Bulla brakes
Chris Hutchinson
After
I aquired a single front brake calliper I searched the internet for
some information about it. On 'Wool Jersey' Aldo Ross has photos of
stars from the 1930's, amongst them Fernand Cornez and the Austrian Max
Bulla. Aldo notes that components were named after two of the group:
toeclips and straps for Cornez and Bulla's brakes. Further research revealed that Bulla was born in Vienna in September 1905 and died relatively recently in March 1990. He won three stages in the 1931 Tour de France riding as a touriste-routier, wore the Yellow Jersey for a day, and finished only 1 hour 51 minutes down on the great Antonin Magne. In the 1935 Vuelta he finished fifth, taking two stages - quite a rider!
Searching through Holdsworth's Aids to Happy Cycling I found the Bulla brake first listed in 1938 (left), then offered in steel or alloy.
Post-war the brakes appeared again in 1954 (see iamge on the right), only the alloy version is offered, but now with the quick release which is fitted to my example.
 |
 Above and left: Two views of the alloy Bulla brake showing the quick release with its over-centre action |
Below: Max Bulla also put his name to shoe-plates
