even Huret went without cable stop on the Jubilee front mechanism.

Double water bottle bosses ST & DT were around but not "common" in 1985. In the 70's they were on Touring bikes if found.

John Jorgensen
Palos Verdes Ca