JUFFKINS

Does anyone have a work around for fitting more modern horizontal mounted brakes to an old Peugot U08? I have some MAFAC brakes, which I'm aware are great, but I'm stuck at home and wanted to try making some modifications to my bike(first time tinkering). I bought some Shimano Sora calipers before I noticed how the back brake was mounted (idiot). Was wondering if I could just drill a new hole but thought it might weaken the metal. Any help would be really appreciated!
I've also sawn my handlebars into bullhorns, bought some Dia-Compe DC135 brake levers, and swapped out the old bottom bracket and cranks. Can post pics if people want.
Cheers
ps. tried to post a pic but it wont let me!

Velo Mule

Welcolme JUFFKINS . You will need 10 post to be able to load pictures. You could just comment on things going on here or put a few simple replies in this thread. There is another way to get a picture loaded with the help of a member, however, I am not familiar with how to do that.

Don't drill any holes yet. What is the problem with the Mafac's? A lot of us like them, and are knowledgeable with them, so perhaps we can get them back to where they need to be. If you want to use the new calipers, we'll walk you through that too. But we are going to need pictures.

There are typically two versions of brake calipers, nutted and recessed. Modern bikes have recessed mounts. They have a cleaner look and require an allen key to mount. Older bikes like your UO8 use nutted calipers. The threaded mounting screw is longer and a nut goes on the screw. You would use a wrench (spanner) or socket to tighten the nut.

USAZorro

Hi. Welcome. After 10 posts, you'll be able to add pictures. If you have a link to your pictures, I think you can post that.

Classtime 

People have enlarged the hole to fit the rear nut but as you found already, you won't get much encouragement to replace anything but your old brake shoes on those Mafac Racers. My first "nice" bike was a U-O8 and I tinkered with cranks and derailleurs, but never the Racers😉

randyjawa 

Welcome to Bike Forums.

You have already identified problem one, the recessed nut on the rear. Is this problem present on the front also?

The second issue you might already be aware of - did you check to see if the Sora calipers reach the wheel rim? Mafacs have a pretty long reach, as I recall. Not sure about the Sora calipers, though.

If you really want to use the Sora calipers, you might try finding an orphan front caliper and use the mounting bolt from that on the rear. All that said...

I am a fan of the Mafacs. Not only do they work really good, if set-up properly but they all but scream "vintage" to me...

JUFFKINS

thanks for the tip!

branko_76 

As others have already stated, the Mafac calipers are very good. I would encourage you to keep them and to not drill any holes in the frame.

You'll get more long term satisfaction if you completely disassemble the bike, clean all of the old grease out of the headset, bottom bracket and hubs, and apply new grease. The grease is probably original and riding the bike as-is will only deteriorate the bearings and races. This should keep you busy for a while and you will learn ALOT about your bike. You'll also get all of the help you need right here by some very knowledgable members.

Velo Mule

Depending upon what you have around the house, the Mafac calipers clean up nicely, like randyjawa 's above. The easiest accessible way is to use a Scotchbright pad. I sometimes use the ones that we use to clean the pots and pans. I usually scrub the aluminum with the scrub pad, dish soap and water right in the kitchen sink. The Sora brakes are nice looking but, since you are running into issues with fitting this to the bike, I thought that going back to the Mafac's might be an option, but they do need to look nice and presentable.

If it were my bike, I would not drill the frame.

BTW, in addition to a lot of love of Mafac brakes around here there is also a lot of love for Puegeot UO8's. A lot of knowledge too.

branko_76 

https://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSp...troduction.htm

79pmooney

Another who has to ask "why?". Those Mafacs are the best part of a UO-8. (I rode my UO-8 25 years and into the ground. 22,000 miles in all weather. I think I changed just pads and cables that whole time. And once I put aluminum rims on, they were stoppers. (In its last years, I took it down Juaquim Miller into Oakland many times with no thought of braking power or how old those brakes were.)

