If you bought a new ten-speed bike of better-than-marginal quality during the '70's Bike Boom, there's a good chance that it came with Weinmann brakes and/or rims.
Most made-in-Chicago Schwinn bikes had one or both until about the mid-1980s. So did many European bikes, if they didn't have Mafac brakes or Rigida rims.
Nobody ever got really excited about most Weinmann products: They weren't flashy, but they usually did their jobs and their prices were reasonable. The best example of this was their "Vainqueur" center-pull brake, which came on everything from the Schwinn Paramount (the touring model) and Raleigh International to the Schwinn Continental and Raleigh Grand Prix. It was even found on some bikes from French constructeurs and English bespoke builders, who would attach the brakes to brazed-on bosses.
Probably the one product the company produced that was noticeably different from its competitors was their concave rim. Its unique shape was said to give it superior strength to other rims. I don't know whether the shape had anything to do with it, but I know (because I used to commute on a pair) it was strong--and noticeably heavier than other alloy rims.
In the late 1970s, Weinmann tried to modernize its offerings. That is when they brought out the concave rim. Around that time, they also introduced their "Carrera" brake, meant to compete with Campagnolo. The quality was excellent and the finish beautiful. However, it lacked the flats on the center bolt that allowed the brakes to be centered with a hub cone wrench (a nice Campy feature adopted by other brake-makers). Their quick-release device, apart from its finish, was no different from the one on the less expensive models. It had only "open" and "closed" position, while Campy's could be opened or closed partway to allow for wheels that developed wobbles.
Another attempt to appeal to appeal to the ultra-high-performance (or simply rich and fashionable) market resulted in their version of the "Delta" brake--which, as "Retrogrouch" and others have suggested, may have been made for them by Modolo. I never used Weinmann's or Campagnolo's Delta brakes, so I won't argue about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, some users claimed. There is no denying, however, that Campy's version may well be the most beautiful brake ever made. Weinmann's had a more high-tech (for the time, anyway) look, and was available in black as well as silver.
A few years later, Weinmann came up with another interesting and unique brake:
The HP-Turbo was introduced in 1984. I could find little information about it (I discovered it in an eBay listing), so I don't know how long it was produced. I also couldn't find testimony from users, so I have no idea of how effective, or not, it may have been.
From what I can see, it's a centerpull brake with the straddle wire coiled around cams to which the brake shoes are attached. I am guessing that the cams push those shoes into the rims, and that the arrangement is intended to somehow magnify braking power or modulation by increasing the mechanical advantage.
As I said, I am only guessing: I may have been a mechanic, but I have never been a mechanical engineer. For all I know, the brake might have been a revolutionary idea for which the cycling public wasn't ready. Or, perhaps, some people tried it and found that it was complicated and, perhaps, the cams or other parts of the mechanism clogged with dirt or gunked up with grease. (They don't look very well-protected.) Maybe it cost as much as a good sidepull brake, which came on about 90 percent of new bikes at that time, or cantilevers, which came on most of the rest of new bikes. Or people thought it was just too ugly to put on their nice bikes.
Whatever its fate, I am curious about it.
Most made-in-Chicago Schwinn bikes had one or both until about the mid-1980s. So did many European bikes, if they didn't have Mafac brakes or Rigida rims.
Nobody ever got really excited about most Weinmann products: They weren't flashy, but they usually did their jobs and their prices were reasonable. The best example of this was their "Vainqueur" center-pull brake, which came on everything from the Schwinn Paramount (the touring model) and Raleigh International to the Schwinn Continental and Raleigh Grand Prix. It was even found on some bikes from French constructeurs and English bespoke builders, who would attach the brakes to brazed-on bosses.
Probably the one product the company produced that was noticeably different from its competitors was their concave rim. Its unique shape was said to give it superior strength to other rims. I don't know whether the shape had anything to do with it, but I know (because I used to commute on a pair) it was strong--and noticeably heavier than other alloy rims.
In the late 1970s, Weinmann tried to modernize its offerings. That is when they brought out the concave rim. Around that time, they also introduced their "Carrera" brake, meant to compete with Campagnolo. The quality was excellent and the finish beautiful. However, it lacked the flats on the center bolt that allowed the brakes to be centered with a hub cone wrench (a nice Campy feature adopted by other brake-makers). Their quick-release device, apart from its finish, was no different from the one on the less expensive models. It had only "open" and "closed" position, while Campy's could be opened or closed partway to allow for wheels that developed wobbles.
Another attempt to appeal to appeal to the ultra-high-performance (or simply rich and fashionable) market resulted in their version of the "Delta" brake--which, as "Retrogrouch" and others have suggested, may have been made for them by Modolo. I never used Weinmann's or Campagnolo's Delta brakes, so I won't argue about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, some users claimed. There is no denying, however, that Campy's version may well be the most beautiful brake ever made. Weinmann's had a more high-tech (for the time, anyway) look, and was available in black as well as silver.
A few years later, Weinmann came up with another interesting and unique brake:
The HP-Turbo was introduced in 1984. I could find little information about it (I discovered it in an eBay listing), so I don't know how long it was produced. I also couldn't find testimony from users, so I have no idea of how effective, or not, it may have been.
From what I can see, it's a centerpull brake with the straddle wire coiled around cams to which the brake shoes are attached. I am guessing that the cams push those shoes into the rims, and that the arrangement is intended to somehow magnify braking power or modulation by increasing the mechanical advantage.
As I said, I am only guessing: I may have been a mechanic, but I have never been a mechanical engineer. For all I know, the brake might have been a revolutionary idea for which the cycling public wasn't ready. Or, perhaps, some people tried it and found that it was complicated and, perhaps, the cams or other parts of the mechanism clogged with dirt or gunked up with grease. (They don't look very well-protected.) Maybe it cost as much as a good sidepull brake, which came on about 90 percent of new bikes at that time, or cantilevers, which came on most of the rest of new bikes. Or people thought it was just too ugly to put on their nice bikes.
Whatever its fate, I am curious about it.
