Brake Technical Information

All of our brakes are built around our proven sealed brake pivot design, first introduced in 1990. Rubber O-rings keep the the steel pivot clean which allows the arms to swing smoothly. The spring tension in each arm may be set independently of one another and of the frame, and the specially wound square springs can be heavily loaded to make the brakes very responsive. Replacement small parts are available.


Cable Pull

Modern mechanical brakes and brake levers come in two varieties based on the amount of brake cable they pull for a given amount of movement. This can be roughly equated to their mechanical advantage.

Short Pull (also known as Normal Pull) brakes include cantilevers, road calipers, centerpull brakes, u-brakes, and roller cam brakes.

Long Pull (also known as Direct Pull) brakes require that the lever pull a longer amount of cable as they swing, and include linear pull brakes, Shimano's V-Brakes, and cable-actuated disk brakes.

The cable pull of a brake must match the pull of the lever in order to have enough leverage to apply the brake properly. If a long pull lever is used with a short pull brake the brake arms will swing twice as far but only half as hard. If a short pull lever is used with a long pull brake, the braking system will feel overly soft, and the pads will rest too close to the rim.


Brake Compatability

Motolite & Moto BMX

The Motolite and Moto BMX brakes are both long pull brakes.

They are designed to work with long pull levers, like the Love Lever Compact, Love Lever 2.5, or the Cross Lever.

Both brakes mount to standard cantilever brake bosses.

Neo-Retro & Touring Canti

The Neo-Retro and Touring Canti brakes are both short pull cantilever brakes.

They are designed to work with short pull levers, like the Canti Lever or the Cross Lever.

Both brakes mount to standard cantilever brake bosses.

Racer

The Racer brake is a centerpull style short pull calliper brake.

Designed to work with short pull levers, the Racer works with the Canti Lever and the Cross Lever.

The arms of the Racer are long reach, and will work properly on frames and forks designed for 59mm - 73mm reach brakes.

The Center Mount Racer can mount to both modern and classic frames. By default the Racer comes with shortened mount bolts and recessed nuts that rest inside the frame's fork crown and seatstay bridge. Extra Long Mount Bolts are available to fit the Racer to older frames that are not designed for recessed nuts.

The Braze On Racer mounts directly to brake bosses on the frame and is much stiffer. It is important to note that it does not mount to cantilever brake bosses mounted in a standard cantilever position. The Racer will not fit on U-Brake bosses.. For information on the positioning of centerpull brake bosses for the Braze On Racer, email info@paulcomp.com.

Brake Installation

Motolite & Moto BMX Installation:

  1. Place the brake arms on brake bosses with the spring assembly facing away from the frame. The silver spring should be on the right, and the gold spring on the left. Moto brakes can be set up with cable coming from the left or right side; they come set up for left side cable entry.

    For right side cable entry switch the arms to the opposite sides, leaving the springs in their original positions, and turn the pad collars over.

  2. Insert the M6x20 brake bolts into the brake pivots. Tighten hand tight with a 5mm hex wrench.

  3. Remove the nut and outer spherical washers from the brake pads, insert the brake pads into the pad collars, and replace the washers and nuts. The short ends of the pads should face the front of the bike.

  4. Set the pad collars parallel to the rim at rim height first. Using a 5mm hex wrench, adjust the pads flat against the rim and tighten. The pads should strike the rim at a right angle, and should not touch above or below the rim's braking surface. Spacers on the pads can be switched around to vary the distance between arms and tire.

    If the pads are interfering with the frame or fork, the pad collars can be turned over so that the pads are on the other side of the brake arms, moving them away from the frame or fork.

  5. Use a 15mm wrench to rotate each spring nut outward by 45 degrees, and tighten the M6x20 brake bolts with a 5mm hex wrench.

  6. Insert the brake cable through the noodle. Make sure the brake cable housing forms smooth curves.

  7. Tighten the cable on the bolted arm using a 4mm hex wrench, leaving one inch of cable between the noodle and brake arm.

