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Het Volk. What does your name mean?
Speaking of fashion, I think the resurgence of single pivot side pull brakes was the result of fashion. We got center pull brakes which, while messy to set up, really worked better than side pull brakes. And we looked down our noses at bikes with side pull brakes, because mostly they came on lower end bikes. Then Campagnolo came out with side pull brakes, and they were fancy and expensive, and we wished we could afford them, so all the makers went back to side pulls for many bikes, and some of them got fancy (with finish etc). Some were pretty good, and some were not. I am blessed with large, strong hands, so they work for me, even most of the crappy ones. But they are not good for some people. The dual pivot solves most of the problems of both single pivots and center pulls. I took a long loaded tour with Weinmann side pulls in 1981. They were just about the worst choice, but I didn't know. There were some descents when I barely controlled the bike, and thank goodness for my hands. They equipped some touring bikes with brakes like those. What were they thinking? I can only say that fashion played too big a role.