Re: Setting up a double brake lever:

[A Muzi]

!Jones wrote:

> When setting up a double cable lever (Mafac) on a tandem with a hub
> brake, does one usually set up the cantilevers on the double and the
> hub on the single pull?
>
> I can see an advantage to that; however, I like to have the wheels
> brake independently, also. Generally, I put the drag brake on the
> stoker's bars, but with such a neat lever, I'd like to use it.
>
> Can it be set up successfully running the rear cantilever and the drag
> brake on one lever? ... in your opinion, of course. Most anything
> *can* be done; however, some things are better candidates than others.
> I'm thinking about setting the drag to hit first with an in-line
> spring.

Yes, dual-command levers sure are cute but I can't think of
an appropriate setup on a bicycle.

I like captain's levers one to front brake one to rear
brake. Bar-con to whatever non-rim (drum, disc, roller?)
brake you have.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Tom Sherman]

A Muzi wrote:

> Yes, dual-command levers sure are cute but I can't think of an
> appropriate setup on a bicycle....

However, a trike is a different matter. Here is an example where one
lever is used to brake both front wheels:
<http://www.windcheetah.co.uk/MEDIA/hypersport1.jpg>.

--
Tom Sherman - Near Rock Island

 

[[email protected]]

!Jones wrote:
> See also the ubiquitous "tricyclo de carga" which can be purchased
new
> for around $100 USD in any major Mexican city. They're a nightmare
to
> ride; however, they're simply the best pedal vehicle if you have a
> heavy load. "Best" anywhere near that price range, anyway.
>

I dunno- a recumbent trike, a welder, and a little ingenuity seems to
work pretty well:
http://hpv.tricolour.net/organ-trailer.html

Jeff

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Quoth Tom Sherman:

>>However, a trike is a different matter. Here is an example where one
>>lever is used to brake both front wheels:
http://www.windcheetah.co.uk/MEDIA/hypersport1.jpg
>
!Jones exclaimed:
>
> ... I don't even want to *think*
> about one brake hitting slightly harder, though.

I dunno about the Windcheetah, can't really tell from the photo, but my
Greensped trike has "centre point steering" where the steering axis is
slanted so that its extension lines up with the "centre" of the tire,
sorry, tyre patch.

It has separate brakes for each front wheel, but with the "centre point
steering" you can brake with just one side without it causing a major
effect on the steering.

http://harriscyclery.com/greenspeed

Sheldon "Straight Ahead" Brown
+---------------------------------------------+
| "It's perfectly intelligible," |
| the captain said, in an offended tone, |
| "to anyone that understands such things." |
+---------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Tom Sherman]

Sheldon Brown wrote:

> Quoth Tom Sherman:
>
>>> However, a trike is a different matter. Here is an example where one
>>> lever is used to brake both front wheels:
>
> http://www.windcheetah.co.uk/MEDIA/hypersport1.jpg
>
>>
> !Jones exclaimed:
>
>>
>> ... I don't even want to *think*
>> about one brake hitting slightly harder, though.
>
>
> I dunno about the Windcheetah, can't really tell from the photo, but my
> Greensped trike has "centre point steering" where the steering axis is
> slanted so that its extension lines up with the "centre" of the tire,
> sorry, tyre patch.
>
> It has separate brakes for each front wheel, but with the "centre point
> steering" you can brake with just one side without it causing a major
> effect on the steering.
>
> http://harriscyclery.com/greenspeed
>
> Sheldon "Straight Ahead" Brown

Sheldon,

This is true of Greenspeed's of recent vintage, but the older models
could be partially steered by braking alone. Most were set up
cross-braked (right hand lever to left wheel, left hand lever to right
wheel) to aid control when braking one-handed.

My Dragonflyer tadpole trike is set up unconventionally with same side
braking. However, brake steer is minimal, even though straight-line
stability is not quite up to current Greenspeed standards for a
similarly proportioned trike (e.g. Greenspeed GTO).

--
Tom Sherman - Near Rock Island