Originally Posted by John E

1. I have Campag. sidepulls on the Bianchi, and they were dangerous with Shimano pads, but now work well for me with modern cables, KoolStop pads, and Shimano aero brake handles, which fit my hands properly while providing 15 percent more leverage than the originals, which also were slightly "out of reach" for me to grab a fistful of brake in an emergency stop.

2. You can easily distinguish butted from plain gauge tubing by measuring the seat post diameter, since "double butted" tubing is not butted at the top of the seat tube. (For your bike, 27.2mm would indicate the good stuff; 26.4 to 26.6, plain gauge.)