I now take sets of Mafac Racers and turn the rears into fronts and equip two bikes with Mafac fronts. I do the opposite with Weinmann or Diacomp center pulls which are stiffer and less powerful. Means front and rear brakes feel very similar and have the same relative braking power. (The same squeeze gets front to (say) half of lock-up/flip and rear to half of skid in back.)

And the cruel (to UO-8 lovers) joke that was true 20 years ago: You want NOS Mafac Racers? $50. Go to any garage sale, But you have to remove and dispose of the attached UO-8.

I have Shimano dual pivots on two bikes. Too much power! Way too easy to have bad things happen in a panic stop. I de-tune them with V-brake levers. (Now I was taught decades ago to be in the drops anytime things got "iffy" - pavement, traffic, other riders - and have large hands so full braking with mismatched levers isn't an issue.)

Ben

clubman 

Replace rims, not brakes.

randyjawa 

I totally agree!

Velo Mule

Your off to a good start. You've got a good vintage bike and the right motivation. 6 more posts and you can show off your bike for us. Does it have the original steel wheels? Changing the wheels to aluminum rims is a big improvement. Not just in braking, it will also feel more lively. Keep an eye out for someone selling wheels, make sure that they are straight. Look for a bike that has good wheels already that is going cheap. Tag sales, estate sales, garage sales and Craigslist are my usual places to look. Also, if you know anyone that collects scrap metal, let them know what you are looking for.

When I lived in New Hampshire, most of the residents of the town took their trash to the transfer station on the weekends. This could be another good place to find bikes and parts if that is available where you live.

I notice that you said Cheers! Where do you live?

ExPatTyke

I've got a an AO-8, which is similar to the UO-8. I've added a rack, panniers, and bag to mine and have been using it for shopping since being put on furlough due to Corona virus.

I'd agree with everyone who's said leave the Mafac brakes on - my bike's fitted with the original Mafac Racer brakes and they're quite capable of stopping the bike - fully laden with me and 40lb plus of shopping - with no problem at all.

I have fitted the Kool stop pads; they make a difference especially with steel rims.

For what it's worth my daughter's Raleigh Pro Race is fitted with Sora side pulls - there's no noticeable difference in braking performance between the Raleigh and the Peugeot - which is a heavier bike.

If you really do want to fit the Shimano brakes without drilling the frame SJS sell an adaptor that should do what you want:-

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brakes/j...ut-conversion/

fraba

Hi and welcome to BF!
I won’t be original but don’t drill and I encourage you to keep these very good brake calipers. I restored 2 Peugeots recently and the brakes are probably the best components on these bikes. Like randyjawa , I suspect your problem with the new brakes will likely be reach. I had a similar issue with an old Raleigh with Weinmann brakes (similar design) and I finally decided to keep the original calipers (which are also very good). You can probably make an home made drop bolt for the new calipers (see Sheldon Brown site, and bookmarked it, BTW!). But to my opinion, this is not an elegant solution.

Road Fan

Another reason to keep your Mafac brakes: If you change your steel rims for aluminum rims, you will need to lower the brake shoes 4 mm so they squeeze on your new rims rather than on your new tires (brake reach, it's called). The old Mafacs are among the longest-reach brakes ever. The size of your old steel rims is 27 x 1 ¼ inches, or in metric 630 mm. Most new aluminum wheels will have 700c rims, with a spec of 622 mm. If you search hard you can find 630s in aluminum but 1) it's old stuff and you have to be good at recognizing its condition, and 2) there aren't very many new rims in that size - the market just isn't that good. Your life will be easier if you change to 700c. You can still get fat tires for the bike, very good quality. It's only a wrong choice if you're a true vintage freak. And the old brakes should fit well. Not many modern brakes will fit as well.

The Mafac levers were among the most comfortable of their day, but are out of taste today. If you replace they with more modern levers that match your new calipers, there's minimal advantage, and they could easily be not as good. I'd stick with the Mafacs, at least when you get sick of the bullhorns and go back to drop bars.

