U-brake Boosters - Handmade not CNC! // Framebuilding 101 with Paul Brodie

[@andrebartels1690]

I once made me a brake booster, because I wanted one without the lightness added. I wanted the function, but the design of the available ones was too loud for my flat black beach cruiser. Getting such an easy part to look nice was harder than I expected, but I couldn't be more proud of a flat black aluminium horseshoe. Still I have to admit, that yours, Paul, are much more elegant than mine is.

[@paulbrodie]

Congrats! That's great you took the initiative to create a bicycle part. It is not always easy to make the part look good too. Thanks for watching 😉

[@douglas.turner]

Back in the day it was always a treat to see one of your bikes up on Baden Powell or behind Lynn Valley... so beautiful. And the tap handle in this video is also very beautiful. You have a real eye for objects of desire. Thank-you

[@Codename-B]

Its that day of the week!. Paul, we would LOVE a shop tour. Maybe some tips for those who want to start a small shop and the basics they would need equipment wise. Thank you!

[@paulbrodie]

Well, sounds like a shop tour might be on the list.. Thanks for watching!

[@marklohnes6313]

@@paulbrodie yay!

[@Mark-vx5dt]

Love the eyecrometer, hah! I really enjoy all the videos you've been putting up over the last year, hope you keep 'em coming!

[@leedale4008]

Very neat job as usual,you have the patience of a saint.

[@lawrencekeating5571]

As interesting as it is to watch you make the actual parts, it’s equally interesting to see your various jigs and fixtures needed to do so. In some respects, they’re more important than the actual part! One could devote a whole series to the design and fabrication of these tools. Fascinating as usual Paul 👍👍

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you Lawrence. I do like making fixtures :)

[@christopherglenister6263]

Another great short film of you and your work Paul. Thank you.

[@KECMTB]

Soon I have binged all of your content - can't wait to see what's next. I really enjoy all the tips and tricks. Best regards from Denmark 🇩🇰

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you Denmark!

[@lesterverne3454]

I remember as a kid buying a magazine called "Mountain Bike Action" here in Croatia. And there was a review of Brodie Sovereign... think it was in mid 90s. These kind of videos is joy to watch :)

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, MBA was huge back then. We did quite a bit of advertising with them for a few years. Thanks for watching!

[@whateverbikes]

Those were the days! I bought MBA and the German BIKE Magazine in The Netherlands, couldn’t wait to buy the new editions each month. Read them from cover to cover. Both magazines still exist, and that’s cool, but they have lost their shine for me, as ‘modern mountainbiking’ in general has. Too extreme, too expensive, too serious. I converted my ‘94 mtb to a sort of gravel bike and I honestly haven’t had such fun in years!

[@lesterverne3454]

@@whateverbikes That`s the beauty of biking. I had the best rides with my converted singlespeed Kona Lavadome with Ritchey dropouts. Now i ride a cheap knock off in style of Mike Flanigan`s A.N.T. that i built from Motobecane frame and parts from whatever lying around. If you can`t afford it then you make one by yourself :D

[@pirminkogleck4056]

wow, PAUL imust say i saw the 69er video yesterday and i gave u a subscription instant ......you are one of the best manual machinists i found so far...always explain everything into the details ...badass man ! i realy apreciate the work you do a lot ! big big respect goes out thanks for the content

[@paulbrodie]

Wow, thanks! Very nice comments.

[@pirminkogleck4056]

@@paulbrodie yes, no probs...i always apreciate when machinists share their knowledge, and the ones wich do manual machining are becoming a rare breed ..i started machining 8 months ago with my first lathe and a small benchtop mill and already make fantastic engines for model airplanes and other crazy stuf...at the moment i am building a 10ccm Diesel engine in the style of the 19th century....and therefor i value manual machinists a lot, especialy when every step is explained so well.Regards from Vienna /austria

[@paulbrodie]

@@pirminkogleck4056 Yes, most machine shops are CNC these days. I think I was fortunate to work in a manual machine shop when I left high school. That's great you are learning on your lathe and mill. There is a power in knowing and understanding how to create!

