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Old 02-14-23, 04:55 PM
  #19  
scarlson 
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Medford MA
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Bikes: Ron Cooper touring, 1959 Jack Taylor 650b ladyback touring tandem, Vitus 979, Joe Bell painted Claud Butler Dalesman, Colin Laing curved tube tandem, heavily-Dilberted 1982 Trek 6xx, René Herse tandem

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Originally Posted by bulgie
A bit off on a tangent... for about 40 years now I've been thinking of trying Mafac Tiger centerpulls with a wider tire, looks like they can handle 50 mm or more, but only on brazed pivots.

This is "off-label" usage, Mafac never intended them to be used that way, that I can determine. They were marketed as racing-bike brakes for skinny tubulars. Then why so wide? (Even wider than a Raid.) Dunno, maybe to look powerful. But the etrier, aka the yoke that holds the two pivot posts when mounted to the crown and bridge, severely cuts into the clearance under the brake, so this only works for fat tires/fenders if you delete the etrier. And this is not a great candidate for brazed pivots, because the pad height isn't adjustable at all — other than by angling the pads, which results in pads hitting the rim at an awkward angle. So it might be do-able, but the posts will have to be brazed on at exactly the right height to hit the rim correctly. And not just when the pads are new, but throughout the useful life of the pads. Different rim widths might be hard to accommodate too.

They were not popular, and only lasted on the market a few years, early '60s. The rarity makes them expensive when you can find them, but I do have a few sets I picked up over the years. I think, though a bit impractical, they could allow centerpulls to be used on tires that are too wide for a Raid. And look [rhymes with witchin'] doing it, which as we all know is super important.

Mark B
Not a bad idea!! I'd like to see it.

I'm thinking about trying Raids on my next build. I have a couple sets, but I am just not sure about their stopping power. Mounted on the crown via the horseshoe plate, even properly-adjusted, they feel pretty weak sauce in my experience. Do you mount them as low as you can, to maximize mechanical advantage? I like my bikes to be able to do a front wheelie. That's just the way I prefer them. A light touch, if you will.
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