(left) side-pull brakes?

TimH said:

This might sound like a crazy question, but does anyone
know of a side-pull brake that was made to pull from the
left side (looking from the back) of the calipers instead
of the right?

Thanks, Tim

Alhonga long reach dual pivots are left handed.

TimH said:

This might sound like a crazy question, but does anyone
know of a side-pull brake that was made to pull from the
left side (looking from the back) of the calipers instead
of the right?

There were several back in the days of yore, I think you're
probably going to have to look for vintage stuff if you want
left handed sidepulls. IIRC Universal or DiaCompe brakes
from the bike boom era (late 70's) were left handed, but I
don't have any to check. One of the bike shop guys who've
been around a while- Andrew M., Sheldon, Mike J., Peter-
would know this off the tops of their heads.

Tim McNamara <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

TimH said:

This might sound like a crazy question, but does anyone
know of a side-pull brake that was made to pull from the
left side (looking from the back) of the calipers
instead of the right?

There were several back in the days of yore, I think
you're probably going to have to look for vintage stuff
if you want left handed sidepulls. IIRC Universal or
DiaCompe brakes from the bike boom era (late 70's) were
left handed, but I don't have any to check. One of the
bike shop guys who've been around a while- Andrew M.,
Sheldon, Mike J., Peter- would know this off the tops of
their heads.

I guess I'm from that era. My first "real" touring bike had
Dia-Compe "G" brakes, which had the cable entry on the right
side (while facing the brake). In fact, I think I've got a
set in my dusty parts bin.

They're useful for short-wheelbase recumbents, where the
chain tends to interfere with the brake cable. I got around
that by mounting an RX100 caliper behind the fork on my
wife's P-38 Lightning recumbent. Modern dual-pivot sidepulls
are far better than the old Dia-Compes.

BTW: the Alhonga brake is used on a couple of the Bacchetta
recumbents. However, it's configured for a bottom-entry
cable pull. There's a sketch at x-x-Open ↗
eyed.com/manual1.html

Jeff

TimH said:

This might sound like a crazy question, but does anyone
know of a side-pull brake that was made to pull from the
left side (looking from the back) of the calipers instead
of the right?

That is an excellent question!

(I'll describe front brakes with cable on the chain side
as "right"😉

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right, pressed
arm standard models are left, as this current Tektro version
of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

There isn't any "rule" about that.

Curious, I looked through some old catalogs and it appears
the convention was left( Weinmann, therefore DiaCompe, CLB,
LAM, Bebo, etc) until Campagnolo redefined 'pro brake' with
the Record of 1968. Then everyone switched to the now-more-
prestigious right side ( Zeus, Modolo, All The Labels Really
Made By Modolo, Universal, Mafac/Spidel, etc)

In the seventies and eighties, Weinmann/DiaCompe made their
standard series left (photo above) and top models (Carrera,
Royal Gran Compe) right. Shimano DuraAce have always been
right. The original 105 & 600 were left, after Shimano's
giant makeover of 1983 ( New 600 ) both switched to right.
Sante, too.

Shimano's nicely made, affordable Z calipers were offered
both ways (!). I found a Rino catalog showing a pro right
and standard left on the same page. No idea who actually
made them.

I probably shouldn't have spent that much time researching
this but I found it interesting.
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

A Muzi said:

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right, pressed
arm standard models are left, as this current Tektro
version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Is that you in the picture?
--
R.

<> Richard Brockie "Categorical statements <> The tall
blond one. always cause trouble." <>
[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right, pressed
arm standard models are left, as this current Tektro
version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Richard Brockie said:

Is that you in the picture?

That's a one-armed customer with his new bike yesterday. I
made a leather wrap for the right side of the bar

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Curious, I looked through some old catalogs and it
appears the convention was left( Weinmann, therefore
DiaCompe, CLB, LAM, Bebo, etc) until Campagnolo redefined
'pro brake' with the Record of 1968. Then everyone
switched to the now-more-prestigious right side ( Zeus,
Modolo, All The Labels Really Made By Modolo, Universal,
Mafac/Spidel, etc)

David L. Johnson said:

I don't think this is quite right. Universal side pulls
were on the right side well before Campy came out.
Weinmann were always left. I used to use a pair of
Weinmann 500s that were pretty good, but perhaps those
manufactured now under that name are not as good.

