How to: Campagnolo Corsa Record Power Grade aero/non aero Brake levers

[m_sasso]

Could someone please explain the adjustment procedure for Campagnolo Corsa Record Power Grade aero/non aero Brake levers? I have them set up aero pulling some Chorus Skeleton Calipers and no matter which way I turn the cap headed screw through the slot I am not feeling much if any difference. These are the early 1988 levers and it is my understanding the 1989 and later levers had a broader range of adjustment.

Thanks!

[ultraman6970]

Have you ever thought in the Cane creek brake levers with white hoods?

[m_sasso]

Have you ever thought in the Cane creek brake levers with white hoods?

Thanks for the reply, no more than TRP RRL SR Brake Levers with gum hoods.
However I would really like to understand how the Power Grade levers are suppose to function.

[mktng]

I had this issue too. Same levers, centaur skeleton's. Was impossible to adjust, and always felt squishy. I ended up abandoning the idea of modern calipers on the vintage bike and went back to the original 80's calipers hahah.

I'm interested to know how to properly do it. !

[oldpotatoe]

Could someone please explain the adjustment procedure for Campagnolo Corsa Record Power Grade aero/non aero Brake levers? I have them set up aero pulling some Chorus Skeleton Calipers and no matter which way I turn the cap headed screw through the slot I am not feeling much if any difference. These are the early 1988 levers and it is my understanding the 1989 and later levers had a broader range of adjustment.

Thanks!

Not enough return spring power with modern calipers. You will get better 'feel with 'banana cutter' housing routing but they just aren't going to feel 'snappy'. Remember for Colbatos and the like..with hand breaking(braking) stiff springs.

[wallymann]

you might be missing the internal cable fulcrum insert. that piece, which often falls out of levers while the levers are not installed (cable tension keeps them in place), is essential to achieving proper cable-pull and getting good feel/power.

i was running them with cobaltos and they felt terrible, squishy and zero power. after figuring out i was missing the fulcrum insert, i sourced replacements and fitted them up, the braking experience was transformed -- firm lever, great feel, plenty of power.

i successfully use old campy aero-levers with these calipers:
-athena monoplanars (https://lfgss.microco.sm/api/v1/files/3e12de040ed3b2fe27ce8c3c38c8e6256e10138f.jpg) (final-gen circa '98).
-mavic 451 (http://www.cadre.org/bike_stuff/Mavic/Catalog/1992/CCI00006.jpg) (aka diacompe 500 with internal spring)
-cobaltos (http://www.classicsteelbikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Campagnolo-Cobalto-1.jpg)/super-records.

[oldpotatoe]

you might be missing the internal cable fulcrum insert. that piece, which often falls out of levers while the levers are not installed (cable tension keeps them in place), is essential to achieving proper cable-pull and getting good feel/power.

i was running them with cobaltos and they felt terrible, squishy and zero power. after figuring out i was missing the fulcrum insert, i sourced replacements and fitted them up, the braking experience was transformed -- firm lever, great feel, plenty of power.

i successfully use old campy aero-levers with these calipers:
-last-gen monoplanars (athena i think circa '98).
-mavic 451 (aka diacompe 500 with internal spring)
-cobaltos/super-records.

Could be...part number 7283046 on this

[El Chaba]

Could someone please explain the adjustment procedure for Campagnolo Corsa Record Power Grade aero/non aero Brake levers? I have them set up aero pulling some Chorus Skeleton Calipers and no matter which way I turn the cap headed screw through the slot I am not feeling much if any difference. These are the early 1988 levers and it is my understanding the 1989 and later levers had a broader range of adjustment.

Thanks!

Question....Are your levers the ones with the small allen screw adjuster on the front of the lever arm with the +/- engraving?

[wallymann]

could be...part number 7283046 on this

correctamundo!!!

fwiw...IIRC the full-monty power-grade levers are designed for delta brakes, so the OP might be better off using non-power-grade levers for non-delta calipers.

[Hindmost]

You will get better 'feel with 'banana cutter' housing routing...

For the jargon-impaired, OP, what is this? Exposed cables?

[oldpotatoe]

For the jargon-impaired, OP, what is this? Exposed cables?

Si...eating your banana, gonna take a bite, gets cut in two with brake housing.

[wallymann]

...power-grade and normal campy aero levers...the power-grade cable fulcrum is located differently and i dont know that you'll ever mimic the same leverage and cable pull geometry of the normal aero lever.

since you're running regular non-delta calipers, i think you'll be much better off with the non-power-grade levers.

in fact, you should try to get the final campy aero lever from the early/mid 90s that does away completely with the removeable cable fulcrum in favor of simpler design. visually they have the circular hole for fixing-bolt access which makes them easier to live with -- you can adjust/tighten the levers w/o removing the brake cable and there's no mickey-mouse fulcrum to lose.

http://velobase.com/CompImages/BrakeLevers/6F76DA97-E6E7-4273-A906-EB6897E1E7D9.jpeg

[oldpotatoe]

...power-grade and normal campy aero levers...the power-grade cable fulcrum is located differently and i dont know that you'll ever mimic the same leverage and cable pull geometry of the normal aero lever.

since you're running regular non-delta calipers, i think you'll be much better off with the non-power-grade levers.

in fact, you should try to get the final campy aero lever from the early/mid 90s that does away completely with the removeable cable fulcrum in favor of better designed cable anchor. they have the circular hole for fixing-bolt access.

http://velobase.com/CompImages/BrakeLevers/6F76DA97-E6E7-4273-A906-EB6897E1E7D9.jpeg

Agree, I use those now with last gen. 5 pivot Deltas and have used them with 'modern', 1995+ dual pivots, work keen.

[m_sasso]

Again, thanks for the reply's, fulcrums are in place and the brakes to my liking with these levers function dandy. Any better and I would certainly exceed the friction limits of my tires, modulation and cable/lever return are faultless.

However I just can't leave "knobs" alone and wanted to understand the adjustment feature, perfection is just a placeholder.

With my set up when I turn/adjust the cap head screw clock wise or counter clock wise I feel next to zero difference/change, if any.

If I was using Delta calipers with these levers, what was intended to happen when turning the cap head screws to the + or - direction?

Was the ratio of the output force produced by the applied input force suppose to change?

How was the sweet spot designed to change?

Was the + plus setting intended to provide a lower pull ratio, ie. less cable movement with more lever travel, greater mechanical advantage and wider finite modulation? Respectively the inverse, - minus setting higher pull ratio ie. more cable movement with less lever travel and lower mechanical leverage, lower modulation sensitivity?

[El Chaba]

Again, thanks for the reply's, fulcrums are in place and the brakes to my liking with these levers function dandy. Any better and I wold certainly exceed the friction limits of my tires. Modulation and cable/lever return are faultless.

However I just can't leave "knobs" alone and wanted to understand the adjustment feature.

With my set up when I turn/adjust the cap head screw clock wise or counter clock wise I feel next to zero difference, if any.

If I was using Delta calipers with these levers, what was suppose to happen when turning the cap head screws to the + or - direction?

Was the ratio of the output force produced by the applied input force suppose to change?

How was the sweet spot designed to change?

Was the + plus setting suppose to provide a higher pull ratio, ie. less cable movement with more lever travel, greater mechanical advantage and wider finite modulation? And in·verse, the - minus setting lower pull ratio ie. more cable movement with less lever travel and lower mechanical leverage?

I have a set of those levers on an old bike with Deltas. It was an attempt to answer some complaints and to allow the rider to select more modulation or more power. The reality was that the mechanical advantage change was so small that -like you discovered-there is very little difference. Campy gave up on them and revised the internals of the deltas......So,yes, they were designed for use with the earlier deltas.