Altenburger Brilliant Brakes -- Quick Release?

Danny1962

I recently bought a cute little folding bike for my 5'1" wife, it's a German bike from around 1980. The bike is a Kalkhoff and although it's perfectly usable as it is I'm tidying it up.

I'm changing the chain, the tyres and the tubes, all of which could well be original. Also I'm going to sort out the rust on the mudguards (bare steel?? :? ) and get them looking nice again. All of which involves getting the wheels off, and thus loosening the brakes.

Here's my question: the brakes are Altenburger Brilliants. Is there a quick release mechanism that I've not spotted?

These types of side pull brakes were often used on small wheeled bikes in the 1980s, apparently. I'm sure braking technology has moved on a lot since then, and so these brakes may well not have features that are found on modern bikes. But if the quick release facility is there, I'd like to use it.

Photos of the mechanism are here... https://picasaweb.google.com/1100556695 ... 6341511474
https://picasaweb.google.com/1100556695 ... 6854802498

and the preceding four photos from the album are of the bike itself.

supersonic

As far as I am aware, there is no mechanism - will have to release the cable.

Danny1962

Yes indeed... no quick release. This has now been confirmed via a different source too.

It wasn't a common feature on bikes of that generation.

supersonic

These type of brakes used to crop up a lot on kids budget bikes too, right until up a few years ago.

The hardest part is spring and pad adjustment. Once that is ok, the cable is not a problem really, just clamp up as before after.