> > Jeff Starr wrote:
> > > Well, now you have me wondering, I was totally psyched to go with the Shimano Aero brake
> > > levers and either the Specialized or if available the Tektro RX2.0 brake lever extensions.
> > > Then I saw this:
> > >>This may not be an option for short folks who ride small frames, due
to
> > >>clearance issues.
> > > I recently found my original receipt from 1976, it lists my frame size as 23. My head tube is
> > > shorter than the one on the Rambouillet. So, will it work?
> Sheldon Brown <
[email protected]> thorough and helpful as always,
wrote in message news:<
[email protected]>...
> > Yes, 23 inch is a medium/large size, plenty of room.
(JS)> > > Another question, if I want to switch the brake cables so that the
> > > front is on the right, can that be done at the lever, without having to either physically
> > > switch the sides of the lever [retaping] or must the cables be disconnected at the brake
> > > itself, removed and then rerun. I'd like to switch the front and back, for now, until I can
> > > make arrangements to have the new levers installed.
(Sheldon, further)> > For old-style levers, there's no need to mess with the tape. For "aero"
> > levers, where the cables run under the handlebar tape, you do have to retape.
> >
> > If memory serves you've got Mafac brake levers. For those you will need to unbolt the bottom
> > ends of the cables from the anchor bolts in the yokes, then re-adjust the brakes once
> > everything's back to gether.
> >
> > Most older drop bar levers don't even require this much disassembly, and permit you to swap
> > sides with no tools at all.
"Jeff Starr" <
[email protected]> wrote at the top but I moved it in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ok, I have to loosen the cable at the brake itself, now how do I get it out of the lever? I took a
> look yesterday, before my first post and I don't see a slot, like I used to have on my Schwinn
> Varsity brakes, as I recall, it has been 35 years. I need to know how to disconnect and reinstall
> the cables, at the lever. And yes, they are Mafac levers, circa '76. I've decided that I would
> like to do this first, so that when I have the Shimano Aero levers and lever extensions installed,
> I will know for sure which one I want to the front, right or the left.
Mafac levers are not slotted for the brake wire. You need to withdraw the wire completely through
the lever and out the bottom. As Sheldon's instructions above: ". . . you will need to unbolt the
bottom ends of the cables from the anchor bolts in the yokes, then re-adjust the brakes once
everything's back together."
As you undo the cables, use two 9mm wrenches and don't let the anchor bolt twist as that will fray
the wire. Grease or oil the anchor bolt threads before reassembly. If you use a 9mm socket, touch it
to a grinder to remove the bevel because the Mafac bolt heads are quite thin. When you have the wire
out, take a moment to clean up the adjuster. The bottom (male ) half should engage a six-sided
aperture in a steel strip that's molded into the rubber hood to keep the adjuster base from
spinning. The back end of that same strip clips under the top of the lever body at the handlebar to
keep the rubber hood from wandering. These are frequently bent beyond usefulness but can be reshaped
with pliers. The top ( female) half needs a drop of oil or a smear of grease so they turn nicely.
Often the bottom half is cracked where its bronze end goes through the lever. Replacements are
available.
Mafac lever clamps need a drop of oil on the threads.
Another Mafac foible relates to the front cable hanger. If you have an original stainless model,
there is a small keyhole shaped hole for the ferrule. After setting up and adjusting the system,
pinch that so the ferrule cannot come out of the hanger should there be cable damage. A kinked or
damaged casing can allow the ferrule to lift and fall out after releasing the lever. That's a very
dangerous condition as the transverse wire can catch on the tire and cause serious injury to the
rider. This is an infamous and once-common catastrophe.
I wrote earlier that Mafac brakes do not work well with Wienmann/DiaCompe levers. Sheldon correctly
noted that Mafacs have adjustable length transverse wires so they may indeed be set to work properly
with levers having less cable travel than the originals. Your 23 inch frame should have ample room
for that higher cable carrier setting.
If you are enamored of the original Mafac brake shoe holders (they can be polished to mirror
bright!) , classic Campagnolo blocks fit them, which means you can get the excellent Kool Stop
Campagnolo inserts. If that seems a bit much, any Kool Stop unthreaded unitized brake shoe,
including the Salmon color Eagle II, would be a big improvement over Mafac's fiber-impregnated
rubber ones.
--
Andrew Muzi
http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971