Question about brakes.

[3DPaul]

Hello,

I have another question about my vintage build.

I've got two sets of brakes. Campagnolo Chorus set and I believe a generation older Campagnolo Super Record set.
The Super Record levers look a lot nicer on my handlebar and I way prefer them, but the Chorus callipers seem to work a lot better.

Is it wise for me to use Super Record older levers with Chorus newer callipers?
Or should I always stick to a matching set?

I've been told that different brake sets are designed to pull the cable at different rates, hence it's better to use matching ones. But my mixed levers and callipers seem to work pretty well. Definitely better than the older Super Record callipers.

Thanks!

[Black Dog]

They will work great together. No issues. I think the pull ratio has not changed at all or not significantly over the years with campy levers. I use 11 speed levers with Delta brakes with zero issues. Mix and match and have fun.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

They will work great together. No issues. I think the pull ratio has not changed at all or not significantly over the years with campy levers. I use 11 speed levers with Delta brakes with zero issues. Mix and match and have fun.

Agree..in spite of dire warnings about road lever and caliper 'pull ratio', the window for compatibility with just road levers and calipers, whether new or old or mixed, is VERY large. I remember putting SR 'banana cutter' levers mated with 8s Campag dual pivots..worked very well...

[wallymann]

these guys nailed the non-issue around variance in lever pull ratios.

i will say that if you want to run the older calipers, you can immensely improve the braking performance by using modern grippy pads.

[3DPaul]

That's great news, thanks!

Yea, I do need to change brake pads for both sets of callipers.
Could anyone recommend some grippy ones for either of them?
There's so much to choose from out there it's quite overwhelming.
I did see some NOS Campy ones on eBay, but would rather go for something more modern if I can.

[choke]

Originally Posted by 3DPaul

That's great news, thanks!

Yea, I do need to change brake pads for both sets of callipers.
Could anyone recommend some grippy ones for either of them?
There's so much to choose from out there it's quite overwhelming.
I did see some NOS Campy ones on eBay, but would rather go for something more modern if I can.

For the Chorus you have lots of choices...Koolstop being a very popular one. I have used Koolstops but I prefer the Swiss Stop Race Pro black.

For the SR, I ignore the purists and install modern Shimano style holders and pads. That gives you loads of choices and again my preference is Swiss Stop pads. The bolt on the Shimano holders is a bit smaller than the slot on the brakes but it's not enough to make a difference once it's tightened down. On modern Campy holders the bolt is too large to fit the slot so they won't work with modifying the calipers.

[3DPaul]

Picked up some Swiss Stops. They didn’t have black ones in stock so got the blue ones.

Thanks for the recommendation!