Dura Ace Center Pull
05-22-20, 03:52 PM
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Dura Ace Center Pull
Saw this on a bike for sale in Facebook Marketplace. Appears to be a lower end 70s bike sporting very early Dura Ace center pull brakes. According to velobase, these were the first component to ever don the Dura Ace brand and were low grade brakes used on low grade 70s bikes. Hmm... learn something new everyday!
05-22-20, 04:25 PM
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Yep, they were a thing for about 60 seconds. I had a set on a Raleigh International. Not that great.
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05-22-20, 04:40 PM
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I wouldn't call them "low grade" but they certainly weren't "top end" either. As I recall from the numerous threads on the topic they were essentially the Tourney centerpulls of the same era but with slightly nicer hardware. I have a pair that came with brass bushings for the pivots. Not sure if original or not.
The real first "nice" Dura Ace brakes were sidepulls, and never was there another traditional Dura Ace centerpull again. I say "traditional" because the AX series aero brakes were technically centerpulls.
The real first "nice" Dura Ace brakes were sidepulls, and never was there another traditional Dura Ace centerpull again. I say "traditional" because the AX series aero brakes were technically centerpulls.
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05-23-20, 02:17 PM
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These have been discussed extensively in the past. Unfortunately they were a non-catalogued item. My personal belief is that they were basically repurposed Tourney brakes offered concurrently with the Dura-Ace side-pull calipers and meant to provide bicycle manufacturers with the option of providing a full Dura-Ace group on a bicycle requiring calipers with more reach for larger and wider 27" tyres and having a lower target price.
05-23-20, 07:34 PM
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After Shimano decided to use the Dura-Ace moniker for their top-of-the-line racing components, the old Dura-Ace centerpull calipers were renamed "Tourney" but otherwise remained the same.
