Jan, I remember when Campagnolo brakes came out and all the riders were really looking forward to them. However when we found out the price was going t o be $60 no one could believe it. Other side pull brakes were available fo r something like $10/set, how could these brakes be 10 times better. This is a good example of Campagnolo's marketing strategy. These brakes are real ly nothing new (in 1969), but are made with very good attention to detail, choice of materials and finish. At that time Campy had most of the best racers on contract, so as long as the brakes worked the pros would be seen
riding with them. Other bike parts makers would have had a much harder t ime making such a large jump in the price, so would not have made such a nicel y made component. I got the first set of Campy brakes in Portland, no name
arm calipers on my Raleigh Pro, in 1970. The list has gone over the pro and con on these over the last week. They did work very well in my opinion, I used them on my ride from Portland to Panama on this bike. This was a cy cle camping ride, I had around 50lbs of gear mostly on the front. I learned a lot on this ride and started making frames when I returned. During the t ime I made bikes I used mostly Campagnolo brakes and Mafac canilever for most touring bikes. I did try and liked the Mafac Top 63 centerpull. These were a bear to set up but worked well. The other centerpull brakes were in my
opinion not made anywhere near nice enough to be taken seriously. Modern
brakes work so much better than any of these period brakes it is like nigh t and day, but the Campy side pull is still a workable brake.
Jim Merz Big Sur CA
I am really enjoying your informative posts on brake technologies and designs. Thanks for enlightening me. (Nothing like hanging out in Dale 's garage, talking about bikes with 1600 of my closest friends!)
Your comments about CP and SP brakes staying centered or not below may be correct from a theoretical standpoint, but I have had both types of brakes
(CP and SP)"spring" back unevenly and/or asymmetrically due to sticky pivots, springs of unequal strength/wear, and other problems. On-road braking performance depends not only on product design, but on proper setup, good maintenance, and good luck on the road (As in avoiding "hidden " pot holes that can make round, true rims wobbly). The bending required t o properly toe in Mafac Racers was very hard for me to get precisely right, and I often ended up with slightly asymmetrical brake pads, no matter how hard I tried.
Learning all the time, I am appreciatively yours,
Jon Spangler (Normally in Alameda but emailing from Redwood City, California USA for th e night)
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