[CR] squealing mafacs

(Example: History:Norris Lockley)

From: "Charles Andrews" <chasds@mindspring.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 20:13:52 -0800
Subject: [CR] squealing mafacs


Jerry Moos wrote:

Maybe folks liked the greater adjustability of the cantilever-type shoes on the MAFACs, despite their tendency to squeal. Or maybe the squealing was seen as a safety feature, making a bell unnecessary :-)

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On the Rose Bowl vintage ride this past weekend, at the end of the ride, we were standing around admiring each other's bikes...another rider was taking a close look at the Rene Herse Poly de Chanteloup tandem Carmen and I had ridden on the ride, noticing that the Mafac Raid brakes were attached to the bike at the pivots, as was common on the constructeur bikes (the Raids appear as if they would work better than way too, they're quite thin up top), and then I noticed for the first time that the brake pads were not original Mafac...they were campagnolo pads..more precisely, one-and-a-half campagnolo pads installed in the Mafac holders. I'd never noticed that..but we all agreed, that was probably why they didn't squeal.. ;> A rather trick little trick you might try yourself.

Charles Andrews Los Angeles

Q: "Why do people spoil everything for themselves?

A: "In big ways, and little ways too, people do that all the time to themselves. We can't stand prosperity. We have to tinker with the machinery."

--John D. MacDonald