Notices
Classic and Vintage Sales Private Sales Only, no online storefronts. All prices must be quoted, we are not an auction site.

MAFAC Levers Wanted

Old 06-18-20, 09:00 PM
  #1  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,443 Times in 1,127 Posts
MAFAC Levers Wanted

Oh but I'm picky this time!
I'm looking for the early levers with the little dots after each letter of M.A.F.A.C
Like this pair from VeloBase:



I don't need the hoods or the adjusters.

Anyone have a set of these squirreled away?

Thanks,
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Old 06-18-20, 10:49 PM
  #2  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 8,680

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1589 Post(s)
Liked 2,486 Times in 1,188 Posts
Originally Posted by obrentharris
Oh but I'm picky this time!
I'm looking for the early levers with the little dots after each letter of M.A.F.A.C
Like this pair from VeloBase:



I don't need the hoods or the adjusters.

Anyone have a set of these squirreled away?

Thanks,
Brent
Let me check in the morning.
curbtender is offline  
Old 06-18-20, 11:11 PM
  #3  
Duke7777
Full Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 237

Bikes: 48 Alleluia, 52 Blondin, 57 Cattaneo, 68 CNC, 55 Dujay, 46 Herse, 76 Singer, 48 LeGreves, 55 Metropole, 62 Holdsworth Cyclone, 49 Carpenter, 55 Condor, 65 Masi Special, 81 Sequoia, 76 Eisentraut, 72 Proteus, 60 Paramount, 77 Trek TX700, 82 Ross

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 79 Post(s)
Liked 137 Times in 55 Posts
I have one open-back lever I could sell. Only one though.
Duke7777 is offline  
Old 06-19-20, 11:30 AM
  #4  
curbtender
Senior Member
 
curbtender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: SF Bay Area, East bay
Posts: 8,680

Bikes: Miyata 618 GT, Marinoni, Kestral 200 2002 Trek 5200, KHS Flite, Koga Miyata, Schwinn Spitfire 5, Mondia Special, Univega Alpina, Miyata team Ti, Santa Cruz Highball

Mentioned: 52 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1589 Post(s)
Liked 2,486 Times in 1,188 Posts
No dots, good luck.
curbtender is offline  
Old 06-19-20, 12:21 PM
  #5  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,443 Times in 1,127 Posts
Originally Posted by curbtender
No dots, good luck.
Thanks for looking James.
Originally Posted by Duke7777
I have one open-back lever I could sell. Only one though.
Thanks.
Anyone have a mate for this?
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Old 06-20-20, 11:20 AM
  #6  
TimmyT 
Keener splendor
 
TimmyT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 2,649

Bikes: Black Mountain Cycles Road and canti MX, Cannondale CAAD12, Bob Jackson Vigorelli

Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 297 Post(s)
Liked 80 Times in 51 Posts
I'm pretty sure I have a pair of Mafacs. I'll look. They are from about 1972 if that helps.
TimmyT is offline  
Old 06-20-20, 12:39 PM
  #7  
dweenk
Senior Member
 
dweenk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Maryland
Posts: 3,980

Bikes: Lots of English 3-speeds, a couple of old road bikes, 3 mountain bikes, 1 hybrid, and a couple of mash-ups

Mentioned: 53 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 335 Times in 225 Posts
I looked. None with periods after the letters.
dweenk is online now  
Old 06-20-20, 07:07 PM
  #8  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,443 Times in 1,127 Posts
Thanks TimmyT The ones I'm looking for date from the late fifties/early sixties.

Thanks for looking @dweenk.

Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Likes For obrentharris:
Old 06-22-20, 09:31 PM
  #9  
PatTheSlat 
Senior Member
 
PatTheSlat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Youngstown, OH
Posts: 645

Bikes: '63 Schwinn American, '64 DL-1, '65 Schwinn Racer, '73 Super Course, '83 Voyageur SP, '89 Miyata 914, '03 EZ-1, '13 Raleigh i8 Folder

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 45 Post(s)
Liked 45 Times in 28 Posts





Are these what you're looking for?
PatTheSlat is offline  
Old 06-22-20, 09:48 PM
  #10  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,825

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4743 Post(s)
Liked 3,860 Times in 2,509 Posts
My levers were 1967 on. Didn't appreciate them until I started buying and racing better bikes. 1) Mafacs fit big hands. 2) You can pull on those hoods as hard as you want going up insane grades on a fix gear and not break the skin on your hands (and especially the sides of your fingers). Those rolled lever undersides are wonderful!

Can't help you with the M.A.F.A.C. I'm not even going to look, No remote chance. Good luck! And thanks for turning me on to how far back those brakes go. Sadly, I am totally sold on aero hoods and hidden housings. I wanted those riding my long miles as a racer in 1977. So my Racers got whatevered for levers, now Tektro. But my two winter/rain/city bikes still sport Racer front calipers because, quite simply, they are the best brake for the job. Now, aero Racer levers? I'm on board in a flash!
79pmooney is online now  
Old 06-23-20, 05:07 AM
  #11  
oneclick 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 2,888
Mentioned: 49 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1103 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,309 Times in 773 Posts
Originally Posted by 79pmooney
Sadly, I am totally sold on aero hoods and hidden housings.
When you're not paying enough attention and you hit a big enough bump with your hands on the tops of the bars, the brake cable sticking out of the top of the housings can keep your hands from sliding completely off the bars and your dentist getting an emergency call.

Plus it's nice having adjusters on the housings.

I am totally *unsold* on areo bars and hidden housings.
oneclick is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 08:11 AM
  #12  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,443 Times in 1,127 Posts
Originally Posted by PatTheSlat



Are these what you're looking for?
Yes!
Unfortunately I ordered a set on ebay shortly before you posted those.
I would still be interested in them for a future build if you are willing to part with them.
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Old 06-23-20, 10:36 AM
  #13  
79pmooney
Senior Member
 
79pmooney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 12,825

Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder

Mentioned: 128 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4743 Post(s)
Liked 3,860 Times in 2,509 Posts
Originally Posted by oneclick
When you're not paying enough attention and you hit a big enough bump with your hands on the tops of the bars, the brake cable sticking out of the top of the housings can keep your hands from sliding completely off the bars and your dentist getting an emergency call.

Plus it's nice having adjusters on the housings.

I am totally *unsold* on areo bars and hidden housings.
Oh I agree completely about the cable safety factor; I use the drops. Got told as a first year racer that's where my hands were to be anytime the road got sketchy, I was around questionable riders, etc. That all my bike should be ridable in the drops any time. But I also wanted to be able to drape my palms over the hoods back in '77 to be comfortable and aero for the long miles. Those were my 9000 mile yeas with some 160 mile days.

I remember hearing of several of Lance Armstrong's team mates crashing on potholes in training rides and thinking - I bet my brake cables would have stopped that crash. Also reading prominent coaches talking of relaxing ones grip completely(and setting up one's brifters to do so) to save energy. Again, far, far from what I was taught. (You keep a firm grip on the bars so the unseen pothole never knocks your hands off. So the fellow rider's elbow hitting yours doesn't crash you. That one crash will cost you far more that season than all the marginal gains.)

Now the brake lever feature I loved in my racing days that a few levers have now - the ability to open them up to change wheels and not automatically close when you squeeze the lever. The old Dia Comp levers with the swing tab on top. Clumsy and dorky yes, but my racing bikes Grand Compes had them. When I crashed in a race that meant a lot to me and got up to chase, my front wheel was wobbling badly and hitting the brake shoes. I was still a little unsteady and did not want to take my hands off the bars to do anything but shift. Reaching for the caliper release would have been scary. But with those levers I didn't have to let go to open the brake. Caught the field and placed. Thank you, Diacompe.

To this day still brifter free, Aero cables, yes, but not completely over the edge. (Brifters where if you place your index finger on the lever side firmly to steady the bars as you reach down for a WB, they change gears??!! What??)

Ben
79pmooney is online now  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.