Mafac "Racer" a primer in 3 parts

Iconic and Sexy

I am not sure if the word sexy really applies to bicycle parts but if any part deserves the name its the iconic French Center-pull known simply as the racer.  You might think I am a bit nuts to say this, and I don't blame you, but this French brake is so damn sexy a California precision parts maker resurrected it decades after its peak during the bike boom.

Paul Racer high polish

Ok enough lusting over bike parts, onto the primer part of this piece.

Part I-Looks

To start the Mafac Racer just looks different.  The much more common Weinmann center-pull brake is, well, common looking.  Simple design, sticker to identify it, straightforward, gets the job done without alot of fuss.

And then we have the racer, with its engraved logo its parenthetical name and slightly more curvaceous looks- magnifique!

Part II-Straddle cable

The straddle cable continues the theme for Weinmann, simple.  I had an instructor who loved the phrase " A blind dog with a note in its mouth can figure that out"  I think that applies here, one piece, slips right in badda bing badda boom your done.

For the Mafac its a bit more of a process, I am sure the French had an idea behind this design...not sure what that idea was but I am sure they had one.  First you start with your parts- 5 of them as the cable crimp is optional.

First thread the cable, I use a down-tube shifter cable, through the pivot piece (right side of brake) so that the cylinder that would go into your DT shifter provides the cable with a stopping point.

Then take apart the nut, bolt and spacer on the left hand arm of the brake so you thread the other end of the cable.

Once you have the cable threaded into the left side nut put the spacer back in place.

And finally snug the nut onto the end so you can tighten it down.

At this point you can choose to put on the cable end crimp, or not, I do as I really dislike frayed cables.  You got all that right? The blind dog would need a bit of help with this system.

The only reasons I can come up with for this design are that; A) it allows you flexibility with the length of the cable and B) you can use a more common shifter cable for this rather than a special straddle wire with rounds on both ends.

Part III-Brake Shoes

Again I think a contrast with the Weinmann system is in order and as with the straddle cable it is in a word simple.  Insert threaded post shoe in slot, secure with nut. Done.  Que the blind dog, and adjusting is simple you can move the pad up, or down.

Our friends at Mafac once again take a more complex approach but this time I think I see the sense of it.

Yes you get to deal with 5 parts for each brake pad but with that complexity comes the ability to move the pad not only up and down but also in and out and you can do some toe in/out if you have a squeaky brake issue.  Being able to fine tune stradle cables I am not so sure about but being able to fine tune brakes I get.

So there you have it my friends the Mafac "Racer" Iconic, Sexy and a bit quirky but all in a days work if your going to refurbish French bikes.

Until next time; Ride.Smile.Repeat.

Post Script or 

Part IV-Brake Pads.  

Reader Anniebikes comments reminded me I should have included a blurb about brake pads.  The Racer comes with an early version of a "cartridge" brake shoe that allows you to replace just the rubber brake pad and not a whole shoe.  Kool-Stop makes replacement pads for the Racer in both salmon and black.  They retail in the $20-25 range for a full set of 4.

You will notice in this post that I am not using the original brake shoes and pads, I have a set of Kool-Stops I am saving for a UO-10 project that is in the queue, in this case I took the advice of Grant at Rivendell Bicycles and am using the Dia Compe grey matter pads with non threaded posts.

They fit the Racer's just fine, my only concern is they are longer than the originals and I am not sure if that will cause any issues once I get the wheels mounted.  I will certainly add a note if there are any issues.  These pads cost $8 for a set of 4 and I figured going the bargain route was appropriate for this particular bike -the AO-8.  A comparison shot of originals vs the Canti-Style

Ok now I think I can close this post out - thank you Annie for asking about brake pads!

In the work-stand: 1969 Peugeot AO-8

About a month ago I spent part of a Saturday morning helping Bicycles for Humanity pack a shipping container that would eventually go to Africa.  My job was mostly prepping bikes to go into the container which meant; removing wheels, loosening and turning stems and handlebars to give the bikes a narrow profile and removing the pedals for the same purpose.  Old 10 speeds aren't considered very good candidates for rough African roads so not many of them make the trip, as a result I got to take one home (with a promise of a donation to the local non profit bike works) as a thank you for my volunteering since the director knows I am an old 10 speed geek.  I took a long look through the small stack of 10 speeds and picked out this little French beauty. Instead of going to West Africa it came home to West Seattle.

Now you may wonder how I know the year and type of Peugeot, their serial numbers are pretty arcane and they don't always have a model number printed on them.  Based on the excellent site Retro Peugeot  I know the decals on this bike correspond to the period of 1964-1970 and looking at the one brochure of the time period I can find -1970- I know in that year they didn't have a yellow model so I am going with 1969.  As for the model, every UO-8 I have come across has chrome fork tips, the entry level AO-8s cut a few dollars in cost by having painted forks.  I have worked on a few UO-8s but this is my first AO-8.

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1970 USA brochure

I didn't think alot about this bike until I pulled it out of the queue and started looking it over.  The first thing that struck me is that under the grime and dust this bike appears to have pretty good paint and decals considering its age.  One major coup is that it has its original french leather saddle in good shape which is a rare find, the saddle is probably worth more than the bike!  I don't think this Peugeot got left out in the rain much.

It also has my old friend the cottered crank which means I get to use the most expensive bike tool in my arsenal -the cotter press.

And then there is the derlin plastic simplex drive train, I kind of like that the front derailleur works with a piston rather than a spring.

And some additional funky French-ness in the form of the patterned rims (rear only the front must be a replacement) that buzzes like a bee when you brake - I think the theory is you get better grip than on a smooth rim....

Also contributing to the funkiness is the Huret wing nut on one side of the rear axle, the Mavic "half hood" brake lever rubber and the very cool "Mafac Racer" brakes which require a special brake pad/shoe which I happen to have laying around waiting on a different Peugeot project.  The Mafac Racers are so retro cool that Paul components has a updated (and expensive) version that you can check out here. I am not sure what keeps drawing me back to old French bikes but I think funkiness is a major factor.

Next comes the actual work so the AO-8 is in the stand and a pile of goodies awaits a (to be) refurbished steed.  The rear tire appears to be an original spec Hutchinson and it even looks decent -no cracking or visible rot, should I ....nah, new Kenda K-36s all the way.I even have a NOS imitation leather saddle bag that I am going to use on this build.

Until next time Ride.Smile.Repeat.