Vintage Components - Mafac Brake Hoods

Mafac Brake Hoods on this page: White pair of brake lever half-hoods #1, 3rd generation | Pair of white lever half-hoods #2 | White brake lever single half-hood, 3rd generation

Mafac brakes and levers are posted here.

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"MAFAC" is an acronym: "Manufacture Auvergnoise de Freins et Accessoires pour Cycle (Manufacturer in the Auvergne of Brakes and Accessories for Cycles.) The Auvergne is a region in central France.

When Mafac brakes were introduced at the 1952 Paris bike show, they were the first classic center-pull and were a fabulous advance over the poor-stopping side-pulls of the time. They required so little effort their tag line was, “Braking with one finger is enough”.

1952 Mafac ad

Important to cyclists of the time, they were powerful and still allowed large frame clearances for fenders and mud. Through a quirk of physics, bigger clearances for fenders means side-pull brakes have less mechanical advantage and thus less stopping power. In the 1950s, dirt roads were far from unknown in Europe and on a rainy day a bike without fenders could get fouled with mud to the point of being unrideable.

For a time, Mafac center-pull brakes were the state-of-the art and were used by the world's finest racers, such as five-time Tour de France winner Jacques Anquetil. Other big brake makers, notably Weinmann of Switzerland and Universal of Italy, didn’t come out with center-pulls until the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Mafac brakes being used by a pair of the greatest riders of all time. 1964 Tour de France, stage 20: Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor in their famous race up Puy de Dôme. Anquetil narrowly saved his lead to win the Tour.

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Mafac white brake lever set of half-hoods, 3rd generation, set #1. Used, $120.00/set of two

• These hoods are from the classic Mafac brake levers of the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes called 3rd-generation levers.

Wonderful old parts from a time long ago.

Here they are turned around.

Side view

From the other side.

Underneath. The metal prongs slip between the lever and the handlebars to keep the hoods in place.

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Mafac white brake lever set of half-hoods, set #2. Used, $20.00/set of two

• These hoods are from the classic Mafac brake levers of the 1960s and 1970s.
• One hood is missing the metal tab that fits between the lever and the handlebar. See third picture.

The tops of the hoods.

Here they are, turned around.

The undersides of the hoods. You can see the hood on the left is missing its metal tab.

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Mafac white brake lever single half-hood, 3rd generation. Used, $60.00/single hood

This hood is from the classic Mafac brake levers of the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes called 3rd-generation levers.

Just the thing for that classic French bike.

Here's the same hood turned around.

Top view

Top view, turned around

Underneath. The metal prong on the right slips between the lever and the handlebars to keep it in place.