22 September, 2015

Safety Issue with Dia Compe 610 Brakes on Mixte Frames

By Chris

I hope this doesn't effect any of our customers, but I understand that a few folks have been using incorrect extra long straddle cables with the Dia Compe 610 brakes. This is usually done to make the rear brake work with a mixte frame. Don't do it! The extra long straddle wire can pop out rendering the brake useless!

Use only the straddle cables that come with the brakes or the correct replacements that we, and other companies, sell. I know that Dia Compe makes some longer cables, but those are intended for other models of brakes, not for the 610. I just spoke with the president of Dia Compe and he says that they plan change the cable attachment so that future versions will work with longer straddle cables. There are a few workarounds if you really can't afford a new rear brake for you mixte, but I'm not satisfied that they work well enough.

By the way, these are super brakes that I use myself (with the proper cable).

Also, a big thanks to Aaron of Aaron's Bicycle Repair in Seattle for bringing this issue to everyone's attention.

4 comments:

Skip Montanaro said...

I'm confused. If this is a problem with Dia-Compe 610 center pulls on today's mixte frames, why wasn't it a problem with Weinmann/Dia-Compe center pulls 30 or 40 years ago on mixtes of that era? I am cleaning up a 1980s Motobecane mixte right now which has Weinmann center pulls. Has the exit point for the straddle cable changed enough to cause this problem? It would be nice if you could compare and contrast the current setup you are warning about with common setups from the 70s/80s.

VeloOrange said...

It's simply a matter of how the slots on the cable receivers are oriented. I'd guess that when the new 610s were designed the designer was thinking they'd be used on high-end rando and touring bikes, not mixtes.

Chris

teamdarb said...

That is correct. If you look at the old set the slot exit is at a different angle.

David Feldman said...

Hasn't changed since Weinmann centerpulls 40 years ago--just looked at a caliper in my parts box and the slots are oriented the same--vertically.