Classic & Vintage - Campagnolo Long Reach Brake Levers

How do you identify them?

Bicycle Classics claims they were made up until about 1973... when did they switch from the circular cable insertion hole to the "U"? 1973? Also aren't the shields really close to the top of the blade? When were the first factory super record levers introduced?

Why?

I am pretty sure this ebay seller is trying to pull the wool over prospective buyer... I'll never understand why people try to do this as all the bike nuts I know pound the details out of everything so I expect most would see right through it.

Here is the ebay listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270357715339&indexURL=0#ebayphotohosting

Problems I see.

1. Seller claims these are drilled nuovo record levers but the holes are clearly later super record style distorted in the bend because they were forged like that and then bent to shape. I could stop there as that is enough evidence to dismiss the ad.

2. you can see the slight "cut away" on the back of the body of ONE lever to alloy a smoother transition to the bar as it would allow you to "suck" the lever in closer as the clamp fit into this cut-away.. clearly a later addition though I don't know when.

3. Every campagnolo lever that came from the factory was anodized unless I am unaware of some extremely rare first production run levers. The seller has obviously polished them (though he tires to make light of how shiny they are, mentioning they are polished and "still" shine) and he neglects to indicate that.

4. He appears to know something about vintage campagnolo but neglects to point out the most easily identifiable features of the early levers, like the circle versus "U" and position of shield.

5. I don't believe that the early levers came with washers on the clamps... though I still have to scrutinize the catalogs to confirm that.

What say ye? I may still bid because they look pretty nice but I won't go too high, though I fear those attracted to the shine might bid them up.

They look exactly like my pair of mid-80s SR levers, to me, but I'm not the sort of person who pays attention to little details like washers on clamps or date codes on cone nuts or the like. Top of logos looks about right to me.

These are indeed as described an early version of Super Record, hence pre-1976. You can tell this by the pointed lever blade.

As the levers being offered were undoubtedly quite scratched up the seller has polished them up on a buffing wheel removing the anodizing. This is quite common, as scraped ones are often the only ones that come available and are still better than nothing. A properly anodized set of these levers will go for considerably more than shiney ones like those being offered.

As for the holes being forged and bent, this is how absolutely ALL super record levers were made. If you believe anything else, you have been suckered into believing a lie perpetrated by a sicko from Boston. You can see another set of first generation super record levers here: http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/maasland/1975-Galmozzi/Galmozzi+brake+lever.JPG.html these ones have not been buffed shiny.

So what makes them "long reach"? Was there a "short reach"?

So what makes them "long reach"? Was there a "short reach"?

I believe the angle of the lever arm itself is designed to stick out a bit farther then usual, in addition to a slight variance in the sharpness of the lever's curved pattern. Here's a photo of an NOS, standard-reach SR lever:

http://www.jaysmarine.com/sr_lever_short.jpg

Note that the front of the lever body and the lever itself are parallel on this example, while the same comparison on the eBay examples show that the levers sit about 5 degrees sharper then the lever body.

-Kurt

Also, on the short reach version, the "toe" of the lever doesn't extend as far below the curve.

Ok, I see a subtle difference there. I don't think I ever would have noticed that otherwise.

They do appear as early Super Record, but I have never seen a polished pair, this is where one has to see them in hand, and look carefully at the back side.

And to think way back I traded away a set so I could have the modified levers that were easier to grasp.

At least I stopped in time when I needed to.

The modified design for cable access was much more mechanic friendly too.

At the time talk at the bike shop was they modified the lever shape in part for the CPSC, but they predated the other modifications by some months.

These are indeed as described an early version of Super Record, hence pre-1976. You can tell this by the pointed lever blade.

As the levers being offered were undoubtedly quite scratched up the seller has polished them up on a buffing wheel removing the anodizing. This is quite common, as scraped ones are often the only ones that come available and are still better than nothing. A properly anodized set of these levers will go for considerably more than shiney ones like those being offered.

As for the holes being forged and bent, this is how absolutely ALL super record levers were made. If you believe anything else, you have been suckered into believing a lie perpetrated by a sicko from Boston. You can see another set of first generation super record levers here: http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/maasland/1975-Galmozzi/Galmozzi+brake+lever.JPG.html these ones have not been buffed shiny.

Thank-you kindly. Exactly the type of response I hoped to get.

It is obvious the seller polished them, but the fact that he is vague about it is what troubled me and set off some of the alarm bells. He makes is seem as if the finish is original, when clearly, as you stated, it is not.

Thanks for the clarification on the holes... I knew I heard somewhere they the earliest versions were drilled and I swear I have looked at a bike where the owner said he "drilled" the original super record holes to make it look like the "earlier ones" which were drilled... I am glad to have cleared that up.

So based on the information it would date these levers 1973-1976, even though the lever bodies might be different we can be sure about the blades.

Here is another pict that demonstrates the difference in sharpness of the end of the lever (from a Japanese web site):

http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~campa/s-R01000921.jpg

The website also notes other distictions; link to the Google translated page:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.ocn.ne.jp%2F%7Ecampa%2Fnewpage10.htm&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


stan

The website also notes other distictions; link to the Google translated page:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww1.ocn.ne.jp%2F%7Ecampa%2Fnewpage10.htm&sl=ja&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Pretty good site, though it fails to note that the later levers - those with the U shaped opening at the bottom - did come in long-reach as well.