[@pirminkogleck4056]

@@paulbrodie absolutly, i agree..it helped me so much to get my dark matter freshed up again after 7 years of heroine abuse and living on the streets it helps me so much to get a new skillset aswell as basic understanding ofso many things....unfortunatley i made a cook aprenticeship and have to learn most of the stf myself but thats probably the best way to learn things...and thanks god we have youtube and guys like u to learn from ;)

[@paulbrodie]

@@pirminkogleck4056 I'm mostly self taught. It can be more expensive that way, if you make too many mistakes. But it can also be very rewarding because you are using a part of your brain that might not get used much in "regular" life. I have become much better at problem solving over the years, and for thinking through the process of fabrication. Good Luck!

[@madjh8]

As a RM (and Yeti) fan and old school bicycles lover, this channel is a great find. 😀 One of the legends and pioneers of MTB. Greetings from Spain. 🙂

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks for watching our videos.

[@scottzealley6458]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills Paul your a true master craftsmen, your channel is now one of my favorites, and thank you Mitch for the great camera work

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks for watching!

[@heyimamaker]

I'm actually curious about the story behind some of your machine tools. What order you bought them, if you bought used and from where. Stuff like that. Always a pleasure to watch :)

[@paulbrodie]

Well, that sounds like a few chapters of a book not yet written. A lot was purchased decades ago. I have learned to make things last.

[@Rollie396]

Some good tricks in this one. Thank you!

[@rickfazzini22]

Thanks Paul, that was great!! Cant wait for the hoodie to show up..

[@petepure3387]

Excellent as always Paul. Thank you. :)

[@thinkpadBentnoseTheBlind]

I used many a brake horseshoe in the day, but i did not like them. I also disliked the s -bend stays. i liked the feel of the flex of the stays. that was the brake feel to me. Perhaps i'm crazy.

[@paulbrodie]

You could be a little crazy. Not for me to say. Brake feel really is a subjective thing...

[@ShortCutSeason]

Hi Paul, very good work, I find your channel very inspiring. Id like to try and make a brake booster myself!

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks Mason. You should make a brake booster. A few hand tools will get you going!

[@robertkennedy4693]

Hi Paul, would it be to much to ask for a run down on your frame fixture that you have made? It seems to be anything BUT the norm compared to what others use. Cheers and hey, Merry Christmas.

[@WireWeHere]

A great addition to your lunchbrake.

[@441rider]

I'm pretty sure my graphics biz did some colour postcards of those Brodie brake braces around '93 on Hastings street. Small world if so, we had the caution bars window flooring at Cambie and Hastings store. The lathe reminded me of the labour of turning 4" blocks into BSA single sump plates with mag drain bolt before I sorted out CNC. Bought ya guys 5 coffees no Joe's cafe or Continental on Commercial but coffee.

[@paulbrodie]

You might be right, I simply cannot remember and we had office staff back then so someone else might have been in charge. Thanks for watching!

[@441rider]

@@paulbrodie We did Harold's start up graphics at Toxik frame painting stuff about the same time your postcard promo which was colourful. Have a great summer, skip tooth chain is worth about 20 or so coffee's LOL!

[@441rider]

​@@paulbrodie Oh I posted on this channel the Last vintage race day at Westwood for B Milthorp kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZ-VmZqPjJl8a5I

[@paulbrodie]

@@441rider Yes, I think I paid almost a hundred bucks for my skip tooth chain which is waiting patiently on a shelf...

[@matthewhoult5323]

Another great video! Thank you Paul and Mitch! What’s the story behind the red Colnago that is sitting behind you while you are working at the mill?

[@paulbrodie]

Thanks Matthew. The Colnago has a dent in the top tube. Not much of a story really..

[@BokorRider]

I had to google what these are ... I kept waiting for an explanation but then the video ended ! :D

[@paulbrodie]

Derek, you're just supposed to know what a Brake Booster is! Of course, if you do know, that will show your age.. Brake Boosters originated in the late 80's to stiffen and enhance the braking action of U-brakes.