JUFFKINS

Thanks everyone for the replies!! I didn't expect so many, what an awesome community. As most of you said the Shimanos didn't have the reach at all, so I've stuck with the mafacs and changed the brake cables and levers. The wheels are also not original and both 700x23 Aluminium. I like the mafacs but I've never been happy with their stopping power and in the rain they seem to not work at all. What are some tips to up the performance in terms of set up, new pads, servicing etc. Also do I need a cable stretcher to set up the brake cables properly?
I also heard about the stem being dangerous and the rear plastic derailleur not being the best, it's only a five speed now as I changed the crankset to a single speed at the front. Sorry if I'm being a philistine and chopping up this old beauty! I liked the idea of a vintage frame with modern fittings.
I can only do 5 posts a day so no pics yet but I'll post when I can.
Thanks again everyone!

branko_76 

New pads will definately help. Also the rims should be true so that you can adjust the pads with minimal gap.

Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

clubman 

Toe in with Kool Stops. And true your wheels.
Nope. Keep your eye on it and adjust accordingly.

randyjawa 

To properly set-up brakes, I start with wheel hubs, ensuring that they are properly adjusted for bearing play. A loose hub bearing set will negatively impact brake set up, in my opinion.

With hubs set up, I clean off the wheel rims braking surface. I put a drop or two of WD40 on each nipple/spoke fit. Then I true and dish the wheel.

Now, it is time to center, adjust, toe-in and, if necessary and it usually is, replace pads. Do all of that and you will be able to stop on a dollar (use to be a dime but one has to allow for inflation).

It all sounds difficult, but broken down into steps, it will seem much more manageable.

John E

My go-to-beater is my 1970 UO-8 (see signature).
Fork: full chrome aftermarket with less rake than original
Saddle: Terry liberator
Brakes: original Mafac racer in front, Peugeot-labeled Weinmann 999 in back, salmon KoolStop pads (accept no substitutes ) all around.
Crankset: Sugino aluminum, 144mm BCD, 45-42 rings
Pedals: MKS quill, with toeclips and straps
Wheelset: Normandy Luxe Competition hubs, aluminum rims, 13-26 6-speed "ultra-spaced" freewheel
Derailleurs: Shimano Titlist front, SunTour Cyclone II rear, SunTour ratchet barcon shift levers
Period-correct Pletscher "mousetrap" rack, drop-on/lift-off Rudy Project panniers
Period-correct cylindrical Bellwether handlebar bag
This thing handles and rides far better than its lowly original price point and "gaspipe" carbon steel frame would otherwise indicate.

When I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership in the early 1970s, we referred to the UO-8 model as "You Owe Nothing."

Classtime 

Kool Stop International - High Performance Bicycle Brake Pads Since 1977

these are the pads (4 dot). I used the black ones but I live in SoCal where it is usually dry.

steve sumner

I can't believe none of the other guys got the jist of your question. you don't have a UO-8,you have the matching level of Peugeot touring bike.
the vertical drilled brake bridge is meant to mount a fender and brake with the same bolt. you can make a bracket/brake attachment with a chunk of
al-alloy, a drill and a file. it will in effect be a drop bolt which will be good since I think you're planning to switch to 700c wheels. DO NOT drill a
horizontal hole in your brake bridge! it would then be too weak to fit a brake.

steve sumner

tips for souping up Mafac bakes beyond replacing pads: replace the flimsy front cable hanger( part of the headset) with a stout al-alloy one
as used on non-suspension mtn. bikes or to stay vintage find a French CLB brand one. also shorten the straddle wire. BITD there was an after market
plate that mounted on the pivot bolts called a brake booster which cut down on flexing. pretty ugly but they worked

Road Fan

On Sheldonbrown.com, you can find a few articles on adjusting the straddle hanger height to improve leverage of the straddle cable versus the brake arms.