Originally Posted by
wens
OT, but at some point weren't Campy brakes so superior to at least one alternative that professional riders who were sponsored by the "other" company would brake on descents by grabbing a rider with Campy brakes, and this was accepted/expected?
I have never heard this or anything like it in a lifetime of hearing apocryphal cycling stories. I can't imagine when this would have taken place as Campagnolo standard reach brakes were much worse than all the centerpull brakes in use in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. Campagnolo's fix was the creation of the short reach sidepull that was as good as a standard reach centerpull but required a frame design that only could accept smaller tires and no clearance for fenders. Which is fine on racing bikes for which these anemic brakes were intended.
Today the centerpull brake has been morphed slightly into the dual pivot design allows the easier routing of brake cable and housing of the sidepull and everyone is happy with great braking performance.