trail_monkey

Will a set of nice center pull brakes from a Schwinn drop bar road bike work well with flat bar brake levers that came off a 91 Bridgestone MB-1 MTB that also had center pull brakes? I assumed it would. I have everything installed but am awaiting my wheels so I have not had a chance to squeeze them with a rim installed but they seem to have sufficient travel. Did they make center pull caliper brakes with different pull ratios or is a center pull a center pull?

kunsunoke 

You should be okay. Bridgestone tended to be conservative with build specifications, so the brake levers should work with the Weinmann or Dia Compe center-pull brakes.

trail_monkey

Good to know! These center pull brakes look identical to what came out on the Bridgestone. They mount with a single stud and pivot on the center brace. The Bridgestone brakes WERE NOT the style that had 2 individual sides mounted to the seat stays each with an individual center bolt like some other MTB styles I have seen.

BTW did they actually make different ratio calipers for different levers or did they spec all levers to match a caliper brake? Also are side pulls a similar ratio as center or did they need different ratio levers to go between those 2 styles? I am aware that cantilevers are a long pull lever but know nothing about the other 2 styles.

mrv 

I’ve used flat bar levers for canti brakes with U brakes.
They worked fine but the braking was non linear. Meaning as I applied the brakes they would engage. Slowing just fine.
but if I applied more braking, I’d get more stopping very quickly!
If yer an engineering type- it’s like high gain response.
Cant say it was just the levers, as pads are part of the system. As are the rims.
Just something to be ready for.

trail_monkey

What's a U brake? What I meant by the Bridgestone brakes being similar was this....I know a lot of MTBs had a 2 piece centerpull brake where each side had an arm and shoe with an individual bolt that held it to a brazed on boss. This Bridgestone had center pulls like road bike center pulls (Dia-Comp or Weinman) in that they were a one piece assembly held to the seat stay bridge or the front fork bridge with a center stud. So I would think ratios would be similar unless they designed the pivot point to have a different ratio for the flat bar levers?

mrv 

welp - SheldonBrown specifies U-brake as the type with post mounts - like cantilever brakes, but the posts are in a different location. Just read Sheldon so I don't create more confusion: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-u.html

I was (am?) in my initial reply referring to the same (similar, not quite the same!) brakes that use a single mounting point - like side pull brakes.
Paul Component sells them so you can mount them with a single mounting poin,t or if you happen to have a frame with the appropriate bosses (not canti-bosses), they can be mounted so.
https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/compon...-brakes/racer/

To the best of my knowledge, a person does not need to buy new brake levers until you go to linear-pull brakes (V-brakes). So you can use the same levers for side pull brake calipers (dual or single pivot), cantilever brakes, and U-brakes (either mounting types).
- Roller cam brakes? good night, man! I have no idea!!

cheers.
Mark "The Rim is a Disk!" V.

trail_monkey

I see what you're saying now. those look very similar to the brakes I'm talking about except mine have a third piece behind the two arms with a long stud that goes through the crossover piece in the frame. Then there's bolts on each side that attach each arm to this third piece. The brakes you linked to look like the bolt on each side attaches to the boss on the frame. So a similar design just a different attaching point.