using 2 styles of brakes

[blue trice]

Having just taken delivery of a new bike frame,
and its make is mentioned in the beginners section,
I have decided - for reasons only i can understand,
to have a cantilever brake on the front
and a centre pull at the back ( no funny comments please).
Centre pull - a lot of the "kids" on cycle chat will be scratching
their heaeds and asking " what c.p. brakes- there good brakes.
c.p. brakes are not on sale in a lot of shops, in the 70s we used to
talk readily about them, Mafac were rated as numero uno.
What is the opinion on 2 types of brakes

blue trice

 

[mickle]

Centre pull brakes are rubbish compared to modern dual pivots blue trice, I don't know why you'd bother. Unless you are simply being perverse, in which case I support your proposal 100%.

 

[Keith Oates]

If that's what you want why not, after a little time you will get used to the different feel front and back and all will be well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[piedwagtail91]

the local bike shop owner has v on the front canti on the back.campag seem to think you don't need as much power in the back brake so a lower performing centre pull(I'm old enough to remember them) may not be a problem.

 

[mickle]

the local bike shop owner has v on the front canti on the back.campag seem to think you don't need as much power in the back brake so a lower performing centre pull(I'm old enough to remember them) may not be a problem.

I'm thinking of doing this to mine actually. It'll save a few grammes.

 

[woohoo]

It's probably just "the good old days" thing, but I had Mafac Racer centre pull brakes on my bike when I was racing in my youth (may years ago) and I remember them as being very good. When I first restarted serious cycling in the 1990s, I remember thinking how crap the (then) modern MTB brakes were and it was only when I moved to V-brakes that I thought I was getting something as good as my old Mafacs.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It's probably just "the good old days" thing, but I had Mafac Racer centre pull brakes on my bike when I was racing in my youth (may years ago) and I remember them as being very good. When I first restarted serious cycling in the 1990s, I remember thinking how crap the (then) modern MTB brakes were and it was only when I moved to V-brakes that I thought I was getting something as good as my old Mafacs.

I bet if you used a set of Mafac's now you would find your memory is playing tricks on you. They were good for their day, but compared to modern dual pivots they would be frightening.

On your original point however, anything will do on the back. If it wasn't for the law I wouldn't even fit a back brake.

 

[woohoo]

I bet if you used a set of Mafac's now you would find your memory is playing tricks on you. They were good for their day, but compared to modern dual pivots they would be frightening.

You could be right but then again the Mafacs had a lot less weight to stop in those days (but the Mafacs were certainly better than the GB side-pulls that I used in my even earlier days )

On your original point however, anything will do on the back. If it wasn't for the law I wouldn't even fit a back brake.

I think that was piedwagtail91's point but as for doing without a back brake completely, having had a cable break on me once, I prefer to have a backup system.

 

[Nick1979]

As a good Sheldon Brown disciple, I only use the front brake (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html). The rear one is purely a backup, and in this case, I guess anything will do!