Rear brakes on a track frame, done!
 

I picked up a sweet 56cm Cinelli Vigorelli a couple of days ago and am setting it up as a single speed road bike. At many turns , when I was inquiring about adding a rear brake, I was met
with uncertainty and words of caution, the seller of this frame felt there wasn't a way to add a rear brake on this bike (better than saying it was easy!).

I went on an Aussie fixed bike forum and got the go ahead I needed from a bike polo player that had done it but wasn't able to use the full drop out without losing the braking area.

I had a nice empty day in my shop today and just sucked it up and popped in the pilot hole and went from there. The wall thickness of the stay tube was pretty beefy so that was good, it was challenging to drill the forward hole
which needs to be enlarged enough to thread in the barrel (no room to work much of a drill). I had previously picked up and assortment of older style "Radius" washers so I could get the flat surface I needed for the
brake and barrel to sit on. I went with a Tektro RS-539 rear brake with a 47-57 mm pad range and another Tektro short reach for the front wheel.. This will get me riding for now but will find a lighter set of calipers in the next few weeks and replace these.

With this rig I have the full drop out adjustment range without losing contact with the rim. This took a couple of hours but it would be 30 min now that I know things!

Before anyone says anything..I know the spacer on the inside of the frame has some signs of violence done to it, I've got a virgin one coming!

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...72166dac5c.jpg
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I once drilled a hole

Very nice clean job ! 👍

My first track bike, a Helyett Speciale Tour de France model with a black-and-white photo of Jacques Anquetil's face featured as part of the seat tube decal, was brakeless, so the mechanic in the bike store where my parents bought the bike rigged up a brake mount using the two clamp pieces from a Pletscher rear carrier rack. The flimsiness of the bracket arrangement, combined with the already flexy Mafac brake caliper that he used, made for a bit of uncertainty in panic stops. Still, I survived.

(Pause to do some investigating.)

Just confirmed that the rear Mafac brake on my mid-1960s Campy Record-equipped Peugeot track bike has the mounting bolt going through the bike's drilled seat stay bridge. Don't know if it was drilled at the factory or what. Didn't occur to me to ask the little old lady I bought the bike from about 20 years ago.

Details: she came in the bike store where I was working at the time and asked me if anyone would be interested in buying the Peugeot. Her story was that her husband had bought it new when they were living in Germany and had ridden for years afterward. When he died, she had a bike shop drop the saddle and rode it herself until she hurt her back picking up a large pewter bowl in an antique store. And I believed her. What a sucker I am. Gave her $100 for the Peugeot plus a barely used green ladies' Schwinn Varsity. Donated the Varsity to the shop.

Nice detailed work... You have good hands...

Well done. That's a sharp bike, I love the paint scheme.

I can see this working on any track frame with a seat stay bridge located close enough for a short or mid drop caliper to reach. I have looked at some steel track bikes where the bridge tubing diameter may become an issue for this approach.

. I'm riding this Sunday so it's test time!

Lazy, it is a sharp looking frame , isn't it?