Product Description
NOS Westpine Scissor Brake: RARE 1990's Boutique Brand - WTB Gripmaster Pads (Take-Off)
This absurdly rare Westpine Scissor Brake circa mid 1990's was one of the weirdest and most effective brakes of the era. Westpine created the design for the Avid Tri-Align and licensed it to them, and they're also known for their exotic Neutron hubs.. This brake is a blend of the McMahon Scissor Brake, Campagnolo Delta brakes, and rollercam brakes. It has a diamond linkage that has a built in cable stop that squashes and elongates when the lever is pulled. The linkage is adjustable so you can use both long and short pull brake levers. They reportedly have power/modulation better than hydraulic rim brakes and all the disc brakes of the era.
These brakes were modular, and different braces were made to allow them to be mounted to various forks of the era as well as canti studs for rear brakes and rigid forks. This one comes with the large milled out brace that mounts directly to your rear brake bosses. I believe it can be used on the front too, but I can't quite tell. It seems like you could drill holes in your brace of choice to mount these on any fork without a built in brace (Have not confirmed this info).
Info about these brakes is scarce, but what you can find is a people looking for them, handful of people saying they were amazingly powerful but too expensive and just as small a handful of people confused about how they work/mount. They came out at an inopportune time, right as forks were coming with built in braces so not many were made. Maybe your retro mtb restoration has been looking for one weirdo attention getting piece? It would be lovely in a shop/personal display or as a gift for the cyclist in your life who thinks they already have one of everything.
Condition
New old stock, installed on a show bike and only test ridden. This brake is extremely clean and show worthy. There are a few marks in the linkage area (haven't tried hard to remove them) and even tinier ones elsewhere not noting. Includes mounting bolts and shims.
Details
- Pads: WTB Gripmaster in silver, dual-compound
- CNC polished alloy (or silver ano?)
