Centerpull Brake

Centerpull Brakes

Our Racer and Racer Medium brakes are centerpull caliper brakes. They require cable housing stops in the same way that cantilever brakes like our Neo-Retro and Touring Canti brakes do.
Both models have two mounting options available: Center Mount and Braze-On.

Center Mount

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The Center Mount versions of these brakes feature a bridge between their pivots. This bridge is mounted to the frame or fork with a single bolt centered over the wheel.

This brake mounting bolt can be either a shorter recessed bolt to work with modern frames, or a longer non-recessed bolt that works with older frames.

When configured as Center Mount brakes, the Racer and Racer Medium are long and medium reach brakes, respectively. The Racer has a reach of 57mm - 67mm, and the Racer Medium has a reach of 47mm - 57mm. The distance is measured from the center of the mounting bolt over the tire diagonally to the uppermost edge of the brake pad surface.

Braze-On

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The Braze-On versions of these brakes mount directly to brake bosses on the frame and fork. These brake bosses are the same as traditional cantilever and linear pull brake bosses, but are in a different location above the rim of the wheel.

It is important to note that our Braze-On brakes will not work with U brake bosses. While located in a similar position on the frame, U brake bosses are the wrong size and will not give proper brake alignment.

Brake bosses for our Braze-On brakes can be correctly positioned and mounted to frames and forks by many frame builders. Both the Racer and Racer M benefit from Braze-On mounting by being stiffer, lighter, and simpler. We also happen to think they look especially nice.

Location information for the placement of centerpull pivots can be found on the instruction sheets included with the Racer and Racer Medium brakes.

Center Mount to Braze-On Conversion

Center Mount Racer and Racer M brakes can be easily converted to Braze-On brakes. In order to do so you will need a set of our standard brake pivots and a set of M6x20 brake bolts, both available on the Brake Small Parts page. You will also need a 15mm open ended wrench and a 5mm hex wrench.

  1. Loosen the two brake bolts and release the spring tension on both springs.
  2. Completely unthread both brake bolts from the center mount bridge and remove the brake bolts from the pivots, keeping the spring assemblies intact.
  3. Remove the center mount bridge.
  4. Turn the brake face down and pull the stainless steel center mount pivots from the brake arms, keeping the rubber O-rings in place.
  5. Insert the replacement standard pivots with a light coating of grease.
  6. Turn the brake back over and insert the new M6x20 brake bolts through the spring nuts and into the new pivots.
  7. Mount the brake arms to the brake bosses of your frame or fork following the standard Racer or Racer M instructions.