Mafac lever adjuster repair service
05-02-21, 04:38 PM
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Mafac lever adjuster repair service
A while ago I got tired of trying to find Mafac adjusters for which the inner portion had not been broken.
They are brass, and the stub that holds the adjuster in the lever is so thin that over time it bends and then breaks.
I mounted the adjuster in a lathe and drilled a 4mm dia hole in from the bottom, and silver-soldered a bit of 4mm stainless steel tubing to replace the brass stub. I ran a 3mm drill through after joining the two pieces, so there was no chance of a ridge inside snagging the cable.
Here's a photo of a bent one and a fixed one (different tops, I know, Mafac had a bunch of different ones but most have the same inner):
And today I started going through the Mafac levers in the bin and pulling out all the adjusters and setting up to fix all the rest of them, probably half-a-dozen or so.
Here's the deal:
$8 a fix, exchange basis. You mail me your inner bits, pm me that you've done so, I'll mail you a fixed bit back right away; yours goes (when it gets here) in the stuff-to-be-fixed next time the lathe is set up for it.
The cheap way to mail them is in a letter envelope between four sheets of corrugated cardboard; cut a slot in the inner two sheets, tape the adjuster in the slot and the other sheets on the outside, send it as a letter. That's what I do with the small stuff I make (adjusters, axle & chainring spacers, extra-long centre-pull rear bake cable hangers, etcetera). Just as quick getting there and *much* cheaper postage. (If you are mailing more than two check to see if your letter is overweight.)
EDIT: I had a question, the stainless bit goes up inside the hex portion, it's not just butt-joined, it's an insert of sorts.
They are brass, and the stub that holds the adjuster in the lever is so thin that over time it bends and then breaks.
I mounted the adjuster in a lathe and drilled a 4mm dia hole in from the bottom, and silver-soldered a bit of 4mm stainless steel tubing to replace the brass stub. I ran a 3mm drill through after joining the two pieces, so there was no chance of a ridge inside snagging the cable.
Here's a photo of a bent one and a fixed one (different tops, I know, Mafac had a bunch of different ones but most have the same inner):
And today I started going through the Mafac levers in the bin and pulling out all the adjusters and setting up to fix all the rest of them, probably half-a-dozen or so.
Here's the deal:
$8 a fix, exchange basis. You mail me your inner bits, pm me that you've done so, I'll mail you a fixed bit back right away; yours goes (when it gets here) in the stuff-to-be-fixed next time the lathe is set up for it.
The cheap way to mail them is in a letter envelope between four sheets of corrugated cardboard; cut a slot in the inner two sheets, tape the adjuster in the slot and the other sheets on the outside, send it as a letter. That's what I do with the small stuff I make (adjusters, axle & chainring spacers, extra-long centre-pull rear bake cable hangers, etcetera). Just as quick getting there and *much* cheaper postage. (If you are mailing more than two check to see if your letter is overweight.)
EDIT: I had a question, the stainless bit goes up inside the hex portion, it's not just butt-joined, it's an insert of sorts.
Last edited by oneclick; 05-02-21 at 05:36 PM.
05-02-21, 08:50 PM
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That's great. I will dig though my stash...
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05-04-21, 06:24 PM
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For any riders who depend on MAFAC brakes, OneClick is offering a great service at a very reasonable cost. Most of my road bikes use either MAFAC Competition or Racer brakes and sooner or later, the inner threaded adjuster bends and then fails. When it does, you’ll be glad that you saved OneClick’s offer and contact info. I’m not aware of anyone else that offers this service and it sure beats hunting for replacement parts at your local bike co-op, eBay or worse. On top of it all, OneClick is a pleasure to work with!
