Deltas - not as bad as you think

With some trepidation I switched from Chorus Monoplaners to Deltas on my ALAN build. I was expecting terrible performance and impossibly hard installation. Instead installation was fairly straightforward if a bit fiddly - top tip: once you have the cable clamped in the right position, squeeze the brakes together with the wheel removed to close the parallelogram and then you can fit a set of cable cutters in to snip the cable just below the clamp. Performance seems absolutely fine to me (late model 5-pivot with fresh pads) and very controllable. Braking from the hoods you need no more pressure than the Monoplaners (I'm sure that should be Monoplanars, but no-one seems to spell it that way) and braking from the drops performance is really very good indeed. Certainly no problem locking the wheels, and modulation - the one thing they're praised for - is indeed excellent. I commuted in to the City today after a 50-off km shakedown in Herts, and had no trouble coping with all the mayhem.

So why do they come in for so much stick from the experts? I know Jobst Brandt hated them, which seemed more to be about principle than application, but when I was researching them the number of "oh they're beautiful but useless" articles was legion.

No idea, i had 3 pairs i think, the Croce d'aune version then a couple of records. None of them let me down. They stopped well, and predictably.

But then i kept them immaculately clean and regularly serviced/oiled.

I should fit mine to my alan and ride it.

Re:

Very briefly: the first generation Deltas (C-Record) acquired a poor reputation in the pro peloton; hence the widespread use of the C-Record Cobaltos (which I prefer for aesthetic reasons).

Campagnolo addressed the issues (mechanical) with the second generation.

Therefore you need to put this issue into the correct context.

Jon.

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I had some 1st generations and loved the calipers. But the levers were crap. Cables broke inside the lever caused by the sharp bend required if you routed the cables as concealed. I actually rode with those calipers mated to some 105 levers and they were superb. But brake blocks must have been soft as it ate those.

I was told pro teams didn't use deltas cos mechanics thought they were a faff to set up ??

As with most things, those who tell you something is crap has actually never used them

Re: Re:

I was told pro teams didn't use deltas cos mechanics thought they were a faff to set up ??

As with most things, those who tell you something is crap has actually never used them[/quote]
As an ex pro team mechanic I agree with the first bit of the quoted post, the Delta range of brakes 2nd gen although OK were no better "stoppers" than the then SR caliper & took quite a bit more "fiddling" to set up correctly When you have a 9 man team & each rider has 2 or 3 bikes, a component that takes 1/2 to 3/4 as long again to set up but produces no improvement in the braking efficiency over the mono caliper it was a no go. again not because of set up time but because it was to efficient locking the rear wheel the dual pivot rear brake was changed back to a mono

Despite the tricky setup delta brakes were ridden by many pros, for many years. Common sense says that their performance could not have been that bad.

I can see why pro teams would avoid them - they are fiddlier to set up, and a roadside fix would be nigh-on impossible. For example, if the brake cable came free of the pinch bolt, you'd never be able to get the same cable back in. But it seems to me that their reputation for not actually being usable brakes is ill-deserved. I bought Monoplaners for my retro build precisely because I'd read so many people saying that Deltas were impossible and hopeless and so on. Then I decided I couldn't live without Deltas for aesthetic reasons and bought some anyway. Glad I did; hope someone buys the Monoplaners...

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I have made exactly the same experience, I replaced the Chorus brakes with the 2nd (3rd if you count the prototype) generation Record Delta's, on my Rossin Ghibli. I have no intention to switch back as the Delta are equally good. Yes they are bit fiddly to set up, you have to be patient when cleaning and lubricating the brake. I have a set of the last generation in a drawer as well, I would love to test those as well when I find a suitable bike of right age to put them on.

kgt":15fzqutd said:

Despite the tricky setup delta brakes were ridden by many pros, for many years. Common sense says that their performance could not have been that bad.

Click to expand...

You've missed the point, it wasn't the performance that was the original problem.

Jon.