Campagnolo Disc Brakes ... Again

OK, we've been a little remiss in sending along the not-so-news that Campagnolo is planning to introduce a hydraulic disc brake system for road bikes. Here's a reminded from one of our readers:

Hi, accorsing to the german website roadbike.de Campagnolo is preparing hydraulic disc brakes for roadbikes. You can read more underhttp://www.roadbike.de/news/heisse-rennrad-geruechte-scheibenbremsen-uci-legal-hydraulische-schaltung-von-sram-26-zoll-laufraeder.878694.9.htm?odckampagne=42er_Geruechte

Look for the paragraph under "Hydraulische Bremsen von Campagnolo". Viva Campy, Charles

We'll look forward to seeing these, perhaps on one of those throw-it-away-when-the-EPS-battery-inside-wears-out frames.

Note: This would not be the first time Campagnolo has made disc brakes!

Today's Retro Note: Record Brakes

Campagnolo's Record brakeset from the 1960s-1980s was the gold standard in bicycle braking. Sturdy and durable, this single-pivot design survived for years in various incarnations (such as the Cobalto brakes of the late 1980s) until it was supplanted by the more powerful (and heavier) dual-pivot design.

One of the nice features of these brakes is the on-brake quick release lever, which was also infinitely adjustable (opening the brakes a little or a lot). Modern Campagnolo brakes have the quick release on the brake lever, limiting the operation to fully closed or fully open.

These brakes grace Campy Only's 1972 Cinelli, and are as far as we know original to the bike.

Today's Retro Hit: Putting on the Brakes

Campagnolo's Record brakeset defined quality for several decades. A near-perfect design with a host of well-thought-out features added up to a classic item that would last almost forever (we used a set of 1980s Record brakes on our Paris-Brest-Paris bike last year). Their only weakness (in the minds of some riders) was their less-than-stellar stopping power, which led some wags to dub them "speed attenuators," better at slowing than stopping.

Record brakes would eventually give way to more "modern-looking" designs, and ultimately to the much more powerful dual-pivot designs that dominate the market today.