Lbxpdx

When I bought my 85 Schwinn Voyageur SP two weeks ago, I noticed this funky plastic thing hanging on the brake cable. Not knowing what it was, I pulled it off and tossed it on the table. I was about to throw it away and saw the lettering on it. Quick googling and I realized what it is for and now I love it. Is this an antiquated item as I’d love to find another one for my other bike but can’t seem to find them, except NOS and mildly expensive for what it is.

John Nolan 

I used to have one on my touring bike, but it seems to have gone missing over the years. I haven't seen a modern version, which is a bit surprising.
You can accomplish more or less the same thing with a loop of shock cord to pull in the lever, or you could make a similar stepped wedge out of a bit of hardwood.

stardognine

Interesting, I'm pretty sure I've never seen those before. It must be pretty old/vintage, to say Jim Blackburn.👍

2/3 of my luggage racks say Jim Blackburn, and I carry a Blackburn Mammoth pump. 😎

Juan el Boricua

Interesting adaptation for an e. brake. Can you, or someone you know have it "scanned" and 3d printed?

Vintage_Cyclist

I remember ads for those in the 80s. Never got one. I used to just jam a dime in the lever to accomplish the same thing.

Lbxpdx

I’ll see what I can do.

Alexbaker67

I love the Blackburn Stop Block… Brilliantly simple and effective, but I think they quit making them around the late 80s. I have two and wish I had bought a bunch more. Definitely a product worth reproducing.

sbarner 

That Blackburn parking brake was in the same category as the Flickstand, with the major difference being that customers actually bought the Flickstand. I think the vast majority of these found their way to the clearance sale table before exiting the shop. It's not at all that they were not a good idea, just that they didn't sell. You knew that the guy who bought one would be wearing a helmet and an eyeglass mirror, both of which being decidedly uncool at the time.

At least the salesperson could mount the Blackburn giblet and Spenco saddle pad themselves after ringing up the bike and accessories purchase, once the bike came back out of the shop with its Mirrycle, Grab-Ons, and Cannondale velcro water bottle installed.

Stephen Barner
Bolton, Vermont

JohnDThompson 

A pebble or a stick stuck in the lever can accomplish the same thing.

Prowler 

I've not seen such a widget before either but I understood the need. As I have no kickstands and either lay the bike down or lean it against something I wanted a wedge to engage a parking brake that worked but "took up no room and weighed nothing".

A slice of wine bottle cork with a bit o string glued into it. I do actually carry this always though, as an engineer, I cannot actually say it takes up no room and weighs nothing. Works well though

79pmooney

To make your own. (No, I haven't done it but I love making stuff.) Cut a wedge in wood or perhaps a 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate of plastic (plexiglass or whatever's on hand). Drill for the string. Take a coarse file and quickly make the steps. Fine file or sand/polish to your esthetics. Done.

I just bought new Diacomp QR cable hangers for my Mooney. Took 'em apart and neatly marine greased all the surfaces to the QR pivots and slides. Installed. Adjusted brakes so the front locks when closed. I ride with the front open and rear closed. Very, very handy. This is the bike I ride as a flip-flop fix gear. I flip the wheel all the time. A super-smooth working brake-release right there at the back of the bike is a joy! And parking the bike? Wow, is that equally nicely working front parking brake nice. These I think are the first brake hangers with releases I've ever owned new. Fully worthy of an elegant bike, especially in operation. (And as a splurge present to myself, I had the fork steerer threads slotted for the HS lockwasher nibs. I don't own the lockwashers; all the ones this bike has seen have had the nibs filed off but the Diacomp came with a nice one and I refuse to file it! Getting too old for the slot-less HS adjust that requires most of the arms of an octopus.)

Brakes on bikes can just be there, no more, no less. Stopping us as needed. Or they can be very useful tools that make parking and dealing with this sometimes live animal with a front fork and wheel with a mind of their own behave quite nicely. And make removing and replacing wheels simple (as God aka Ernesto Campagnolo intended).

And on that note - one of the sweet features of some, but sadly not all brakes is the cam QR lever that can be ridden partly open. So you can dial in the brake feel while riding (the only time it matters!) Sadly, I've only seen this on a few sidepulls and my Shimano dual-pivots.

tricky 

Cool! I have seen those come up here before. Yeah, 3D printed ones would be neat. There was some small manufacturer making a brake lock that was basically some paracord with a cinch that clamped the brake lever down. I think they called it a Ferry Brake. I can't recall the name of the company.

madpogue 

This would be a good incentive to install a QR hanger on a brake that already has a release, either at the lever or at the caliper/canti/etc. Adjustment for use as a parking brake makes dual releases no longer redundant.

stardognine

Which would be very fitting, for those who commute by way of a ferry boat. 😁😎

tricky 

Yeah, exactly! IIRC, they were frequent ferry users. After much googling, I can't find it. They probably stopped making them.

79pmooney

The brake lever releases that stay off when you squeeze the brake lever were never redundant. I crashed in a race years 40 years ago on my Fuji that had Grand Compe calipers with QR and the levers with the QR you swung to the side. Got up to chase but my front rim was wobbling and hit the brake shoes. Really nice that I didn't have to take my hands off the shaking bars to get to the caliper. (Never used the brakes the rest of the race but still I liked knowing I had all my braking power; not true when you release the caliper QR. Caught the field and placed so this wasn't all academic.)

velochay33

I bought a Blackburn brake lock in 1987 in Boulder, ahead of a tour around Colorado. It's been on my bike since and just recently failed when one of the cable clip wings snapped off. Not bad for 50K+ miles. Still have both front and rear Blackburn pannier racks and a black plastic clip on cover for the rear rack. Cheers to the longevity of Blackburn products! Anybody willing to reproduce the brake locks??

bikamper

I still have mine hanging on the front brake cable of my Miyata. The clip also broke off of mine decades ago. It still works, so I just wrapped the string around the brake cable housing and left it there.

fliplap

I keep a thick silicon O-ring on the bars of every bike that I use for the same purpose.

retswerb

If someone will post a couple of pictures of one in front of a tape measure I can probably reproduce them. Show it to me from various angles, sitting directly on top of the tape measure or other measuring device. Doesn't need to be exact for something like this, just close enough. Post here or send via DM.

scarlson 

Do those hoods fit ok?

Suntour Superbe levers will fit a Campy pattern hood (like fits on nuovo/super record levers) a bit better.

streetsurfer

I've heard our Library has a 3-d printer people can make small items on. Might check yours locally.

RustyJames 

I remember reading this thread when it was originally posted and thinking “wouldn’t a strip of Velcro work?” Bonus - you could use it for tying down other things too.