Delta brakes non-campy!

[Woz]

While this thread is open (thankfully) to anything which isn't the Campag Delta which many of us have imprinted or almost burnt etched in our brains (hell not even given my anecdote of following a wheel for the first time as a teen seen them in the flesh), but one thing is that poor breaking performance had several factors if you went out of there remit. The TT bikes from La Vie Clare had them. In the pack it was not the case - their mechanics probably some of the best in history I reckon did the judgement call.

Bernard Hinault said once - more or less "I never really looked into bike technology, all I knew I had the best, and the best mechanics"

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[Ann87]

I just wrote a history of roller-cam brakes and their derivative, it seems relevant to the conversation here.

https://thestoppingpower.wordpress.com/2025/09/25/on-roller-cams-pt-2/

 

[ferrus]

Fantastic addition to the thread @Ann87. Very interesting reading.

 

[Ann87]

Thank you!

 

[Nob]

I’ll add my little article on the noble Modolo Kronos Caliper

https://www.iancammish.co.uk/modolo-kronos-cxde

 

[paton]

More Trek Mad ones

 

[paton]

Aero

 

[bikeworkshop]

Surely a triathlete only has a brake to comply with the rules?

I'm always surprised they were so quick to adopt discs,
but then as tt/tri courses are usually flat, the weight isn't that important, and the airflow at the hub is potentially less chaotic, so maybe disc brakes can be an overall benefit?

 

[paton]

The benefit of the rim brake is that it fills in the gap / slight dip between the top of the front tyre and the headtube, almost acting as a fairing. It is an aero / drag coefficient gain that the UCI would ban if rim brakes were a new thing. It is a tiny gain compared with the problem of the size and weight of the rider.