Originally Posted by
Longfemur
I've ridden through many brakes eras since the 60's. I would say that centrepulls are better for most people than the old side-pulls if only because the darned things stay centered. The very slight downside is that they require a bit more hardware and so they weigh a little more (which was probably why they were abandoned in the racing world).
Don't underestimate the element of style in the evolution of brake calipers. You can certainly remember way back when, when all quality brakes were centerpulls except for those that were the ultimate . . . . Campagnolo Nuevo Records. And having Campy sidepulls made your bike something special (to the point that some of my friends would spend weeknights polishing Weinmann sidepulls to give them the same look).
And then Dura Ace copied the Campys, followed by Dia-Compe, followed by . . . well, you get the picture. No doubt there were mechanical considerations in there, too, but I'll always be convinced that style and status had some credit in there.
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Syke
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”
H.L. Mencken, (1926)