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Help with Bike Brake Upgrade

Old 06-19-19, 06:41 PM
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FordTrax
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Help with Bike Brake Upgrade

I found an old 1980s bike with single pull caliper brakes on it. It is a nice frame. I want to upgrade the bike and resto-mod it. I plan to go from 27" to 700c rims in the future.

I measured the caliper brakes on the bike from the bolt to the middle of the brake pads, I came up with 56mm or there about. I then decided to take the brakes off the frame since I plan to replace them. When I did I found a 57 stamped in the back of the calipers. So I am guessing this might mean they are 57 max reach. So I was pretty close at 56mm.

In the next few months I want to replace the 27" wheels with 700c. My understanding is the 700c are 8mm shorter. So I think that would require a minimum of 4mm reach in the brake arms. So the current reach of 56mm or 57mm for the 27" wheels + 4mm to reach the shorter 700c wheels = a 60mm-61mm reach brake .
Is this the correct calculation to get the right brake reach with 700c wheels?

I was thinking about getting some nice older Dia Compe 610 center pulls with the old style hex nut mounting (not allen) for this old frame. My understanding is the 610s were called that since they had a reach of 61mms. If 61 is the max reach I think they should have plenty of adjustment to get to 56mm reach that I need for the current 27" wheels. But should give me enough reach at 61mm for my upcoming 700c conversion. Am I on the right track here?

Any other suggestions for some vintage brakes I want smoothing that will take a 27" 1.25" tire so they need to be able to open fairly wide to get the rim/tire off the bike?
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Old 06-19-19, 09:40 PM
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I'd recommend going to dual pivot as a real upgrade. They are available in long reach nutted versions.

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Old 06-19-19, 10:03 PM
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And your aftermarket pads can be better than factory stock .... and probably are.. as I found.
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Old 06-20-19, 08:30 AM
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When the measured reach needed is at the end of a caliper's range the little details like how the pad/arm pivots effects pad height, how wide rims are and how tall/big the pads are can be the difference between pad/tire rub or not. I don't rely solely on measurements and assume it's all in the math, although the math is a good start. Andy
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Old 06-20-19, 01:40 PM
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You should consider a modern dual pivot brake.

Tektro makes a quality dual pivot caliper brake at a reasonable price. I have the R559's (55 to 73mm reach) and they work well on a machined rim surface with the matching Tektro lever - about $23/caliper. Be aware that you may need a 'front' caliper for both front and rear because the front caliper has a longer bolt - depends upon your rear brake bridge - do your research.

They also come in black and have a quick release that will allow you to clear your wheels without deflating.

TEKTRO BRAKE SYSTEMS - Products


Last edited by jlaw; 06-20-19 at 03:05 PM.
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Old 06-20-19, 02:11 PM
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I'd wait until I change the wheels before I upgrade the brakes. Rather than trying to find a brakeset that fits both the 27" wheels you have now, and an as-yet unspecified 700c wheel.

You can also use a recessed mount brake on vintage frame by enlarging the rear mounting hole about 0.5-0.7mm.

A modern dual-pivot like the Tektro R559 won't look out of place on an older bike, it's just a plain silver caliper, but provides good stopping, even with vintage levers. The quick-release should give you enough clearance to remove the wheels, unless you're planning on running something really big like 47-50mm (27x1-1/4 is the equivalent to a 32mm)
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