Originally Posted by
rossiny
Boy , how you guys have all this knowledge on what will work etc. Yeah I had a chance to pick up campy Daytona fairly cheap, but the Bianchi takes the nutted kind not recessed. I been checking Craigslist and such no luck. I may have to check e- bay also but typically havd not bought from there.
Experience. Collectively, tons of experience. Sometimes painfully acquired.
My $.02: Get some Tektro dual pivots. Best bang for the buck in terms of performance. (In terms of appearance, they are fine, but there are prettier options, usually more expensive.) Get 559s if your frame requires a long reach, 539s if it requires a medium reach. Both are available in nutted, although you may have to look around. Rivendell sometimes has one or both of these in nutted, sometimes they don't. You can probably find them on eBay. I bet Tektro makes a good short reach option as well, but I don't know what the model number is and I don't know if it is available in a nutted version.
These Tektro models work well out of the box. They work even better if you replace the pads with Kool Stop salmon-colored pads (true of any brake).
Get aero levers as well, ones that fit your hands. Tektro/TRP makes good ones that are pretty comfortable at a reasonable price. (TRP is to Tektro as Lexus is to Toyota or as Infinti is to Nissan.) Shimano aero non-brifter levers are good, too - Rivendell usually has these. (I personally prefer the Tektro ergonomics to Shimano but not by a ton - YMMV.) Brifters will work just fine with these brakes, too, if you want to go that direction.
And get good cables/housing. Jagwire is a good cost-effective option. If you want color, check out Velo Orange's options.
Good luck. Glad to see that an old steed may be getting back on the road.