Brake Levers

When It comes to brake levers I'm a fan of Shimano.  The shape and size just fits my hand well.  When it comes time to select a lever however there is three criteria that I wanted these levers to fill, and that is they have a quick-release mechanism, an aero type lever and use SLR (Shimano Linear Response).  SLR is a fancy way of saying that there is a spring the lever that to me makes braking feel easier lighter to the touch (best way I can describe it).  As far as I can tell, Shimano only released a few brake levers that incorporated a quick-release.  The highest end lever was a part of the Sante groupset of the late 80's which fit in between Dura Ace and 600 Ultegra, and was considered a semi-pro groupset.

Shimano Sante BL-5001, with SLR, quick-release and 268g.

The other levers that also had a quick release/aero combo were the Exage group.  I for one think that the Sante group is pretty cheap and tacky looking, with it's white anodizing and (usually white) hoods.  The Exage levers aren't really much to get really excited about either, aside from the quick release function they are pretty standard levers.  The way its hoods are shaped, its similar in style to the Shimano AX groupsets, but with dimples.  As well, the Exage Motion levers have a nicely etched logo and polished silver levers.  There were two quick release models that were released under the Exage label, the Motion (BL-A251) and the Sport (BL-A451).  The main difference between these two levers were weight (BL-A251, 306g & BL-A451, 270g) and the small, rubber filler cutouts and painted logo on the sport lever.

Shimano Exage Motion, BL-A251, with SLR, quick-release and 306g.

Shimano Exage Sport, BL-A451, with SLR, Quick-release & 270g.

All of that said, the whole reason for wanting to have a quick-release is for use with the center-pull brakes, as they don't have any quick-release type mechanism.  If I decide to go with a caliper style brake, the quick-release won't be at all necessary and I will probably use the same levers I have on my other bicycle, the Soma/Tiagra BR-400 or the fancier Dura Ace/Ultegra BR-600 levers.  Out of the three above, since the levers mechanically are all identical, weight is barely different, all you're left with is looks.  In my books the Exage Motion, BL-A251, levers look the nicest and therefore would be my levers of choice.

Center-Pull Brakes

One of the parts that I would really like to use on this bicycle are the Dura Ace center-pull brakes I recently posted about.  This is probably the part that will determine whether I'll be getting a standard model or a custom built bicycle.  The reason for this is because I would want to have these brakes mounted to braze-ons which is not only strong, but I find it also attractive.

1973 Dura Ace center-pull brakes

Frame builders have been installing center-pull brakes mounted on these braze-ons for years for their strength and they are actually lighter than most modern brakes.  Builders famous for this are the obvious french constructeurs, Rene Herse and Alex Singer, but many custom builders continue to make bicycles using these braze-ons.  Traditionally you will see this treatment given to Mafac brakes, but I have a couple of issue with these brakes, namely that the pads are difficult to setup properly and any replacement parts are nearly impossible to find.  One feature that I feel makes these Shimano brakes superior is that any number of modern brake pads can be installed.  The Shimano brakes will also have plenty of room for fenders as well.

I am a fan of salmon Koolstop brake pads and use them on all of my bicycles.  I'm not sure whether I will use the pads pictured above or another version.  They work extremely well, even in wet weather, and are easily adjusted due to their conical washer design.  I will also be using a Salsa cable yoke, which can also be seen in the photo above.  I swiped the idea from an extremely nice road bike I saw on the now defunct Mariposa bicycles website.  These yokes not only look good, but should noticeably increase braking power too. 

Mariposa road bicycle showing Salsa brake yoke and brazed on Weinmann brakes

Of course if money was no object I would definitely be using Paul Components, Racer Medium brakes.  They are probably the best example of center-pull brakes ever made and with that quality comes a high price tag.  Depending on how long it will take for me to decide on a frame I may have time to save for these brakes or they could also be a future upgrade.

Paul Components, Racer Medium.  Probably the best quality Center-pull brakes ever made, but definitely not cheap.

Restoring Bicycle Parts

I recently found a nice, but beat up pair of Shimano Dura Ace center pull brakes that I am really hoping I can use on my bike.  I have had success in the past cleaning up aluminum brakes including some old Mafac racers and Shimano cantilever brakes.  In this post I will go through the process I use to clean up old bikes parts.  To start off here is a photo of what I'm starting off with.

A front on before shot of pre-restored brake.

To begin I generally dismantle the part as much as I can and either wipe/brush the part off using a rag and/or toothbrush or soak it in degreaser depending on how dirty or cumbersome the part is.  I like to use a vegetable based degreaser so that I don't have to worry about iritating my skin or poisoning myself.  A good rule to follow when dismantling parts is to either look up existing service documentation showing all of the parts and where they go, photographing the disassembly process as you go, place the pieces in an order that you'll remember how to reassemble the part, or in the case of brakes, only take apart one brake at a time.  That way if you forget how it goes together or where a part is suppose to go you'll have a perfect reference piece.

