# dia-compe 750 centerpull?



## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

There's a lot of talk about centerpull brakes in small circles these days - mostly inspired by the continued favorable reviews in Bicycle Quarterly. Some are fans of the Paul "Racer" but I just can't spend that kind of cash. So I'm wondering about the Dia-Compe 750:

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/brakes?page=1#product=15-111

The guy at Riv says you can only mount them from the yoke and its center bolt. But I'm wondering if the yoke can be removed and custom bosses installed on a frame instead (since I'm having a frame built soon). I realize custom bosses aren't cheap either, but I'm picking and choosing where to spend and where to save.

Thanks for any advice...


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

You can't spend the cash for Pauls but you are having a custom frame built and are thinking of having a custom mount for the Dia-Compes?

Does not compute.....

BTW I believe that back in the day (60's & 70's) it was not uncommon to have braze-on mountings for Mavic and Universal centerpulls. Dia-Compe was a direct match for Universal centerpulls so it seems to me that you would be able to get it done. 

BTWll If it were my frame I'd chase down that braze-on centerpull setup just for the "coolness" factor and the heck with the expense.

Velo Orange seems to know something about it;
http://www.dogpile.com/clickserver/...23=0&40=x7T25RaNdkoBdcPuD0znlw==&_IceUrl=true


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

Thanks for the link MB1. I forgot about dogpile but it found what google couldn't.

If we were still 'unencumbered', I might spare no expense. But with a new bambina in the house, a custom frame hardly fits my budget any more. Originally it was a 6-month wait and I coulda squeezed just about anything in. But now it's month 9 and haven't even heard from the builder yet. So I either walk away from my $800 deposit or find a way to economize.

For instance, a custom front rack (by the builder) would cost $250. I can get stainless front AND rear racks from VO for that much. And the Dia-Compe brakes cost 25% of the Pauls, but the Pauls are probably not 4x better in performance.

Thing is, I've been reading too much Bicycle Quarterly and those folks are matching 40 year-old Mafac centerpulls to new frames. That VO discussion says it best:

"Braze-ons for Dia Compe centerpulls. Unlike Mafac, these are still made and easy to source."

Gotta say I trust modern Japanese forging technology over anything France did four decades ago. Anyway, I don't like the Paul Racer aesthetics (probably my biggest objection), the open end wrench approach, or what Jan Heine said about every Paul brake he's tested squealed...


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## Ape0r (Oct 2, 2007)

I have this exact brake (the replica version that you linked, not an original) on the front of a Centurion, swapped for the stock shorter reach (610?) Dia-Compe.

The mounting bolt comes right out. See pics below of the stock 610 that came off of the bike - the 750 is identical in this area. Indeed, I swapped the mounting bolt that came on the 750 for the stock one as I recall.

On the other hand, it might not be easy to screw a nut on from the front side, as you can see in the pics, there are raised edges where the stock bolt is held against turning. Could be a hindrance to bolting down, particularly with the tight clearance in there.

610's with hardware removed:









The 750's that you're considering all mounted up:


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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

Thanks very much for the photos - it's helpful to see different views of the brakes than the usual catalog shots. But I think you misunderstood my original question. From the looks of the 750 in your photo, I should be able to unscrew the left and right bolts from the caliper arms and *completely remove* the yoke and its center bolt. In other words, throw the yoke away. Then dedicated left and right bosses can be mounted on the fork legs. 

Perhaps I'll just buy the 750's and disassemble them myself to inspect. I hope the left and right mounts on the yoke are similar to a frame boss. If it looks doable then I'll send them to the builder.


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