Bob Angle asked: <snip> I saw a comment that "Continental riders used Mafac brakes w/ Universal levers" and this is the way I got the bike. Does anyone know why they did this?
Bob, I don't know why, but I do know one thing: The universal levers had substantially less leverage than Mafacs. This meant that they feel much stiffer, but don't put as much force on the rim for a given hand pull. Some may have prefered the stiffer feel and faster travel of the pad toward the rim. Also, it would allow setting the brake shoes further from the rim, if you worry about rims going out of true during a race.
No, I don't remember what drove me to do the measurements of all the
classic levers on hand one evening decades ago. Your mileage may vary.
harvey sachs
mcLean va