-Kurt

Look at the seller's completed listings (http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=so&sbrftog=1&dfsp=1&satitle=&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sadis=200&fpos=98814&sabfmts=1&fis=2&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&seller=1&sass=muzpuf&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1), he already sold some undrilled long reach levers for....$76.00!!

Most of his stuff is bringing in unbelievable amounts of dough. SR rear derailer, $130.00 etc. Lots of polishing this guy went through, that's for sure.

Fine presentation, well cleaned and shiny components, good images, and abundant use of the term 'rare', that's how to make money on Ebay.

and abundant use of the term 'rare', that's how to make money on Ebay.

Abundant use of the word "rare" usually conjures up the thought of Numbskull of The Day, in my book.

I don't believe in hype unless the item genuinely deserves the specific praises given to it - the hype must balance with the item, and never exceed it. A lesser item with copious seller hype usually gets the boot if I'm trolling about eBay - either that, or it gets NoTD'ed.

-Kurt

Look at the seller's completed listings (http://search-completed.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=so&sbrftog=1&dfsp=1&satitle=&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sadis=200&fpos=98814&sabfmts=1&fis=2&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&seller=1&sass=muzpuf&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1), he already sold some undrilled long reach levers for....$76.00!!

Most of his stuff is bringing in unbelievable amounts of dough. SR rear derailer, $130.00 etc. Lots of polishing this guy went through, that's for sure.

Fine presentation, well cleaned and shiny components, good images, and abundant use of the term 'rare', that's how to make money on Ebay.

Geez! The prices he is bringing are absurd compared to most of the going rates (you have to wonder:notamused:). He is consistently mislabeling things which really doesn't impress me. For example "Super Record" Bottom brackets. He has sold two which he is calling super record, one of which was Nuovo the other which was straight. I am sure he is delivering what you see in the photo but has used car salesman tactics all over it...

Yeah, that guy is near me, he has been selling tons and tons of stuff. It's to bad that his presentation is good, for me that is.

Here's another one.

This guy is a madman with the buffing wheel...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Campy-head-set-Campagnolo-Super-Record-headset_W0QQitemZ270350674931QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270350674931&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318

nowhere does he say he polished this. I mean it looks great, but it's nowhere near original... usually this type of thing matters to the afficionados so these prices seem a little strange. This headset bright nearly as much as an NOS one should have.

I can polished the marks out of my super record headsets too! Maybe I should!

..but he's calling a plain SR crank for 'a very rare and highly sought after crankset', and after polishing the hell out of it, ka-ching, $190. And that's without caps and bolts, which are sold separately for an additional $30.00. Ahh, another triick to remember: Part out to the extreme.

I have an actual Super Record bottom bracket. I thought all of them were titanium. I'm guessing he is getting a premium over what a Neuvo Record bottom bracket usually sells for.

Excessively polished finishes on campy stuff looks wrong to me. None of the stuff this guy is selling came with a high polish.

Looks as if the Ray Dobbins "polished-to-the-hilt" look sells...

-Kurt

Of course polish sells!

Polish -> Shiny.
Shiny = New.

Excessive use of capital letters always smacks of hucksterism....

Here's another one.

This guy is a madman with the buffing wheel...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Campy-head-set-Campagnolo-Super-Record-headset_W0QQitemZ270350674931QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item270350674931&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318

nowhere does he say he polished this. I mean it looks great, but it's nowhere near original... usually this type of thing matters to the afficionados so these prices seem a little strange. This headset bright nearly as much as an NOS one should have.

I can polished the marks out of my super record headsets too! Maybe I should!

I'm not even sure that's a Super Record. I though Record and Nuovo Record were chromed steel, and SR were aluminum with inset steel races, except for the fixed upper race and the crown race. These look like all steel to me. The cup bodies do not have the correct color for polished aluminum. The lettered spacer is a SR part, but it could have been swapped around from set to set (been there, done that).

OTOH, the condition of the race surfaces is exceptional, and very hard to find.

Road Fan

I have an actual Super Record bottom bracket. I thought all of them were titanium. I'm guessing he is getting a premium over what a Neuvo Record bottom bracket usually sells for.

Excessively polished finishes on campy stuff looks wrong to me. None of the stuff this guy is selling came with a high polish.

You are correct, that is why it bugs me.

I'm not even sure that's a Super Record. I though Record and Nuovo Record were chromed steel, and SR were aluminum with inset steel races, except for the fixed upper race and the crown race. These look like all steel to me. The cup bodies do not have the correct color for polished aluminum. The lettered spacer is a SR part, but it could have been swapped around from set to set (been there, done that).

OTOH, the condition of the race surfaces is exceptional, and very hard to find.

Road Fan

I am pretty sure it is SR, if you look closely I think you can see that it is an inset race. the polish is so high you could swear it's chrome but just look at the wrench areas, the corners are way to rounded to be steel. He has lost some of the sharpness in the polishing process. I bet the person that bought that installs it and leave some nice big wrench marks and all the work comes to naught.