noglider 

Give your opinions, observations, tips, whatever.

I'll start rambling...

Single pivot sidepulls are simple. Well made SPSP's stop very well and give good control for modulating the braking force, making them well suited to racing and other fast riding. They are easy to adjust and keep their adjustment longer than any other type of brake. The only tricky thing is centering them, but once you manage that, the rest is easy.

I think it's a shame that when Campagnolo brakes became popular, other brands switched the "pull" side from the right to the left. This favors left-handed mechanics. I like to hold the brake closed with my left hand and operate the cable bolt with my right hand.

SPSP's seem poorly suited to heavily loaded bikes, as they require more hand force than center pull.

I can't for the life of me figure out why Mafac centerpull brakes work better than Weinmann centerpull brakes. They're a ***** to adjust, but I like them. Is it because of stiffer alloy in the calipers? And now you can tell that I was a mechanic back in the 70's and 80's, mentioning this old stuff.

I always lusted after cantilever brakes. Again, why do they stop so well? Is it because the bosses are brazed on and therefore stiff and the calipers are also short and therefore stiff? Someone gave me a cheap Univega hybrid bike, and I plan to fix it up. Not sure what I'll do with it. It has cantilever brakes and 700C tires. I could call it a cyclocross bike, but it has upright handlebars.

What's the deal with dual pivot side pull brakes? Are they better in some way than single pivots? I have a pair on my new bike, a generic fixed gear bike I got CHEAP at Nashbar. No opinion on them yet. They seem adequate but not impressive. I realize I should not compare these cheap brakes with high end brakes of the same design.

What's the deal with disc brakes? What breakthrough enabled them to emerge recently? Lightweight hydraulics?