RX100 White Brakes - what are the for?

[Flash5500]

Hi all, first post caveat, hoping I figured out the images. Appreciate any tips if I haven't.
Found some white rx100 brakes a while ago but it's just dawned on me that they are long reach and have very long bolts (when compared to the standard reach 105s next to them). I'm wondering what they were designed for use on? The bolt is so long that a nut and washer (rather than recessed nut) would be required to fit them to the steel forks I have. Date stamped '91 so I would have assumed steel was still the main game at that time.
Any tips on what or how they were designed to be used?
Are the bolts replaceable or interchangeable?
Cheers

[Derny Driver]

Long bolt is the front brake. Has to go through the fork. Short bolt is back brake, through the little brake bridge. Thats standard.
Its possible you could buy long ones for the non recessed frames (nutted brakes), or slightly shorter versions for the recessed frames. Most frames at that time had recessed holes though so they are a bit unusual.
They dont look particularly 'long reach' to me. Its quite possible the front brake needed a slightly longer reach for the fork than the rear does. But Im speculating.
No idea about the colour.

[Clydesdale Scot]

http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx? ... b&Enum=117

[baabaa]

Looks like 105sc to me which was an odd groupset as they had a painted greyish silver finish. The brake lever hoods came in white.
Maybe that rear was off a bike that that had an order with shimano to have the brakes painted to match the frame color? This group set work well enough. I think Zeus also did a bit of caliper painting??

[Flash5500]

Thanks for the feedback. The 105 brake is also a front, there is a 20mm difference in the length of the bolts. Yes more a medium than long reach at 47-57. Maybe they were designed for touring bikes that might have had beefier fork crowns and bigger tyres.
Velobase describes the rx100 White group as a limited edition but otherwise describes it the same way as the base rx100 group.
I like the look of them so I'm tempted to try and swap the bolts over from the 105s. Interested if anyone has tried such a manoeuvre? Technical difficulty?
Cheers

[find_bruce]

Technical difficulty - easy - I have done it with 105sc & RSX brakes. You simply need to disassemble the brake to swap the pivot bolts - see this exploded diagram. While there are 4 lengths, the 2 medium legnths are effectively interchangeable.

• short - 35.7mm used for the rear with recessed nut
• medium - 50.4mm used for the front with a recessed nut or 52.9mm for the rear with an external nut
• long - 69.9mm used for the front with an external nut

To change from using a recessed nut to an external one, or vice versa, simply swap short for long.

[LG]

Or the other option if you couldn't be bothered is just to run it with a nut and washer as it was designed. It was a design which worked fine for many many years, it's not really going to be noticeable being semi hidden behind the fork.

[DarrylH]

RX-100 and 105SC were identical mechanically but 105 was painted grey whereas standard RX-100 was naked aluminium. The white RX-100 was a limited edition and I think was only OEM. My 1989/90 Peugeot Izoard was equipped with white RX-100 as standard and it is hard to come by except for the white headset which is impossible to find.

[10speedsemiracer]

My 1989/90 Peugeot Izoard was equipped with white RX-100 as standard and it is hard to come by except for the white headset which is impossible to find.

Shimano did this a couple of times, does anyone remember the Sante group? Late 80s Shimano colour-coded rehash of other mechs, but they're surprisingly popular now with the resto crowd. I've only ever seen white Rx100 as a complete group on Peugeot Iozards like DarrylH describes, in fact there was one up for sale recently which had these exact bits. Chances are that front caliper is for a nutted fork.



I personally have a thing for Rx100, and also almost anything SunTour, but that's more a reflection of memories and stuff I had at that time.

[Flash5500]

Many thanks all for the great info/advice. Alas, defeated by the medium drops, probably 5mm too long for the Black and White speckled Centurion.
Changing the bolts over wasn't an issue.
Off to the 'poolroom' for the White RX100s for now. Maybe a frame designed for 27s is in my future.
Thanks again.

[baabaa]

Centurion....
That would be your problem then. I struggle to get a 23mm gatorskinned rim to clear my Master TG fork, not much room for ride for comfort. They built them when 21 or 22 mm was a thing. To be honest while I like the way the bike rides, most bikes from the 90s really are better to look at than ride.

[baabaa]

Um, maybe having long brake arms is the future....

Could also be a career in it If you know any property developers, can grow a beard and are happy to look like a you know what you want to look like and yet have no idea just how ridiculous that look you want looks....
http://www.livingatcadence.com/#AboutUs

[uart]

Um, maybe having long brake arms is the future....

Haha, cool photo. I stole that guy's handlebar tape while it was parked outside his Cadence apartment. That's why he's carrying it - bars too slippery to ride.

[skeatt]

They are for the bicycle I have… a Peugeot with white theme, white seat, white taped handle bars, white cranks.
Unfortunately I just crashed it today and distorted the brakes, hence I found this post looking for a replacement.

[Clydesdale Scot]