NOS Vintage CLB City Touring Alloy Brake Lever Set Randonneur Constructeur

Description: This is an NOS, unused pair of vintage CLB brake levers for porteur/constructeur/city bike style handlebars. Rare as hens teeth! I believe the clamp diameter to be 23.8mm based on my measurements with a digital caliper, but do not have a set of French bars to test this on. Length of lever is 110mm, with a slight curve to each lever to conform to handlebars better. Levers are circa 1979/1980. Aluminum is bright, shiny, and shows no signs of age. Leave them as-is, or they can be polished to a mirror finish with a little bit of effort. In other words, these are MINTY FRESH! A Brief History of CLB CLB were second only to Mafac as the leading post-WW2 French manufacturer of brakes. Like many French cycle component manufacturers they were located in St Etienne, specifically the suburb of St Chamond. CLB history typifies the history of the French cycle component industry post World War Two: initially very innovative then core products marketed for a long period of time. Finally, decline in the 1970’s caused by a failure to understand and respond to the changing market and demise in the 1980’s. CLB seems to have emerged at the end of WW2. Brakes of the 1940’s/50’s are marked CLB ALP. Their full business name was Angenieux CLB SA. Their full business name was Angenieux CLB SA. CLB stands for the initials of the founder Charles Lozier Bourgoin. CLB used the initials for advertising slogans, e.g. Ce Le Bre and Cha Leger Bloque. 1940’s and 50’s, CLB’s HeydayBefore WW2 a number of French companies had marketed alloy brakes. The most successful of these was Lam who realised that it was necessary to use more metal when switching from steel to alloy otherwise the brake would flex and offer very poor braking. Lam are also credited with being the first company to offer a hooded lever (mid 30’s) which enable the lever body to be used as a position for the hands.CLB levers until the late 50’s have the clip as part of the lever body. This was also a feature of Lam, Burlite and early GB levers, an idea soon dropped by manufacturers due to the high incidence of fracture. From their early days until their demise CLB made levers in different sizes.1960’s and 1970’sDuring the 1960’s they were imported by Ron Kitching. In the 1960’s/70’s British manufacturers and riders began to favour Weinmann as the brake of choice; CLB equipped British bikes were extremely unusual.Throughout the 1970’s CLB’s main focus was on reducing weight. Lighter and lighter alloys were trialled; levers were drilled and even titanium used for some very expensive brakes. They had some success in breaking into the US market during the mid 1970’s. It is interesting to note despite the change of material and design the distinctive quick release was retained. They even tried to lighten the brake cables, marketing an alloy cable (model Duralinox) for the true lightweight obsessive. ….. someone who would put weight saving above safety. (It is just the outer housing which is lightweight alloy. The cable itself it steel like any other. There is no safety risk involved in using the CLB housing.) DemiseIn 1984 they were taken over by Sachs who had three years earlier bought Huret and Maillard. Around this time they took part in a joint venture with Vitus who marketed aluminium frames. The brakes continued for a few more years under the CLB name and then disappeared. Sachs found that CLB and other French companies with their outdated factories, outdated management and union practices were simply unable to compete in the modern world. With the exception of some top quality cantilevers for the Sachs New Success ATB group set Sachs ceased brake production. A nice touch is that these final products have a brake shoe is actually shoe shaped! I am happy to provide MORE PICTURES at your request. Please take your time to view EVERY picture supplied in the auction. Payment Policy All items must be paid for promptly via Paypal if listed at a "Buy It Now" price, or within three days of the close of the auction for standard auctions. Shipping Policy I ship to residential or commercial addresses anywhere within the lower 48 states of the USA. I do not ship anywhere else. I am happy to accept local pick up in Brooklyn, New York. All items will be boxed and shipped within two business days of receiving payment. If you need rush service, please let me know. I can ship via another service (2nd Day, Overnight, etc.) for extra fees. I always provide professional packaging to prevent shipping damages.

Price: 124.99 USD

Location: Brooklyn, New York

End Time: 2025-01-20T22:47:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD