MAFAC black rubber blocks - OK for Alloy rims ??

[dvines]

I have acquired some old MAFAC centre-pulls and Cantis with the (I assume original) studded brake blocks - these are black rubber .

Are these OK for alloy rims, or will they chew up the rim quickly and/or not work in the wet.. ??

Suggestions for replacement inserts for the holders please if they are not OK !!!

[thirdcrank]

Genuine MAFAC blocks have a row of generally four, five for a tandem, round shapes facing the rim. I think I have an odd one somewhere - by the same poltergeist as loses socks

I used nothing else but these for most of my cycling years. IMO rubbish like all old brakes compared with modern stuff but others seem to have different ideas whenever I say that. I don't think they would chew up alloy rims - in their day these were the finest racing brakes available and I doubt if they were ever used on steel rims.

[AndyB]

I have them on my fixed wheel bike, which has alloy rims (old Weinmann on the rear, DRC ST19 on the front). They work fine - stopping power isn't the best, but they're on old Mafac brake mechanisms (on which I've not yet tried other pads), so I can't tell you how much worse than newer pads they are.

[thirdcrank]

I forgot to say as far as replacements go, other brake blocks of that era eg Fibrax were a standard size and just slid in once the old ones had been removed. The complete shoes of cantilevers or V brakes, the type with a post, rather than bolt on will fit.

[enigmatic]

As thirdcrank says, Mafac were the Bees Knees in their day, the best stoppers around. Genuine blocks are definitely OK with alloy rims - at least when new, I don't know how old yours are but the material could be very hard by now. Still probably no problem with the rims, but the stopping distance might increase. In any case, even Mafac's bear no comparison with modern dual pivots and braking materials, it was as much a revelation when I changed over to modern calipers as when I went from old Weinmann sidepulls to Mafacs. Beware of Fibrax replacements, IMHO they either wore away very quickly or carved the rim up in not much longer time!

[scottg]

Kool Stop is making new MAFAC pads, no word if they have the same
pedestrian warning feature as the originals.

http://www.velo-orange.com/kostmapa1.html

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