Changing Caliper to Dual Pivot on older road bike

[gusk]

Hello. I have an older 1980's steel frame road bike (an Australian local brand called Ricardo - it's the Elite) and I was wondering if I can change the brakes over from the Diacomp dual pivot with the short pads to a more modern Dual Pivot Tektro, Ultegra etc.
Has anyone tried this? Are the holes on the rear stays and front forks deep enough and in the correct position to reach 27 inch rims?
Help appreciated.
Cheers<br />
gusk

[Alex Ramon]

As far as I know, you should be able to upgrade the brakes using the center mount that is holding your dual pivot brakes on.

[cyclerUK]

As long as you have the central mounting hole then you should be able to mount any modern brake. ( I assume you have a "tube" bridge and not a flat plate bridge?)<br />
Two things to consider.
1:- Older brakes just had a bolt that went right through the bridge (or fork top) and was secured by a nut on the end.<br />
New ones tend to have an Allen key "bush" which is possibly of a larger diameter than the original bolt hole. You could drill out (entry side only) and enlarge the hole to accept the bush. DO THIS WITH CARE !.
2:- Generally there are 2 sizes of brake drop. (the distance from the mounting hole to the rim of the wheel). 49mm & 57mm. Make sure you have the one to suit your bike.
There are variations on mounting so I would compare your setup with a bike that has something similar to what you require. Or if you are buying from a local shop then take the bike to them for advice.
This website may also help:-<br />
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brake-calipers.html#47-57

[gusk]

Thanks. Good stuff. I actually was lent a modern road bike on the weekend so I will try to transplant it's breaks onto the oldie.
Cheers
gusk