The triangular things attached to the outside of the shoes. Googling around it seems they might be exclusive to Dia Compe. What are they called and what is their purpose?

They are wheel guides They are to aid in getting the wheel in faster when changing a flat wheel out in a race

Most upper end brakes have them but a lot Dia Compe models didn't have them attached to the holder, like CampI and Shipmano

ts99 Guides the tire/wheel between the pads while inserting the wheel into the drop outs. That way you don't have to pay too much attention to the tire hitting the pad or other spot outside of the slot between the pads
P1010557, on Flickr

^ My favorite brake.

Thanks. Now I know.

I might take them off.

What kind of brake caliper is that? Window on the side to allow for a wider arm, nice....

In a race, doing a fast wheel change, they might make a second or two difference. That second or two might be the difference between getting back into the peloton after a flat and not making. So nuisance items for most of us but could be Tour de France deciding.

Uhmmm........I don't think caliper wheel guides are in the same category as reflectors, turkey levers and "dork discs"......

Chorus monoplaner methinks.

Yes, Chorus Monoplaner. Other side
P1010558, on Flickr

Nobody in my region removed them. They were considered a status symbol, as they were an indicator of a higher grade bicycle or at least a higher grade brakeset. Eventually, their status diminished as the feature trickled down to lower grade brakesets.

I think you'll find that the inner side of the Dia-Compe caliper is slotted for the wheel guide. If you leave them out the brake shoe won't tighten properly- it doesn't have enough surface area to hold it in place.

They also come in very handy when making brake adjustments.

Man, that must have been a PITA. All the ones I have are attached to the brake pad holder and would have to be cut/ground off.

Exactly! Just like integral RD hangers.

Better bikes didn't have suicide levers and rarely dork disks or reflectors either.

The cool thing was to remove the dust caps on the cranks.

Campy Monplaner brakes are beautifully sculpted and stop very well! Really beefy too. I have them on several bikes plus a couple of sets in a drawer.

The original brake blocks had rounded ends. Someone used standard Campy NR carriers and pads on this set.



Rounded ends, sometimes gray pads.




.... and yes they do help getting a wheel in quickly.

verktyg

Yep, until they break off during brake adjustments.

What's the story behind this?

I've never had that happen. There's never been a hint of weakness or even bending in mine. What are you doing that you put enough force into the wheel guide that you can break it?

Yeah and why not use the pad/mount itself instead of a leveraged appendix?

Using them as landings for a third hand tool instead of positioning the tool on the pad nuts. If you have used one of these tools, you know that you first anchor the far end and then pull toward you to spread the spring to anchor it on the inside pad. The pulling force is a bit too much for the thin guides, it seems. I made a mental note to not use the guides this way again.

Those non-aero doodads cost me a time trial podium spot.

Well, that and my puny 200 Watt output.

My understanding is the 1st gen Monoplaners with the not quite so beefy arms came with square blocks which had a white (and black?) plastic wrapping on the wheel guides:



Where the ones in your pics came with rounded blocks which did away with the plastic wrap. However, I'm sure there were overlaps and leftovers and swaps and and and...

...great brakes though.

Okay, got it. I don't do that and now I know NOT to do that.

The guides hang down below the rim and they have well, as you said,... LEVERAGE. :-)

The first Mono-Planar brakes came out in July, 1987 as part of the then new Chorus gruppo. They used the same black brake blocks and holders as NR brakes except with light gray plastic coverings on the wheel guides. I've seen some with gray blocks too but they may not have been original???



The 1991 Chorus Mono-Planar brakes had rounded blocks and no covering on the wheel guides.



I've never heard about any complaints or differences in the mono-planar calipers. All the ones that I have are the same.

Could be someone have confused the 1990 Athena single pivot brakes with mono-planars??? They look similar.



I've seen some mono-planars on eBay that had a flat non-anodized finish from lower level gruppos. They looked cheap.

BTW, I've never seen the steel Campy brake pad holder bend while being used to adjust the brakes. They're pretty strong. The aluminum carriers that were used on SR brakes, now they bend and break easily.

verktyg

I couldn’t get my 1st gen Monoplaners to stop squealing, so I ended up replicating toe-in by cutting the pad at an angle. Didn’t have that problem with the fatter arm version, but there are a few variables I didn’t do a thorough experiment with.