Curious if anyone has trouble stopping with vintage single pivot sidepulls. I read on list here that they don't stop well, or only modulate or slow a bike, or are only for racers who merely need to moderate speed occasionally.
This rider with ordinary hand strength and ordinary braking technique has not had any trouble stopping with sidepulls on steep descents when that's occasionally necessary. This includes various single pivot vintage sidepulls: Campagnolo Record sidepulls, various models of Modolo sidepulls, the Mavic branded version of Modolo professional sidepulls, SunTour Superbe sidepulls, and Gran Comp sidepulls. Sometimes I've liked a sidepull model better with Matthauser pads but have not had difficulty stopping with stock pads on these brakes either. (Each of these sets with their stock non-aero brake levers.)
Also a fan of Mafac brakes, I have Racers on one bike, and late model Competitions on another bike. (Both with Matthauser pad sets, both bikes use the yoke rather than braze-on studs. Both bikes with the later Mafac Competition non-aero levers). Most of my rides include long steep winding descents of 4-14 miles descents of 2000 to 5000 feet of elevation loss. Just the kind of riding that taxes brakes and braking technique and it's hard for me to imagine that I wouldn't be familiar with the shortcomings of the brakes I use if there were considerable shortcomings worth mentioning. I rotate bikes frequently, daily, and am quite likely to ride a long steep descent on a Mafac Racer equipped bike one day, a Record equipped bike the next, a Mafac Competition equipped bike the next, and Mavic the next, back and forth between sidepulls and centerpulls. I cannot tell any real drawback to any of these brakes. I notice differences, but nothing that leads me to avoid any of my bikes, or prefer one, because of its brakes. I accept that what Nick mentioned is probably true--that the Mafac centerpulls offer more braking power per amount of hand pressure--but it's not noticeable to me day to day. I've tried to notice wether I have to squeeze harder with the sidepulls because physics of the brakes probably require this, but it's not enough of a difference for me to notice. (My bikes all have similar wheelsets and similar tires, usually all the same model and size tire.)
My rides usually aren't loaded, but sometimes are, and I have done these descents on each bike with a loaded Carradice (up to 20 lbs.). No doubt heavier loads would show other differences between brakes, and there may be riders who have other reasons they notice differences between brakes more than I do: more observant? more sensitive? more interested?. I'm interested and curious and have done back to back rides with attention to this but still haven't noticed drawbacks to my vintage sidepulls in the ability to stop the bike.
Sometimes my descents require coming to a complete stop, sometimes quickly mid-flight, and I cannot say that the sidepulls are less able to do this. And, as I said, if I have to use more handpressure, which I accept is likley, I don't notice it. It's hard for me to imagine what more raw braking power I need than the ability to skid either wheel on dry surfaces.
--Mitch Harris
Little Rock Canyon, Utah, USA