  8. Double check to make sure everything is tight by vigorously pulling on the lever several times.

  9. Enjoy.


Neo-Retro & Touring Canti Installation:

  1. Place the brake arms on the bosses with the 'PAUL' engraving facing away from the frame. This puts the springs on the outside of the arms, the springs are not located between the brake arms and frame. The silver spring should be on the right, and the gold spring on the left.

  2. Insert the M6x20 brake bolts into the brake pivots. Tighten hand tight with a 5mm hex wrench.

  3. Remove the nut and outer spherical washers from the brake pads, insert the brake pads into the brake arms, and replace the washers and nuts. The short ends of the pads should face the front of the bike.

  4. Using a 5mm hex wrench, adjust the pads flat against the rim and tighten. The pads should strike the rim at a right angle and should not touch above or below the rim's braking surface. Spacers on the pads can be switched around to vary the distance between the arms and the rim.

  5. Using a 15mm wrench, hold the spring nuts (oval shaped piece mount bolt head fits into) straight up and down and tighten the M6x20 brake bolt with a 5mm hex wrench.

  6. Install the straddle wire and straddle wire carrier. Place the carrier approximately 3 inches above tire. This may vary to clear rack mounts. Tighten the cable clamp screw with a 4mm hex wrench.

  7. Double check to make sure everything is tight by vigorously pulling on the lever several times.

  8. Enjoy.


Racer Installation

Center Mount Racer:

  1. Remove the nut from the center mount bolt, insert the bolt into the fork crown / seatstay bridge, and replace the nut. Tighten the nut keeping the brake centered over the rim.

    If you do not have a recessed hole for the brake mount nut you will need the Racer Extra Long Bolt Kit.

  2. Remove the nut and outer spherical washers from the brake pads, insert the brake pads into the brake arms, and replace the washers and nuts. The short ends of the pads should face the front of the bike.

  3. Using a 5mm hex wrench, adjust the pads flat against the rim and tighten. The pads should strike the rim at a right angle and should not touch above or below the rim's braking surface. Spacers on the pads can be switched around to vary the distance between the arms and the rim.

  4. Using a 15mm open-end wrench turn the spring adjust nuts outward by 45 to 90 degrees and tighten the M6x20 brake bolts.

    5. Install the straddle wire and straddle wire carrier. Place carrier approximately 1-2 inches above the brake arms. This may vary and is not overly critical. Tighten the cable clamp screw with a 4mm hex wrench.

  5. Double check to make sure everything is tight by vigorously pulling on the lever several times.

  6. Enjoy.

Braze On Racer:

  • Note: This brake will not fit on brake bosses positioned for cantilever brakes. If you have cantilever brake bosses on your current frame this brake will not fit. For directions on where to mount centerpull brake bosses that will be compatible with these brakes, email info@paulcomp.com.

  1. Place the right brake arm (bolt) on the right brake boss. Place the left brake arm (hook) on left brake boss. The gold spring should be on the right, and the silver spring on the left.

  2. Insert the M6x20 brake bolts into the brake pivots. Tighten hand tight with a 5mm hex wrench.

  3. Remove the nut and outer spherical washers from the brake pads, insert the brake pads into the brake arms, and replace the washers and nuts. The short ends of the pads should face the front of the bike.

  4. Using a 5mm hex wrench, adjust the pads flat against the rim and tighten. The pads should strike the rim at a right angle and should not touch above or below the rim's braking surface. Spacers on the pads can be switched around to vary the distance between the arms and the rim.

  5. Using a 15mm open-end wrench turn the spring adjust nuts outward by 45 to 90 degrees and tighten the M6x20 brake bolts.

    6. Install the straddle wire and straddle wire carrier. Place carrier approximately 1-2 inches above the brake arms. This may vary and is not overly critical. Tighten the cable clamp screw with a 4mm hex wrench.

  6. Double check to make sure everything is tight by vigorously pulling on the lever several times.

  7. Enjoy.


Printable Instructions

These instruction sheets are the same ones we ship with our components.

In order to open these instructions you will need to have .pdf reading software installed on your computer. Click here to download Adobe Reader, or to make sure you have the latest version.

Questions?

For technical questions please email info@paulcomp.com, or call us at 530-345-4371.