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Centaur dual pivot brakes

7K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Kerry Irons 
#1 ·
Hello. I am trying to help out my girlfriend, who has an Allez spec'ed with Sora. We have recently moved to CO, from SC, and found that the hills here require a lot more braking. The braking performance currently is mediocre, at best. I've ridden the bike several times, and find it very difficult to even lock up the back tire (not that I'd want to while descending, but it just shows how weak the brakes are). I'm sure putting new pads on would help to some degree, but I believe the flex in the brake arms is the big culprit.
Anyhow, she is on a small budget to improve the brakes, and I found a set of Campy Centaur dual pivot brakes for a decent price. I have been unable to find any reviews on them, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with them, and could give me an idea of the performance they would provide over Sora? thanks!
 
#2 ·
cobra_280z said:
Hello. I am trying to help out my girlfriend, who has an Allez spec'ed with Sora.

Anyhow, she is on a small budget to improve the brakes, and I found a set of Campy Centaur dual pivot brakes for a decent price.
I have no idea about the performance, although you need to be aware that while Shimano puts quick releases on the brakes, Campagnolo puts them on the brake levers.

When removing wheels with Shimano levers and Campagnolo brakes you may find yourself needing to deflate the tires or loosen barrel adjuster.
 
#3 ·
I would upgrade the pads on the Sora brakes first. Most all brakes will stop fine with a good set of pads (KoolStop, SwissStop) in them.

The Campy brakes will also work well from a performance perspective, but as mentioned you will lose the quick release capability. If you flat it's not a big deal - it wouldn't be too hard to pull the deflated tire past the pads, but if you need to remove the wheel often to put the bike in the car or on a rack, the lack of quick release will be somewhat inconvenient.
 
#4 ·
superior

I have sora brakes on a TT bike and Centaur dual pivot on another road bike - difference in brake compounds not withstanding, the Centaur brakes are far superior in my experience. Especially if you are really getting dual pivot front and back and not the Campy dual in front / single behind arrangement (that works great too but you likely lose just a bit of rear braking bite)
 
#5 ·
charlieboy said:
I have sora brakes on a TT bike and Centaur dual pivot on another road bike - difference in brake compounds not withstanding, the Centaur brakes are far superior in my experience. Especially if you are really getting dual pivot front and back and not the Campy dual in front / single behind arrangement (that works great too but you likely lose just a bit of rear braking bite)
That's the purpose of the single pivot rears. With my old brakes, I did a panic stop that locked up the rear wheel when I braked hard with both brakes. Then the bike starts fishtailing since there's no traction on the rear wheel. The fastest stop is to use only the front, and brake just below the point of lifting the rear off the ground.

They work great for modulating speed with just a light touch on the brakes, too.

As the other posters said, the quick release is in the Campagnolo levers.
 
#6 ·
Thats an interesting point about the quick release position, and something i didn't know. I'm still considering the Centaurs, as my girlfriend doesn't use a fork mount rack or anything. Regarding Sora brakes, they currently have cheap non-cartridge type pads. Is it possible to put a good set of cartridge pads on them? thanks!
 
#7 ·
cobra_280z said:
Regarding Sora brakes, they currently have cheap non-cartridge type pads. Is it possible to put a good set of cartridge pads on them? thanks!
Absolutely. But you can get good pads that use the non-cartridge (one-piece) design, too. Koolstop salmon pads, which come in several designs, will improve the performance of those brakes noticeably. they last a long time, too. Get any of their Shimano-compatible designs.

e.g.,

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/brakeshoes.html#threaded
 
#8 ·
The older Centaurs are great brakes, and great value. With 23mm tires I don't need to use the quick release feature at all. Only on 25mm.
 
#9 ·
Pad spacing

cobra_280z said:
Thats an interesting point about the quick release position, and something i didn't know. I'm still considering the Centaurs, as my girlfriend doesn't use a fork mount rack or anything. Regarding Sora brakes, they currently have cheap non-cartridge type pads. Is it possible to put a good set of cartridge pads on them? thanks!
With 23mm tires, most brakes can be set so that they perform best and also allow wheel removal without tripping the quick release. Many people adjust their brakes for "instant action" but that means they are trying to modulate their brakes with their fingertips. Brakes work best when adjusted so that your levers nearly touch the bars when you apply full pressure.
 
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