Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Pit bull center pull brakes

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Pit bull center pull brakes

Old 10-02-21, 08:10 PM
  #1  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
Pit bull center pull brakes

here are some interesting calipers i noticed on the fea


bay today...
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Old 10-02-21, 08:37 PM
  #2  
Dylansbob 
2k miles from the midwest
 
Dylansbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,990

Bikes: ~'75 Colin Laing, '80s Schwinn SuperSport 650b, ex-Backroads ti project...

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 525 Post(s)
Liked 931 Times in 446 Posts
I think I had those on a BSO mtb in college, early 90s.
Dylansbob is offline  
Old 10-02-21, 10:29 PM
  #3  
thook
(rhymes with spook)
 
thook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,795

Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times in 546 Posts
pit bull is a name in the bmx world, is it not?
thook is offline  
Likes For thook:
Old 10-03-21, 12:36 AM
  #4  
SkinGriz
Live not by lies.
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 1,306

Bikes: BigBox bikes.

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 860 Post(s)
Liked 784 Times in 582 Posts
Originally Posted by thook
pit bull is a name in the bmx world, is it not?
Yes. I think they were the hot ticket on BMX bikes before BMX bikes got canti posts.
SkinGriz is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 12:47 AM
  #5  
thook
(rhymes with spook)
 
thook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,795

Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times in 546 Posts
Originally Posted by SkinGriz
Yes. I think they were the hot ticket on BMX bikes before BMX bikes got canti posts.
so. these are probably "meant" for bmx? though i don't see why they couldn't be used on a road bike. pretty neat looking!
thook is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 04:50 AM
  #6  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
I saw these on entry level ATBs in the late 1980s, when Power Cams and U-brakes were popular. It's based on the Plillips/Phlico brake from the inter-war period. Lee Chi had a similar propduct and there were even high end versions from companies like McMahon. The style is generically referred to as scissor brakes.
T-Mar is offline  
Likes For T-Mar:
Old 10-03-21, 05:46 AM
  #7  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
i like that you don't need all the cable hanger stuff, and it looks very "mechanical" for a steam punk look.
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Likes For cocoabeachcrab:
Old 10-03-21, 07:50 AM
  #8  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
In my experience the braking power was, uh, limited.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 07:54 AM
  #9  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
Originally Posted by rhm
In my experience the braking power was, uh, limited.
was it the brake shoes or the brake calipers themselves?
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 08:48 AM
  #10  
thook
(rhymes with spook)
 
thook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,795

Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times in 546 Posts
Originally Posted by rhm
In my experience the braking power was, uh, limited.
ha....figured as much!
thook is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 09:46 AM
  #11  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
BINO (brakes in name only!) apply brakes in RI, come to a stop in NJ kinda bad?
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 09:52 AM
  #12  
thook
(rhymes with spook)
 
thook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Winslow, AR
Posts: 2,795

Bikes: '83 univega gran turismo x2, '85 schwinn super le tour,'89 miyata triple cross, '91 GT tequesta, '90 yokota grizzly peak, '94 GT backwoods, '95'ish scott tampico, '98 bonty privateer, '93 mongoose crossway 625, '98 parkpre ariel, 2k'ish giant fcr3

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 919 Post(s)
Liked 745 Times in 546 Posts
Originally Posted by cocoabeachcrab
BINO (brakes in name only!) apply brakes in RI, come to a stop in NJ kinda bad?
only if it means you're hitting ocean. unless you brought swim trunks
thook is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 10:05 AM
  #13  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
Originally Posted by thook
only if it means you're hitting ocean. unless you brought swim trunks
stopping is over rated anyway...
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Likes For cocoabeachcrab:
Old 10-03-21, 10:54 AM
  #14  
SkinGriz
Live not by lies.
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 1,306

Bikes: BigBox bikes.

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 860 Post(s)
Liked 784 Times in 582 Posts
I remember being impressed with them on my friends bikes. But I was 10 so…

I bet they’ll work just fine with good pads, cable, short pull lever.
SkinGriz is offline  
Old 10-03-21, 11:15 AM
  #15  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
Originally Posted by SkinGriz
I remember being impressed with them on my friends bikes. But I was 10 so…

I bet they’ll work just fine with good pads, cable, short pull lever.
while my driver's license says i'm 67, i'm pretty sure i'm still 10....
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Likes For cocoabeachcrab:
Old 10-03-21, 11:35 AM
  #16  
rhm
multimodal commuter
 
rhm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,852

Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...

Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times in 339 Posts
Originally Posted by cocoabeachcrab
was it the brake shoes or the brake calipers themselves?
That is always the question! The problem is that the brake, from handlebar to rim, is a system. It's easy to determine that every component in the system is working as it should, but even so the result is that the system doesn't work. The problem is probably not so much any particular component, but a minor mismatch.

