Originally Posted by
cny-bikeman
I will admit that I have zero experience with using double pivot brakes, as I started with centerpull, when to sidepull and then to cantilever. But it makes perfect sense they would provide better power, as they combine the shorter pivot to pad distance of a centerpull with the direct cable connection between arms of a sidepull. Maybe once I'm retired I'll get a 2nd performance bike in addition to my tourer and I'll find out first-hand.
As has been discussed to death in this forum in the past, any brake that can lock the wheels of a bike is plenty strong enough and decent single pivots can certainly do that. The benefit of double pivots is that you can get the same level of braking with less hand pressure. That's not important in a single stop but can be a real benefit on a long down hill where continuous or frequent braking is needed to moderate your speed. The reduction in hand fatigue is very apparent and very worthwhile.