Disc brakes for 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike?



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John Bartley K7

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Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike? Have moved from
wet-and-flat to wet-and-hilly, and like the idea of better braking, especially since I added 100 lbs
since I built this in '79 and need to *safely* remove many of those.

Thank you kindly.
--
Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston,
THE COBRA EVENT.
 
Unless your bike has the necessary bosses on which you can mount diskbrakes which I doubt very much
considering the year your bike is build you can. But an upgrade of your existing brakes should also
do the trick. It will be a lot cheaper at least.

Peter

"John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)" <6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike? Have moved from
> wet-and-flat to wet-and-hilly, and like the idea of better braking, especially since I added 100
> lbs since I built
this
> in '79 and need to *safely* remove many of those.
>
> Thank you kindly.
> --
> Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct
tape - Richard Preston, THE COBRA EVENT.
 
John Bartley wrote:

> Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike? Have moved from
> wet-and-flat to wet-and-hilly, and like the idea of better braking, especially since I added 100
> lbs since I built this in '79 and need to *safely* remove many of those.
>
> Thank you kindly.

You would have to replace the frame to do this, so the answer is no.

For road bikes, disc brakes cannot stop you any better than properly adjusted rim brakes. The
braking limit is the point at which the front wheel starts to skid, which any decently set up
brake can do.

Disc brake proponents make claims of better function in muddy conditions, which may be true. Most
road bikes are never ridden on steep muddy trails. In wet conditions, rim brakes probably take a
fraction of a second longer to grab than disc brakes.

Getting your old Fuji on the road again is an excellent idea. Regular use of it will certainly help
with the weight loss. Don't spend a ton of money on it, but pay attention to proper brake set up.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR
 
6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com (John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)) wrote:

> Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike?

No.

Disc brakes require mounting tabs your bike does not have (and chainstay/fork leg stiffness your
bike may not have).

Cantilever brakes can be made to give more braking power than any bicycle disc brake. If your bike
has them, I would just get some fresh pads, read Sheldon Brown's page on setting up cantilevers, and
get them really working.

If your bike uses calipers, you may be able to get more forceful braking by using dual-pivot
calipers. A local shop may also be able to install (braze on) cantilever studs for a
reasonable charge.

Chalo Colina
 
In article <[email protected]>, John Bartley K7AAY (ex-KGH2126)
<6212hgk{invert}@newsguy.com> wrote:
>Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike?

It could probably be done, yes. I don't know what tubing that bike is made of, but I bet it is
plenty thick enough to support the pressure on the brake mounts.

> Have moved from wet-and-flat to wet-and-hilly, and like the idea of better braking, especially
> since I added 100 lbs since I built this in '79 and need to *safely* remove many of those.

I have to ask, what kind of brakes and pads have you tried on this bike? Unless you are already
using a really excellent cantilever (or V) brake with high quality pads, I would do that before
torching the bike, buying expensive disc brakes and new wheels. The disc brakes will also be quite
expensive compared to installing top of the line cantilevers or v-brakes.

It would be very unusual if you were unable to get relief by installation of a high quality brake
set with good pads, good cables, and meticulous adjustment.

If you have normal brake levers (no shifter integrated) you could consider getting a set of the Dia
Compe brake levers designed for use with v-brakes, and then get a high quality modern MTB v-brake
set. If you eat the soft brake pads on your wet hilly rides, replace with Kool Stop salmon pads for
longer pad life. Example parts:

Dia Compe 287 brake levers - http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=BR5062

Avid Arch Rival v-brakes - http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=BR7040
http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=BR7041

Those SKU's are orderable from your local bike shop, out of the QBP catalog.

Naturally if you do a disc conversion, you could still use those linear pull brake levers if the
disc brake is also linear pull and mechanical design.

--Paul
 
>John Bartley wrote:
>
>> Is it practical to consider adding disc brakes to a 1979 Fuji Royale touring bike? Have moved
>> from wet-and-flat to wet-and-hilly, and like the idea of better braking, especially since I added
>> 100 lbs since I built this in '79 and need to *safely* remove many of those.
>>
>> Thank you kindly.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 18:15:35 -0700, Ted Bennett <[email protected]> wrote:
>You would have to replace the frame to do this, so the answer is no.
>
>For road bikes, disc brakes cannot stop you any better than properly adjusted rim brakes. The
>braking limit is the point at which the front wheel starts to skid, which any decently set up
>brake can do.
>
>Disc brake proponents make claims of better function in muddy conditions, which may be true. Most
>road bikes are never ridden on steep muddy trails. In wet conditions, rim brakes probably take a
>fraction of a second longer to grab than disc brakes.
>
>Getting your old Fuji on the road again is an excellent idea. Regular use of it will certainly help
>with the weight loss. Don't spend a ton of money on it, but pay attention to proper brake set up.

Thanks, all, and see you at McMenamin's.
--
Nobody but a fool goes into a federal counterrorism operation without duct tape - Richard Preston,
THE COBRA EVENT.
 
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