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BMX General => BMX Chat => Topic started by: generallee on November 08, 2007, 08:55 AM

Title: old school brakes question...
Post by: generallee on November 08, 2007, 08:55 AM
heres something thats been making me wonder...

I have an 89 GT Freestyle Tour frame, usa made, from 1989 - and it has u brake lugs under the chainstays... I know that some haros, I think the rs2 also had u brake mounts for a while in the 80's....
I remember owning from new a 91 gt freestyke tour frame that had caliper mounting only... so im wondering, why did manafacturers put u brake lugs on in the late80's, [which obviously give you better braking peformance - still used today!] then revert back and take a backwards step in my opinion by taking them off again - i remeber waiting for u brake lugs to come back in in the early 90's so I could actually stop my bike again!
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: dialledbikes on November 08, 2007, 09:05 AM
First time I saw U-brake lugs on any bike was in 1990 when I bought a GT Tequesta mountain bike.  Most other MTB companies were using canti-lever brakes, but GT used U-brakes.

I didn't realise GT used U-brakes on BMX bikes in the 80's then stopped using them again until the mid-90s.
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: generallee on November 08, 2007, 09:07 AM
yep - and haro seemed to do the same too i think?
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: CD17 on November 08, 2007, 12:18 PM
I have an 88 master with U brake mounts, but I think they started to use them in late 87.

I was thinking the same thing, as my 1990 Master does not have them  :-\  it could have been as a money saving thing, as BMX became less popular in the late 80s early 90s
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: almasterb on November 08, 2007, 01:48 PM
I heard somewhere there was a shortage of Dia Compe 990 brakes at the time? The mid 88 Haros didn't have them either.
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: CD17 on November 08, 2007, 09:43 PM
Yes & why did they only put them on the back brake  :-\
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: SaMAlex on November 08, 2007, 09:48 PM

I heard that the reason GT stopped using U brakes on their frames was because the "kids" who were buying their bikes had loads of trouble setting a U brake up so they went back to a side pull to give the bike shops less stress.

I think they only put U brakes on the back cos, as they were a newish brake, no-one had worked out that you could put them on the front and still use a hollow stem bolt.
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: MartyC on November 08, 2007, 10:06 PM
U brakes were very hard to set-up and they usually fell apart unless you took good care of them as they attracted all the crap in the world.  I remember at Heff's the number of problems with them where they would fail, break or just fall apart and so on. 
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: thebigdog on November 08, 2007, 10:13 PM
I am not sure about the Haros but as a genral rule GT put 990's on US built frames and High End complete bikes.

Vertigo's, performers I have seen from early 90's have caliper. Freestyles and stuff have 990 mounts. I have seen exceptions to the rule though  :idiot2:
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: gary4130 on November 08, 2007, 10:36 PM
could have been for costing reasons? having to buy AD 990's off dia compe and having to weld lugs on ? seams strange to go backwards  :idiot2: them when more rider owend companys came out ADD'S are back  :wtf: :wtf:
Title: Re: old school brakes question...
Post by: SaMAlex on November 08, 2007, 11:47 PM
could have been for costing reasons? having to buy AD 990's off dia compe and having to weld lugs on ? seams strange to go backwards  :idiot2: them when more rider owend companys came out ADD'S are back 

Rider Owned companies made/make bike for riding. Big companies like GT and Haro make bikes to make a profit, even if they aint that good to ride.
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