It's true, that beyond what the users can report, is the engineers design intention. I can't pretend to understand the mathmatics involved in making these little moveable bridges or the troubles you'd come across machining them. With that said, I would've thought the rigidity of the arms was one of the defining characteristics of the final braking action because it seems so obvious (Especially when comparing the Super Record, which really springs forward under hard braking, vs something like the Dura Ace, which only moves a tad); but then along comes the Dia Compe Edge, which'll have you eating the dirt before you in an instant if you're not careful, and flexes a great deal under load. I'm not sure I really want to know why that is, but it surely is.


[/QUOTE] I just wanted to point out that the designed-in absolute performance of your collection of brakesets are quite a bit closer to one another than one would expect provided that the pads and cables/housings are optimised by the end user for his application and preferred actuation feel.[/QUOTE]

Test methodology is always worth a question because it's very difficult for an end user to dedicate lots of money to making a more perfect comparison. I'm guilty as charged in a number of ways, but can say that I am experienced as a bike mechanic and can set up a properly functional sidepull to maximum performance without trouble. Most of the brakes tested were tested with similar (mostly identical because I have a large stock and change out cables on new acquisitions almost always) new cable/housings and all are cut to proper length. I never run a caliper with its center bolts out of adjustment and know how to mechanically adjust spring tension on twin bolt sidepulls (of which the compared brakes all are) to identical performance F+R (A not so common talent). And I can do it on internally sprung SunTours/Dia RGC's as well (A truly uncommon talent).

I do admit that I neglected some important parameters:

- No attention paid to fork stiffness and the effect that has on the brakes as a full bike system.
- Not the same wheelset used between tested brakes
- Not the same bike.
- No measurement of actual stopping distances
- No testing of brakes with a control set of brake levers
- No attention paid to arm reach.
- Not all pads were new
- Variable degrees of wear on rims and pads.
- No real world measurement of actual clamping force.

I didn't do these things because my level of dedication to the testing was not about comparing the brakes to an absolute, it was about reporting on what I found when I ride a good long way and what left me feeling safe (or at least as confident as one can feel riding in NYC and Long Island). My experience is more varied than most, I'm pretty sure, and what I'm looking for now, is other peoples experience with things I haven't tried. For guidance in trying my next set of sidepulls.

Regards,
Danny