Originally Posted by
Dave Mayer
I have owned and used almost every model of Campagnolo brakes going back to the 70s. The " high quality Super Record" brakes will not stop you any better than an inexpensive set of Tektros or Dia Compes, which I suspect are the same thing. The dimensions of these brakes are roughly the same, which means the same mechanical advantage, which means same stopping power. The expensive calipers have probably sightly less friction, and higher quality materials, and they are somewhat lighter, but definitely not worth the additional cost. If I had that amount of money to spend on brake calipers, it would be better allocated to better tires and tubes.
That is subject to using good pads and cables and housing.
And you've been notified about the lack of quick release on the Campy calipers. If you have 25mm or larger tires, you probably won't be able to get the wheels out without disconnecting the brake cables from the calipers, a tedious nuisance.
I ran into a similar problem when using 25mm tires on 15mm rims - as long as the calipers will span the rims, all you need to do is deflate the tires prior to wheel removal and only reinflate after the wheel is installed. Yes, it’s a PITA, but you get used to the routine. There’s no need to disconnect brake cables, which I would consider a significantly larger issue. That’s not to say I wasn’t very happy when I switched to 17mm rims and the problem resolved itself. Of course, my solution might not be practical with tubeless.