Chainstay brakes

OldFrank

Retro Guru
I've seen these on some older, pre-V-brake MTB's. usually with cantis on the front.
Anyone know about them? e.g. what period? why they were used as opposed to rear cantis. Where the widespread? just used on low-end or high-end? any info really.
 
High end and down, late 80 fad, sometimes seen in early 90's

Used as the U-brake was more powerful, Shimano's TradeMark name (probably) brake invention before it incremented that to a V-brake with it's new fangled trademark brake

It was sometimes placed on the chainstay as chainstays tend to be stiffer and could also give a better cable line. It also with it not on the seatstay, these could be lightened and tuned not for brakes.

Problem was it didn't work in the UK, unless it was one of the few warm and bone dry days.

Rollercams where another option for these positions, these have the advantage of a tunable pull plate so what shimano did in the lever with servo-wave, roller cams could do on a pull plate.

U-brakes and similar biggest problem was mud, hence why they died a death except in rollercam form in boutique frames.
 
Charlie Cunningham invention (or reinvention ?), taken up under WTB and Suntour brought them to the masses as Suntour did with many WTB products.

Most surprised the Vintage/Classic lot haven't given a history on them as they know them pretty well unlike me who's only really seen them talk about them.

~1989 is probably the defining year for U-Brakes.


Might want to add U and Roller-Cam to your title to catch their eye ?
 
Gotta love the U brakes:
48c8901b.jpg


I personally love them, easy to adjust, dead simple, powerful and plenty of mud room unless it gets mega gloopy. :-D
 
It's all in bits at the moment, awaiting some refurb, but here's a Suntour XC rollercam from 1986. Chainstay mounted on my Overbury's Pioneer. Matching one on the front.

Mombat list them as being available 1985-1990 in various guises. http://mombat.org/Timeline.htm

I generally ran them with 1.5" tyres and didn't have too much trouble but anything larger would produce a 'sausage machine'. Same trouble with U- brakes too, though

IMG_7591.jpg


IMG_7515.jpg


Same frame fittings are used for Suntour, Shimano, WTB, Odyssey etc. Take your pick...

All the best,
 

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