I used a pair of the Philco "Centralpull" brakes (the ones from the 1930's that these were based on) on my Fothergill bike for a while, and they were pretty useless. Part of the problem with the Philco version was that the stud was at one end of the brake shoe, rather than in the middle --that is, the brake shoe plus stud formed an L shape, rather than a T-shape. Not a great idea. These ones seem to avoid that mistake, but that wasn't enough to overcome the combination of long arms and what's basically a bad design.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
rhm is offline  
Old 10-04-21, 02:17 PM
  #17  
SkinGriz
Live not by lies.
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 1,306

Bikes: BigBox bikes.

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 860 Post(s)
Liked 784 Times in 582 Posts
I’d give it a shot. Let us know how you like them.
SkinGriz is offline  
Old 10-04-21, 02:52 PM
  #18  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
Originally Posted by SkinGriz
I’d give it a shot. Let us know how you like them.
i will do that! i have some on the way.
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Likes For cocoabeachcrab:
Old 10-04-21, 06:59 PM
  #19  
The Golden Boy 
Extraordinary Magnitude
 
The Golden Boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Waukesha WI
Posts: 13,640

Bikes: 1978 Trek TX700; 1978/79 Trek 736; 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper Sport; 1984 Schwinn Voyageur SP; 1985 Trek 620; 1985 Trek 720; 1986 Trek 400 Elance; 1987 Schwinn High Sierra; 1990 Miyata 1000LT

Mentioned: 84 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2597 Post(s)
Liked 1,678 Times in 926 Posts
Originally Posted by SkinGriz
I’d give it a shot. Let us know how you like them.
Originally Posted by cocoabeachcrab
i will do that! i have some on the way.
Exactly!!!

What's the worst that could happen?
__________________
*Recipient of the 2006 Time Magazine "Person Of The Year" Award*

Commence to jigglin’ huh?!?!

"But hey, always love to hear from opinionated amateurs." -says some guy to Mr. Marshall.
The Golden Boy is offline  
Old 10-04-21, 07:52 PM
  #20  
zukahn1 
Senior Member
 
zukahn1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Fairplay Co
Posts: 9,584

Bikes: Current 79 Nishiki Custum Sport, Jeunet 620, notable previous bikes P.K. Ripper loop tail, Kawahara Laser Lite, Paramount Track full chrome, Raliegh Internatioanl, Motobecan Super Mirage. 59 Crown royak 3 speed

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 786 Post(s)
Liked 1,706 Times in 620 Posts
These likely won't work good on a road bike they are designed for wider BMX rims and with the short cable pull wont have enough leverage for good braking on narrower road rims. Having the center pull with the brake as single unit seems nice but most I have come across just don't work good. You really need the extra cable pull adjustment of hangers to get good braking on center pulls.

Last edited by zukahn1; 10-04-21 at 07:58 PM.
zukahn1 is offline  
Old 10-06-21, 08:26 AM
  #21  
T-Mar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,233
Mentioned: 652 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4719 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3,034 Times in 1,874 Posts
I've done some research and Pitbull was the brand of California based Bear Corporation, most famous for their Odyssey brand bicycle components and accessories and their Gyro detangler headsets for BMX bicycles.
T-Mar is offline  
Likes For T-Mar:
Old 10-06-21, 12:44 PM
  #22  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Looks like the arms have convex/concave surfaces where the brake pads mount to allow fine-tuning of the toe-in. That's pretty neat!
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 10-06-21, 04:34 PM
  #23  
cocoabeachcrab 
Myrtle Beach Crab
Thread Starter
 
cocoabeachcrab's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Newport RI
Posts: 819

Bikes: enough one would think, but thinking isn't my strong point

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 270 Post(s)
Liked 523 Times in 210 Posts
well then, here is another choice for throw you out of the saddle braking..






Last edited by cocoabeachcrab; 10-06-21 at 04:35 PM. Reason: can't spell worth a sh*t
cocoabeachcrab is offline  
Old 10-06-21, 04:58 PM
  #24  
Velo Mule
Senior Member
 
Velo Mule's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 2,099

Bikes: Trek 800 x 2, Schwinn Heavy Duti, Schwinn Traveler, Schwinn Le Tour Luxe, Schwinn Continental, Cannondale M400 and Lambert, Schwinn Super Sport

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 801 Post(s)
Liked 1,002 Times in 656 Posts
That is interesting. I had not seen this before. I was looking at the pictures figuring out the movement and asking myself how does it manage to move the pad toward the rim. Then I saw the last picture. Clever, but probably not very good.

If I had them on a vintage bike, I would replace the pad material with pads from Kool Stop and use it. How bad could it be? It has the right motion, perhaps not the right leverage, but that would also depend upon the lever.

So, maybe this arrangement works perfectly good with the right lever and pad?

Last edited by Velo Mule; 10-06-21 at 05:07 PM.
Velo Mule is offline  
Old 10-06-21, 05:26 PM
  #25  
juvela
Senior Member
 
juvela's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Alta California
Posts: 14,328
Mentioned: 414 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3784 Post(s)
Liked 3,290 Times in 2,150 Posts
Originally Posted by cocoabeachcrab
stopping is over rated anyway...

-----

graveyards well populated with cadavers who share this sentiment...


-----
juvela is offline  

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.