Show us your full U-brake configurations ? And tell us why you love them !
 

Just starting a new thread on full U-brake configurations, the wonderful bikes you have with U-brakes front and rear !

I show you my MBK Tracker Max, a very limited edition from the late '80s, with Columbus Max OR frame and full Campagnolo Euclid gear with these amazing U-brakes.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1018064673.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c2d21a306d.jpg

So that's not only about the beauty and qualities of these bikes from the '80s, but also how fantastic these U-brakes are in your touring and drop-bar conversions !

Welcome to the full U-brake mafia my friends !

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...31d39f806.jpeg
This is the only pic I have of a Ross I overhauled and sold recently. Kind of goofy looking but I actually really liked the way it rode. Great gravel bike. I may have kept it if I didn’t already have a Schwinn High Sierra of similar vintage (roller cams on that one, technically could have u-brakes if I wanted). Pretty goofy aesthetically, especially the “dogbone” stem.

Whats not to love ? :love:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c13c175bc9.jpg

On my tandem which dates from the early ‘90s. They stop the supertanker.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f9fdcf7ed.jpeg
Front.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...95c4d7aba.jpeg
Under chainstay.

More pics of this please! It ain't every day you get to see a Moots, let alone a Moots tandem! More more more please!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a9744e977.jpeg
The big picture.

While I love MAFAC GT brakes, they are considered a centerpull and not a u-brake. Although they share the same basic design, u-brakes use a mounting stud/pivot with different dimensions than centerpulls studs.

No close up pics. Running the original XT U-brake on my Fisher Montare. Chainstay mounted. I like them. Decent braking and easy to set up. Any upgrade would be to a roller cam style.
I had a Schwinn High Sierra with a U brake on the chainstay and rode that bike through hell and high water. Never had any mud build-up issues, even mountain biking all over the wet mud/clay of Kauai.
I do need to get updated pics of the Montare without the riser bar, bar ends, and different seat.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e6c48a745e.jpg

Hiya - yep figured as much .
Probably count as a predecessor of the U-brake ?
much prettier than the u brake too ! ;)

Agree with you on both counts!

there is a thread over in General about why roller cams didn't catch on.

I know this isn't a roller cam thread. But, over there i got the feeling people weren't distinguishing between the potential performance of the brake type itself and the effects of a bad collective decision on where to put it (usually under the chain stays). Same thing maybe with U brakes. If designers hadn't stuck em in the muddiest, hardest to work on spot on a bike, would they have been received differently? (I know not everyone did this, but more often than not).

How much of the bad reputation of u brakes is conflating problematic performance due to a less than ideal mounting position, with the potential performance of the brake itself (mounted eg on the seat stays)? I mean, any brake mounted under the chainstays is going to have a tough go of "living up to its potential", so to speak, especially when mud enters the mix.

I have a pair of Ross Mt. Hoods, one in green, the other in grey. I got them from a local resale shop. I only wanted the grey one, but after seeing the green one sit for a few more months, I went back and bought it for my wife. They were both in good condition, only needing the normal consumables. When I hurt my back a few years ago, I rode it a lot around the country roads for rehab. I have to agree with it being a great gravel bike. It would probably make a good drop bar conversion but the 21.1 mm headset makes it more challenging to find a stem to get the bars up where I would like them. I like the U brakes, they are strong and easy to control. I'm too old for playing in the mud, so the underside mounting is not an issue.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ccab419198.jpg
Ross Mt. Hood from 1987.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5c04d785c1.jpg
1987 Ross Mt. Hood

Well, yes, I agree that these are really beautiful !

And the braze-on setup makes it a very capable brake for sure . . .

But I'd like to see your dual U-brake configurations and your comments on U-brakes . . . Can be MTBs, MTB drop bar conversions, MTB touring conversion . . .

Nice bike indeed !

But this thread is all about dual U-brake setup, so rear AND front . . .

Kinda dual U-brake mafia lol

Amazing bike !

Is it custom made ?

I have Shimano XT U-brakes on my 1985 Rockhopper. They occupy a unique place in my heart as the worst brakes ever! From the bad mounting location under the BB to requiring a giant almost motorcycle sized brake lever to get enough leverage to actually stop, they set the low bar for brakes. On the plus side, the crappy performance of U-brakes spurred the development of far superior V-brakes!

Counterpoint:

I love the brakes on my Schwinn; RollerCam up front, U-brake under the chainstay, and those 4-finger motorcycle-style brake levers, which I can operate from two different hand positions. Control and modulation are easy, and braking power is more than adequate with KoolStops, the only brake pads worth owning. I tried Shimano brake pads on my Bianchi road bike because they looked nice, but they rendered the Campag. sidepulls even less effective. (Those get my vote for the worst brakes ever.) I restored my love of the Bianchi with Shimano dual-pivot sidepulls.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...58c8c51c88.jpg

All u-brakes I have used have been great stoppers, which makes sense because they are essentially beefed up, more rigid centerpulls. When I was a mechanic I would periodically get customers coming in with poor brake performance and they would repeat the line they heard that u-brakes just suck. However, I often found that the brakes were setup poorly. After 5 minutes of cleaning and adjustment suddenly the brakes were very powerful.

It was custom-built for the original owner who I bought it from.

Love me some Moots! Especially love me some steel Moots! Never seen one in the wild but I still hold out hope that one day I'll walk in to a thrift store and find just the right sized Mountaineer for like $35. Dream on, I know....

Another tandem:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a7be2c351a.jpg
1991 Schwinn DuoSport, Dia-Compe AD-990s front and rear. The rear is chainstay-mounted, the only disadvantage being it's hard to disengage the straddle cable because it's right next to the chainrings. Monstrous stopping power.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7869af43be.jpg

I’ve given up on that and just install with the tire deflated…I only remove the rear for flats.

You think your chainstay mounted U-brake is inaccessible ?

Well, just put your bike upside down and here we are, the U-brake is smiling at you !

I love your tandems.
Indeed, if the U-brakes can stop tandems, they must be very powerful, comparable to disk brakes.

But I'm curious about the 3rd brake . . . They don't seem to have any ?
In France for instance, the 3rd brake is strongly recommended on tandems . . .

Interesting. Over the years I have seen lots of rear wheel drag brakes on tandems, but I did not know they were legally required anywhere.