I think we agree that Weinmann's standard models _are_
pretty good. I use a few myself.

But their forged-arm Carrera model is on the right, the
other side from the standard ones (as was a model I can't
recall ever seeing, the 605 )

I spent a half-hour in the library here so these details are
fresh in mind. I could not have written all that otherwise.

My mention of Universal came from a mid-seventies CX model
press release I saw this evening.

You're right about the Universal Super 68 ( and the earlier
#51) . I hadn't thought of those tonight at all ( even
though I had a set when they were in style). Perhaps they
were the different drummer that Campagnolo followed. You
make a good point.

Anyway I think I said there wasn't a rule but a general
trend to more expensive models on the right. You may have
found a better antecedent than the one I mentioned
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

A Muzi said:

I probably shouldn't have spent that much time researching
this but I found it interesting.

Appreciated 8)

--
MfG/Best regards helmut springer

A Muzi said:

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right, pressed
arm standard models are left, as this current Tektro
version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

There isn't any "rule" about that.

Quoted message said:

Curious, I looked through some old catalogs and it
appears the convention was left( Weinmann, therefore
DiaCompe, CLB, LAM, Bebo, etc) until Campagnolo redefined
'pro brake' with the Record of 1968. Then everyone
switched to the now-more-prestigious right side ( Zeus,
Modolo, All The Labels Really Made By Modolo, Universal,
Mafac/Spidel, etc)

I used to think the preference for right was determined by
cable routing, and became acute with aero levers and routing
the cables under the tape, where left-front lever and
"right" front brake gives a nicer curve to the cable thann
the opposite combination. Your chronology, and the existence
of current left-cable brakes, calls that into question.
Unless the lefts are being produced now by inertia only,
which is always a possibility.

On 05/16/2004 11:08 PM, in article [email hidden], "A

Muzi said:

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right,
pressed arm standard models are left, as this current
Tektro version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Richard Brockie said:

Is that you in the picture?

That's a one-armed customer with his new bike yesterday. I
made a leather wrap for the right side of the bar

I was so caught up in trying to figure out if the frame was
chrome, or just painted silver, that I didn't even notice
that the rider only had one (real) arm.

--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks
at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas
servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee
sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for
word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-
ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash

On 05/16/2004 11:08 PM, in article [email hidden], "A

Muzi said:

Quoted message said:

A Muzi said:

Generally, top quality and forged arms are right,
pressed arm standard models are left, as this current
Tektro version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Richard Brockie said:

Is that you in the picture?

That's a one-armed customer with his new bike yesterday. I
made a leather wrap for the right side of the bar

I was so caught up in trying to figure out if the frame was
chrome, or just painted silver, that I didn't even notice
that the rider only had one (real) arm.

--
Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks
at worldnet dot ay tea tee dot net bellum pax est libertas
servitus est ignoratio vis est ess ay ell tea ell ay kay ee
sea aye tee why you ti ay aitch aitch tee tea pea colon [for
word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-
ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash

Steven L. Sheffield said:

On 05/16/2004 11:08 PM, in article
[email hidden], "A Muzi"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A Muzi wrote:
> Generally, top quality and forged arms are right,
> pressed arm standard models are left, as this current
> Tektro version of Weinmann's timeless "500" :
> yellowjersey.orgBINKYUDL.JPGOpen ↗

Richard Brockie said:

Is that you in the picture?

That's a one-armed customer with his new bike yesterday.
I made a leather wrap for the right side of the bar

I was so caught up in trying to figure out if the frame was
chrome, or just painted silver, that I didn't even notice
that the rider only had one (real) arm.

Dear Steven,

Cheer up. Neither did I. And we're not the worst:

"21. The chief of police of a Southern city once gave me a
description of a man, complete even to the mole on his neck,
but neglected to mention that he had only one arm."

--Dashiell Hammet, From the Memoirs of a Private Detective

ejmd.mcmail.commemoirs.htmOpen ↗

Carl Fogel