louky

This is from a 1975 Schwinn Suburban. One side of the caliper is bent forward, something I have not seen before. It lines up well with the cable as it is now, so I am wondering if it was done this way at the factory. The brake works OK and I probably won't try to bend it back but I am just curious.

smd4

It lines up with the cable?? You know the cable is flexible, right? It will almost always "line up" with whatever it's attached to.

There’s a good reason why you haven’t seen it before. It’s bent. You can probably bend it back. And when you adjust it, get those shoes a little closer to the rim.

Iride01 

I'd be leery of bending it back. Might break. So if it's working now, then consider whether it'll be worth the trouble and expense to get something else should you break it.

Hard to tell from the angle of the pic, but that looks like a pretty good bend. I've never tried to bend brake calipers, but I wouldn't think they are made from a alloy that is very ductile. And during that act of getting bent, it probably made that area of the bend less ductile.

note...

This might also be the pic angle, but is your down tube slightly bent? Put a straight edge along the top of it and look at that area just 2 or 3 inches from the head tube. Might just be the way those electro forged head tubes on Schwinn's looked. If that is one of the models that used the electro forged head tube.

smd4

I'd try to bend it back. If it breaks, so what? Get another one.

Those brakes function poorly enough without the bend, which certainly doesn't help. And it looks like crap to boot.

KerryIrons

Do NOT attempt to bend this back. It is aluminum and if it doesn't break when you bend it, it most certainly will be significantly weakened. The two options are leave it as is (assuming the brakes work OK) or replace it.

smd4

You all who think aluminum breaks every time it bends probably shouldn't ride in airplanes.

grumpus

The fork has swung around and the brake hit the frame quite hard. I would suggest dismantling the caliper and applying heat before beating it flat, but better to replace it with a centre pull or dual pivot caliper for a brake that will actually stop you.

zacster

Just replace it. It isn't worth bothering with. I probably have better in my old parts bin.

Iride01 

There is a big difference in just flexing of the aluminum in airplane or anything else than there is for a actual bend that stays bent with no force on it.

The OP just needs to be aware that it might break. If it works well enough for the OP like it is, then that is a consideration for whether to attempt straightening. I might try to straighten it. But I also have some brakes on the shelf that I can put back to use if it does break and not have to spend money.

wheelreason

You know there are several videos of fuselages failing due to fatigue, yes?...

smd4

Fatigue...as in bending lots and lots...

joeruge

I don't think I'd bend it back. At the very least, I would leave it alone if it works OK (as OK as those brakes ever worked). Otherwise, go to your local co-op and get a replacement for like $5-10. You could 'probably' bend it back with no (visible) damage, but that's your front brake. 75% of you braking comes from there. Do you really want to take the chance that it will break just when you need it the most. ...I'm not a mechanical engineer but bending like what's shown in the photo is not like what happens in airplanes when the 'wings' flex.

Kontact

Or bent significantly, once.

JoeTBM 

Don't fix a working part. If the brake is functioning well without any hesitation or drag I would leave it as is, If you see any cracks on the caliper, I would replace it.

bboy314

Anyone who has worked on a lot of those old Schwinns or similar bikes has bent those calipers plenty of times. The aluminum used to make them is quite soft and malleable.

FBinNY 

This is a very classic problem of that era.

The front wheel spins around, possibly from a crash, banging the upper brake arm against the downtube.

If the brake n is working, leave it alone. If not, replace the brake.

That said, we often straightened the arms successfully, but it takes judgement born of experience to make that decision.

smd4

I like all the geniuses who say keep using it as is. Bent in a way such that using it will make it bend further.

Bravo!

dedhed

Meh, I'd worry more about the 50 year old rock hard pads.

smd4

True.

louky

Thanks for all the replies. I am grateful for everyone who takes time to answer questions on the forum. I can see now how the bending could have taken place.
Since the brake seems to be working OK I am leaning towards leaving it the way it is. I am genuinely curious in how continuing to use this the way it is would cause it to bend further?

This bike is destined for an outreach that serves unsheltered people. I think I have some pads to replace these with.

zacster

Is there a bike coop nearby? They'd likely donate a better used caliper for that use,

cyccommute 

Airplane hulls aren’t made of cast aluminum.

JohnDThompson 

And they get routine airframe inspections for flight worthiness.

FBinNY 

This would certainly be true IF it was somehow bent from excessive brake force. However, since the arm is much more than adequate for any force you could apply by the cable, and wasn't bent that way, there's no reason to assume that continued use would be an issue.

It WILL bend more if banged against the downtube again.

cyccommute 

And if something is bent way out of shape it gets replaced as well as detailed explanations of how it got that bent.