MacRetro chat and rides thread

[velomaniac]

Single pivot caliper brakes retard your progress not stop you
I recommend an upgrade to dual pivot caliper brakes or centre pull brakes.
Dual pivots are modern but can be found with bolted mounts and longer reaches for older bikes, new bikes have tighter clearances between tyre and fork so brake reach is shorter than older bikes. Makes include Tektro, Acor, Alhonga all shiny Taiwanese creations. They will stop you as satisfactorily as a well set up canti brake. old bike brakes are nut and bolt attached, modern calipers use a counter sunk alan key bolt so cannot be fitted to old bikes without one side of the brake bridge being drilled out to a greater diameter hole. Important not to buy Alan bolt fitting caliper brakes for an old bike. Centre pulls are old school but effectively dual pivot and are like a roadstyle U-brakes but do not require frame mounted posts, they are bolted on like the calipers. They have straddle wires and require cable hangers like canti's to work. Centre pulls are quite good stoppers but are more touring bike orientated as they're quite chunky. Mafac, Weinmann, Dia-Compe and Shimano are major centre pull makers plus loads of others but no one makes them new as far as I'm aware.

 

[kaiser]

I say keep em, they'll look the part. Just make sure the cables are lubed and go for some new quality blocks like Kool stops. Its the same as canti's most have 20 year old blocks fitted. Give the rims a gentle scrub at the same time. Oh and make sure the brake is clean too.

 

[Mr Panda]

My relatives fought with the Royal Scots (oldest regiment in the British army) which consequently means they kicked Scots backside throughout the highland post 1745, cant get more government lacky than that

Black Watch are a proud regiment but are also major self publicists. When you ask anyone in the world to name a Sots Regiment, most who can answer will say Black Watch ! Curiously the same regiment fails to advertise its nickname earned amongst a field of sheep in the Crimea

Few sing the praises of the HLI, Argyle & Sutherlands, Gordon Highlanders, Cameronians, Royal Highland Husiliers, KOSB, Seaforths etc

Sorry Ken but my big boots are as nothing to your local regiments effect on history, fine body of men that they are

Gosh - you chaps have been busy today.....


My old dad had a wee song - went something like this:

The Seaforths are Braw, the Gordons are naw,
...but if yer no in the Black Watch yer nae use at aw'....



Think the spiritual home is Aberfeldy rather than Dundee mind......

 

[kaiser]

Velos right though dual pivots are the bawz

 

[clockworkgazz]

great advice chaps as always, they are not very special weinmann type 600 but I did give one a brief polish and it came up ok so might see if I can get them working better in the first instance, the wheels were so out of true it meant that the brake blocks were about 3 ft from the rim so fixing that might just be a place to start.

Do we have a run round arran in the plans for this year?

 

[kaiser]

Do we have a run round arran in the plans for this year?

Could either do a winter quickie, or when the summer sailing starts. In fact could fit one in through the holidays.

 

[kaiser]

oh and we seem to have passed through 5000 posts with out anyone noticing :roll: or is that why that wee shite perry turnt up :twisted:

 

[Mr Panda]

Do we have a run round arran in the plans for this year?

its been suggested but not in this weather puleez :evil:

PANDA EDIT: although I'll probably be there xmas/new year for a couple of days :roll:

 

[velomaniac]

I could murder a wee blast around Arrans black top over Xmas break as long as the train times dont go all Sunday service on me. I cant get to the first sailing if they do.

Think I'm going to get a wheel built up for a 5speed hub that will fit within 120mm OLN of my fixie set up Raleigh Ace. That way i'll be able to swap between fixed and geared as I feel the need and wont need yet another frame. 120 spaced is well old school

 

[clockworkgazz]

Id be up for a festive shunt round the island too, try and kill myself with my big ring tomfoolery.