Cleaning and restoring tools; degreaser, toothbrush(not pictured), files, sandpaper, polish and rags.

After a thorough cleaning I begin roughly filing off any major scuffs and casting marks followed by a few rounds of sanding.  Naturally I start with a higher grit sand paper and work my way down to a finer one, sanding in a circular motion as to not make gouges in the aluminium.  The part should appear to have a dull but smooth surface.  The amount of sanding required also depends on whether the part was anodized.  I try to keep away from anodized parts as they are a pain to clean off.  There are also tons of different methods for removing anodizing on the web already, but I have only ever used sanding to clean off aluminum parts. After completing the sanding I then clean off the part's surface with soap and water or some more degreaser and a rag.  

The part is now ready for polishing.  I have tried a few different polishes in the past which all do what I felt like was a decent job until I tried Simichrome.  The thing is that they all polishes require a bit of elbow grease and time but the Simichrome blows every other polish I've used away.  Simichrome should be available at decent hardware or automotive stores, but a number of places sell it online including Velo Orange. After polishing the part for a short while use a clean rag to buff off the black residue left behind from the polish.  What you should be left with is an almost mirror finish.

A side view showing the before and after

Front view of before and after restoring

After I'm satisfied with the polish job I reassemble the part making sure to add grease to any moving parts.  You will be surprised how easy and rewarding restoring bike parts can be.  You can find some really great deals on used parts that can essentially be restored better than new.

The final product; after I add some new brake pads this brake will be good for another 30+ years of service.  

Simplex Retro friction Shifters Part 2

According to velobase the next available version of retro friction shifters were produced by Simplex for Gipiemme in 1982.  These shifters are the ultimate version of retro friction shifters.  Not only were they the lightest version (70 grams) of retro friction shifters, but also easily the most attractive.  Looks and weight aside, these shifters are almost totally sealed.  The entire spring mechanism is held within the shifter body, therefore making  the shifting mechanism almost impossible for dirt and grime to infiltrate. 

Profile view of Gipiemme Crono Sprint retro friction shifters.

Often referred to as "coke spoon" shifters, given their elegant, spoon like shape, these shifters were likely able to shave extra weight by incorporating shaved down contours and less bulky shifter stops than on the "tear drop" style, which can be seen in the photo below.  The production of these shifters appears to have been quite limited as they were only available for a very short period of time.  Likely the cost associated with the extra nice polishing and more intricate shape made these shifters too expensive to continue producing. 

Profile comparison of Gipiemme Crono Sprint and 3rd generation Simplex SLJ shifters

Also around this time, Simplex began producing a newly styled version of their shifter lever.  Simplex removed the original "S" encircled with a star and replaced it with a "tear drop" shaped handle embossed with the company name.  The reason for this change was more than likely to reduce the weight of the shifters.  

Exploded diagram of the 3rd generation, "tear drop", retro friction shifters.

The earliest example of these levers I could find was in a french Peugeot catalogue from 1983.  These new style shifters appear on what I believe was Peugeot's introduction of the carbon fiber frame (PY 10 FC), which would give further credence to the idea that the design change was a weight saving measure.

Image of Phil Anderson from a 1983, french Peugeot Cataglogue showing the "tear drop" style retro friction shifters.

Aside from the change in looks, the shifter was still identical internally to the second generation shifters.  The weight was reduced by 20 grams, from 95 to 75 grams.  These shifter were still available in clamp-on and braze-on models.  During this time Simplex also produced these shifters for Spidel, Mavic and Gipiemme.  Spidel shifters had their name embosed on their shifters.  Mavic and Gipiemme shifters were identical, varying from the Simplex shifters by the fact that they were unbranded.  The unbranded shifters were available in both silver and a black anodized version and were included in various Mavic and Gipiemme groupsets starting around 1984.

1984/85 Mavic groupsets including "tear drop", unbranded retro friction shifters.

The "tear drop" version of retro friction shifter were likely produced until the late 80s when Simplex began their demise by bankrupting for the first time around 1985.  There was one more version of the retro friction to come, which was produced by Mavic and included in their ZAP groupset.  The Zap groupset was first introduced at the 1992 Tour de France and later publicly available in 1994.  Only the left shifter was retro friction.

The last retro friction shifter released by Mavic (821) as apart of its ZAP groupset.  Only the left lever in this set was retro friction.

This concludes the history I was able to dig up on the retro friction shifter.  If I come across any more info I'll make an updated post with corrections and/or new info.  Next post will likely be on my selection of brakeset.