bikingshearer 

Greg Lemond has very little to apologize for, but chasing Boyer down is on the short list. I've heard his explanation for why he did it (USCF didn't give him any support, he was there on his own dime, it was a collection of individuals, not a team), and there is something to it. But chasing down a guy who has the same team jersey on as you do is a bad look and kind of tacky. As for his vociferous anti-doping and anti-doper statements, he was always right about that and remains so. I wish he had not sounded so shrill, as it made it too easy for the cycling establishment to ignore him, but that does not change the fact that he was sounding the alarm way before most others. Good on him for that. And good on him for his career.

As for Universal 61s, I have them on one bike, but with aero levers (Campy 10sp brifters with the guts removed) and modern cables, so they are acceptable. Not great, but acceptable. I have Suntour side pulls on another bike, also with aero levers (Tektro) and modern cables. They are acceptable-plus/good-minus.. My other two have Tektro dual-pivots with Campy 10sp brifters and modern cables. ( I'd run Campy dual pivots, mostly out of vanity, but the clearances will not let me.) They are very good, noticeably better than the Universals or Suntours. Most of my miles are the bikes with the Tektros.
I have found that aero levers make for a significant improvement in braking performance over old-timey cable-out-the-top levers, especially when braking from the hoods, where is need to be to keep my neck from screaming at me. So while I will run the Universals and Suntours (and probably would run Mafacs) on my Eroica bikes, I will not compromise on the levers, as the old-fashioned kind force me to choose between agony and being unsafe. Besides, Campy levers c.1970s were/are hand hatchets. Universals are a little better. Mafacs are between the Campys and the Universals. I'll pass.

I used to have a set of Universal 51 sidepulls on one bike. Never again. Those things are terrible regardless of levers, cables, pads, magic incantations, or divine intervention. Serious pucker (and hand cramp) factor with them..

non-fixie 

Just bought another set of those bad and ugly brakes.

Steel Charlie

Someone is overdue for an intervention

And AFA Boyer is concerned, LeMond beat him. He was better. He won. He deserved to win.

repechage

Most of the time. Run a 30mm tire and the pads close to the rim and the MAFAC lever with the “J” channel QR will really open up the caliper.

note elsewhere in this thread the super adjustability of the Racer brake can allow all sorts of not equal set up side to side.

bikingshearer 

Except Lemond didn't win. When he chased down Boyer at the 1982 Worlds, he towed Saronni along with him. Saronni then blasted off to take the win. Not only did he take away whatever chance Boyer had, he handed the win to someone instead of closing the deal himself. On top of that, Greg's comments afterwards were kind of, well, tactless:This is from thebikecomesfirst.com.

Lemond was a top-tier talent who would have won significantly more than he did had he not gone hunting with his brother-in-law. He seems like a basically good guy. He was hosed at the 1985 TdF and almost hosed at the 1986 TdF. That 1989 TdF wins is rightly the stuff of legend. I was and remain a big fan; I'd love the chance to have dinner with him. But he has his warts. His move at the 1982 Worlds was not a cool thing to do and his comments afterwards were unacceptable. He is without question the best road racer the USA has ever produced and would be even if a certain Texan still had seven TdF wins among his palmares. But he could be cocky to the point of arrogance (not Hinault-arrogant, but arrogant nonetheless), His comments about Boyer, no matter how sincerely he believed them and no matter how much someone else might agree with them, are just not the sort of unnecessary personal insult that one says out loud.

Steel Charlie

Yeah. Antique brain farting. My bad.

Incredibly easy to ignore sort of warts as warts go

JMO of course

mpetry912 

those Racer brakes really benefit from installation of the Compass bronze bushings to replace those 40 year old red plastic bushings.

makes a difference

and let's hear it for roller straddles

/markp

bikingshearer 

Hey, I can do antique brain farting with the best/worst of them. It's all good. And yeah, Greg's foibles are just that - foibles, and pretty minor ones at that. I suspect I feel about 98.73% as positive about him as you do.

noglider 

Definitely get rid of the Universal levers, whichever calipers you end up using.

ollo_ollo

I have a bike with Tektro 720 inverse levers mounted on a V/O Porteur bar. They are quite small, might be just right for your Sweetie and she may enjoy more upright riding position. V/O has inverse levers by Dia-Compe which are larger, plus the Tektro RX4 also larger than 720 but look to be smaller than Dia-Compe. V/O doesn't show the Tektro 720 inverse option, but inverse 720 levers are available on the Bay. Don