The Colonel
Riding a '36 Western Flyer
So rad & def Hungarian made. I've been researching them, theres one up on flea bay at present
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Heavy-Duti Klunker
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
- Start date
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The Colonel
Riding a '36 Western Flyer
no stress. brakes come in many sizes.. 890, 1000, 1020 & 1080
Schwinn Sales West
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
The Cherry Brake is not even a middle of the road quality brake. I would measure an actual Weinmann or Dia Compe #1080 brake caliper for the reach length and compare it to your current brake length. When you see a caliper with that much brake shoe adjustment it screams that it's a "one size fits all" caliper.
Something to consider is the length of a long caliper verse the mechanical advantage (cable travel) of the brake lever. Long reach calipers like a 1020 or the longer 1080 have very poor braking power due to this mechanical loss. When combined with a chrome steel rim it's even worse for braking power.
For your consideration, John
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Thank you, but I guess you missed the post where I could just make out "Made in Taiwan" on the seat tube?
Good to know. I'm going to wait on buying new brakes for the time being though. Money's tight right now, and this build is all about making do with the parts I got. I've got a brake that reaches the wheel when mounted upside-down, and while that might not be the best solution, I doubt it'll be that big a deal when I'm riding as slowly as I do. I'll still buy new brake pads and chain though.
Bike from the Dead
I live for the CABE
Hey, all the more reason to use it on a low-buck klunker like this! I may not use it on this bike, but I've got plenty of old junkers that could use it. It's still nicer than all the other brakes I got.
Thanks for the advice. I've only worked with any brake besides a coaster brake once before, so there's still a lot I don't know about them. I'll keep all that in mind.
That said, I don't think I even have a Weinmann or Dia Compe brake of any kind in my inventory. I don't have a ton of caliper brakes to work with, and the few I have that are useable are just off Sears, JC Penney, and for the newer ones, Wal-Mart bikes. I don't know the brands or the quality of these brakes, and honestly, I don't really care. As long as it looks like it belongs on the bike and it slows the bike to a stop, that's all I really need.
Heck, I don't even remember what I bike I pulled the brakes from on my first (and so far only) multispeed bike, Belle. All I know is that after cleaning off some of the rust and adjusting everything, they work just fine for me. I've put at least 100 miles on this bike since I finished building it back in March last year (maybe even 200, I don't know; I don't keep track of my mileage every ride,) and I've only had to adjust them once earlier this month. Heck, this whole bike was built using practically nothing but "low quality" parts, and it's quickly become my favorite and most-ridden bike out of my entire working fleet! The whole drivetrain came from Wal-Mart bikes I got for free off Marketplace, and I pulled the seat out of a dumpster!
I want to build this Heavy-Duti the same way I built that 1950 Schwinn step-thru: by making use of the parts I've got, and only spending the bare minimum on parts I need, like chain and brake pads. I don't ride my bikes all that hard or fast anyway, so I don't mind saving a few bucks where I can. Plus it's just a ton of fun to build and ride a bike completely out of what others consider "junk" parts!
The Colonel
Riding a '36 Western Flyer
taiwan makes the best bikes IMO, just as good as the USA.
coasterbrakejunkie1969
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
Wienman 1080 rear brake is what is needed
The Colonel
Riding a '36 Western Flyer
yep, weinman, dia compe, chang star.. brand unimportant.. that 1080 measurement is.. but check first 1080s might be too big.. you might need an mx1000 or a 1020..
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DrRumack80
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Nice work! The bike looks like it's really coming along. 
It's made in Taiwan, but not by Giant? The Giant-made Schwinns often had a "G MMYY" code stamped into the frame, either on one of the rear dropouts or under the bottom bracket.
G = Giant
MM = month.
YY = year
So "G 08 84" would be Giant, August 1984
It's made in Taiwan, but not by Giant? The Giant-made Schwinns often had a "G MMYY" code stamped into the frame, either on one of the rear dropouts or under the bottom bracket.
G = Giant
MM = month.
YY = year
So "G 08 84" would be Giant, August 1984
The Colonel
Riding a '36 Western Flyer
Nice work! The bike looks like it's really coming along.
It's made in Taiwan, but not by Giant? The Giant-made Schwinns often had a "G MMYY" code stamped into the frame, either on one of the rear dropouts or under the bottom bracket.
G = Giant
MM = month.
YY = year
So "G 08 84" would be Giant, August 1984
giant makes the best bikes on the planet as far as large scale manufacturing goes aside from niche small companies.
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