Jeff Pyzyk wrote:
"This Masi, like others I have seen (including one of my own), has opposite brake cable routing compared to what is common today. I've allways used left for front and right for rear, but apparently this wasn't the case with many bikes and/or builders of the 50's, 60's, and 70's."
Jeff,
It's an Italian thing, that is the cable routing. When you're racing and need to slow down in a turn, the front brake is the only safe one to use. Hit the rear brake and you hit the ground. Braking makes a bike come upright (vertical) and that combined with the lean in a turn causes the rear end to slide.
Michael Allison
New York, NY
USA