[@BokorRider]

@@paulbrodie sold all my road bikes in the early 80's when I got my car licence ..did not own a bike again until my late 40's so missed all the mountain bike stuff..but its a basic Giant one I ride around on these days ! that shows my age :D

[@paulbrodie]

@@BokorRider As long as you get out and pedal once in a while, that's all that matters!

[@Kevin-tl4zw]

cool! what about cantilever boosters? :)

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, in the late 80's we made thousands of them. They were cast from magnesium, and we advertised them as "The world's lightest cantilever brake booster". If you search you should be able to find a couple for your bike :)

[@bbarber6845]

Another great video, but about that Colnago..... what’s happening there?

[@paulbrodie]

Thank you. Colnago has a dent in the top tube, that's all :)

[@uguyssss]

For us new motorcycle followers, what is a break booster?

[@paulbrodie]

A "brake booster" is used to strengthen the old style bicycle brakes: either a cantilever brake or a U-brake. If you watch the Romax build video, you will see a couple of boosters used on that bike. Thanks for watching!

[@TW39]

Are those made out off alloy

[@paulbrodie]

I made them from 6061-T6 Aluminum...

[@jimgourgoutis]

Hi Paul, what's the yellow BMW motorcycle hiding in the back? :D

[@paulbrodie]

You viewers sure have the Eagle Eye! That's my yellow 996. When I tell people that they automatically assume it's a Ducati. It's not. It's my Honda VTR, which is also a 996. The BMW emblem I put on the rear fender years ago is just to confuse people even more!

[@jimgourgoutis]

@@paulbrodie Hah! The yellow color, the roundish tank, the round dash gauges, and the BMW logo had me thinking it might be a 1990s BMW F650! Wow was I wrong!

[@Vip-db2mq]

top top top um ótimo profissional mesmo pena que aqui no brasil não tenha pessoas como o sr...parabéns o sr.tem face?

[@criggie]

What about finishing them in a tumbler of some sort?

[@paulbrodie]

Yes that can work. I don't currently have a tumbler.

[@aaronmouldey2253]

The mind controls the hand. The hand controls the bandsaw, drill press, lathe and milling machine. These parts are indeed "handmade". At least, that's my 2 cents.

[@h-j.k.8971]

Well surley by your definition its "mind" made ;-)

[@ccbproductsmulti-bendaustr3200]

👌

[@leecurry8170]

Making bike trials guys happy!

[@petewright2283]

Hi Paul can we buy them?

[@paulbrodie]

Sorry, they sold out right away.

[@petewright2283]

@@paulbrodie Hi Paul no worries. Well I’ll take a pair sent to the UK if you’d ever do a batch again. Thank you for getting back to me.

[@michaelratliff7775]

R U sure? lol the intro surprised me!

[@paulbrodie]

Sure.

[@karmakoma9743]

Damn you and your videos, every time I watch one I wanna buy all old bikes frames on CL and start rebuilding lol then I look at my bank account and not gonna happen BUT wait there's the credit cards :) Rebuild now pay later lol

[@paulbrodie]

Yes, collecting can become an obsession!

[@leslielawson3309]

In school for accounting watching this LOL

[@-MacCat-]

Dear (insert your prefered god(s) here) we thank you for CAD and waterjet cutting. 😄

[@sparkyjackson8479]

Cnc s are great but not for 10 parts you would prob still be setting it up by the time youve fin 10 on the manuals, good job though

[@paulbrodie]

Yes you are 100% correct. Thanks for watching!

[@sparkyjackson8479]

@paul brodie I like the manual machines it feels like your really doing something, getting involved. Cnc s are distanced from that un clamp, clamp a new one down press "bang" and its off with little input from you

[@paulbrodie]

@@sparkyjackson8479 I agree with your thoughts on CNC. Thanks for watching...

[@Biohazed]

I finally found out why people keep posting comments with the words Minecraft, ASMR, PewDiePie, MrBeast, Pokemon card unboxing, and Call of Duty on my channel. Apparently it gives you a ridiculously unfair boost in the algorithm.

[@eduardosampoia5480]

I'll take v brakes over u brakes any day.

[@daos3300]

hmm. if you're using the eyechrometer, it's handmade.

[@paulbrodie]

I like using my eyechrometer. It's been good to me :)