Hmm. Well you would'nt want to saw the center section out of the hub - what would be holding the bearing cups apart ? Seems to me that would'nt work too well. The integrity of the wheel is all about dimensional stability under load. The hub center section keeps the flanges in axial relationship. If they move, there's a sinewave effect imparted to the rim.
As for brakes, the Campy side pulls had real beefy bearing area in the arms, and a nice solid pivot bolt. Under braking loads, the arms are trying to flex and that causes all kinds of hysteresis that results in spongy feel, poor braking, or even skweeeeeling.
And don't be knockin' brazed on pivots, they make a HUGE difference in how braking loads are transferred to the frame. I once saw a Cuevas Paris-Sport with brazed on bosses for campagnolo brakes. Hmm.
from the catapult of...
Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA