Bicycle Mechanics - Campy long reach brakes?

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I don't fit into either of your categories, particularly (I wouldn't mind riding Campy, and I'd like a frame designed for long-reach brakes), but I'd say just run Shimano or Tektro long-reach brakes. Tektro might be the safe bet if you're against mixing Campy and Shimano. And of course, the Tektro gives you a quick-release on the calipers themselves, which, when combined with the quick-release on the Campy Ergo brake lever, gives you enough clearance to open the calipers for 32c tires. If you wanna do that with your frame that's designed to handle it, of course.

Without knowing specific models or years, I expect Campy brakes from the 70's or earlier would be available in "long reach" (then it was called standard reach) form. Pose this question on the Campy Only web site and i'm sure you will get plenty of details. Keep in mind these will certainly be single pivot calipers.

I use Shimano Ultegra brakes on my various road bikes with Campi Mirage, Veloce & Chorus components since my Bianchi bike came with Shimano clone brakes and I wanted to standardize on a single brake pad. No problems.

I can't give you specific dates when these were offered, but I just bought an 80's vintage Trek that has long reach campy brakes. The bike was designed for 27 inch wheels, but now has 700c which are smaller. The brake pads just work at their lowest position.

I also have two sets of Suntour Superbe long reach of the same vintage (well, probably over a 5 or more year period) that were basically campy copies. One set is on my '77 vintage Trek, which was designed for 27 inch wheels. These are routinely for sale on ebay, and sell for anywhere from $30 to $100 depending on condition, etc.

How much reach do you need? I do know the Centaur and Veloce brakes do 42mm-52mm of reach which is 2mm more than Chorus and Record. For reference the DA-7800 brakes get out to 49mm so that is about 3mm more...not a lot but a little. The BR600 from Shimano does 57mm of reach.

Any of that help?

How much reach do you need? I do know the Centaur and Veloce brakes do 42mm-52mm of reach which is 2mm more than Chorus and Record. For reference the DA-7800 brakes get out to 49mm so that is about 3mm more...not a lot but a little. The BR600 from Shimano does 57mm of reach.

Any of that help?
The frame I'm considering ( in addition to the Roubaix :)) is a Gunnar Sport.

http://www.gunnarbikes.com/images/Sport118web.jpg

The website (http://www.gunnarbikes.com/sport.php) specs a 57mm brake. The BR600 or Tektro seem to be the best/only options. I did find that Mercian uses Shimano brakes on their Campy equipped Audax (roadie with fenders) bikes...SACRILEGE!

By the way, how are you enjoying Carbon vs. Steel?

For those of you who are campy fans and ride frames that require long reach brakes (47-57mm), what do you use for brakes?

Thanks!

You can score NOS Modolo brakes on ebay easy enough. If you are going afer a Gunnar standard brakes should work. Call Richard Schwinn up and ask. He would be more than helpful. Always helped me out with questions on his bikes. Good luck and try some Veloce brakes, very good value for the money.

Tim

I recently upgraded an '80s 27" bike to 700C wheels and had to change the brakes. I ended up with a Shimano R600 caliper in the front and a no-name caliper - just longer than 57mm - in the rear. I got that one from Harris(but it's not on their website). It's in between the R600 calipers and the Tektro 984. It looks like a Chinese clone of a Shimano dual pivot. They are black finish only and $25 for a single caliper.
Works fine for a rear brake. I figured a brake with a reach that long might be a little mushy, but I can't tell the difference.

You might do a search for Campy drop bolts, which may be available as N.O.S. from some bike shops that were around in the early '70s. Here's what they look like (this version is for dual-pivot Campys):

http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1393

You might do a search for Campy drop bolts, which may be available as N.O.S. from some bike shops that were around in the early '70s. Here's what they look like (this version is for dual-pivot Campys):

http://harriscyclery.net/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1393

FYI, I recently tried to get one of those from Harris and they told me that they were "out of stock - available by special order only and lead time of at least a couple of months".

Plus, it says right on that page that the item is out of stock or not available for internet purchase. They told me that they were a custom machine shop item that they would special order. It's a solution if you can afford the lead time, but not readily available.

Then they pointed me at the "longer" reach brakes that I ended up buying and they work fine.

Fendered roadie (audax) frames seem to be more common in Europe than the US and these bikes require longer (57mm) brakes. The Roadie is basically an audax frame with a tall head tube.

Understanding that, I was surprised to find that Campagnolo doesn't offer long reach calipers. I guess their focus is exclusively on racing style bikes...

I know this thread is a bit stale, but has any looked at the IRD B57 brake at http://www.interlocracing.com/brake_rd.html? It seems to be very similar to the Tektro 521. I'm getting ready to build up a Gunnar Sport with Campy Centaur components and am looking for some brakes. I really don't want the Shimanos or Tektros (although the Tektros seem to get good reviews), but haven't found any actual reveiws or comments on the IRD B57s.

I saw the IRD's and concluded they were the Tektros with a different logo. That may not be true, but it seems unlikely.
v
http://www.interlocracing.com/roadbrake05.jpghttp://sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/tektrocalipers.jpg

Where'd you get the Sport and Campy stuff. The best I've found on that frame is full MSRP with free shipping. The Centaur build kits at GVH look pretty competitive if you need everything.

I got the frame off eBay - new 2004 Sport, so it has the old geometry and tubing, as opposed to the OS2 tubing and semi-compact geometry of the current models. I hope it fits okay. This is actually my first road bike (not counting my Schwinn Varsity of 30 years ago). I've been pretty much a mountain biker, but I'm looking forward to riding the Sport. I plan to buy most of my parts from GVH. Looks like the Tektros are probably the best bet for brakes.