# Help! Dual Pivot or Single Pivot Campag Brakes



## JohnJGreenfield (Mar 13, 2008)

Hi, I'm going to buy a 2012 Campagnolo Super Record Groupset and have the choice of either single pivot or dual pivot brakes. Can anyone advise benefits/disadvantages? All advice gratefully received.


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

JohnJGreenfield said:


> Hi, I'm going to buy a 2012 Campagnolo Super Record Groupset and have the choice of either single pivot or dual pivot brakes. Can anyone advise benefits/disadvantages? All advice gratefully received.


https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=site:roadbikereview.com+single+pivot

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/campagnolo/single-pivot-rear-brake-202787.html
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/co...o-single-pivot-rear-braking-power-226532.html


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## Eric_H (Feb 5, 2004)

I will only add that for Campy groups I have always used the differential brake system (DP front, SP rear) and I have zero complaints with braking. I have one bike built with Shimano 6700 calipers and to be honest I prefer the slightly less powerful SP Campy rear brake. With carbon wheels the DP rear can be locked up easier.


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## fasteddy (Sep 22, 2005)

I recently upgraded to dual pivot brakes centering the the brakes with diferent wheels with diferent dish is simply a matter of grabbing the caliber and moving it. With single you need a wrench,no big deal at home but a pita at a race even more so when its a race with a wheel truck.


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## mtnroadie (Jul 6, 2010)

I have two campy groups Record 11 and Athena 11, I ride my Athena with the DP up front and the SP in the back on aluminum rims. It is adequate nothing more, if i had the option i would have chosen DP for both.

With my Record group i opted to use TRP 970 sl brakes (DP 220g for the set). I dont have much confidence in SP brakes, its a dated and weak design. A DP brake will always have more stoping power.

Then again there are quite a few companies out there puting out ultra light SP brakes and people like them.


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## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

mtnroadie said:


> I dont have much confidence in SP brakes, its a dated and weak design.


Nonsense. I have a set of twenty-year-old Dura Ace single-pivot brakes on my old steel bike, and they were always perfectly fine. No problem flipping the bike over with two fingers on the front brake if that's what floats your boat...

Honestly, I never fully understood the change to dual-pivot. In the end, the physics of these things is near-trivial, nothing but a set of levers. There's nothing magical about dual pivot. You can get the exact same "stopping power" from single pivot, simply by making the levers a bit longer. The only objective advantage of dual-pivot brakes is that you can build them a bit more compact, and save a few grams of weight. BFD...


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I used the dual pivots from '94 until 2 years ago. I think they're stronger, easier to adjust, and work more smoothly than the single pivot model. Given a choice I would certainly opt for them.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

mtnroadie said:


> I dont have much confidence in SP brakes, its a dated and weak design. A DP brake will always have more stoping power.


Utter tripe!

Braking efficiency is a function of your tyres, rims & pad compound more than your calliper type, especially on the rear. Power to lock up the wheel is a sign of poor efficiency if anything.


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

JohnJGreenfield said:


> Hi, I'm going to buy a 2012 Campagnolo Super Record Groupset and have the choice of either single pivot or dual pivot brakes. Can anyone advise benefits/disadvantages? All advice gratefully received.


I think you are mis-stating your question here. To my knowledge Campy does not routinely offer front and rear single pivot brakes; it either both dual pivot brakes or front dual pivot and rear single pivot (called differential braking). In theory it makes sense as you front wheel does 80-90% of the braking and rear does little more than stabilize the bike during braking. In actuality, the difference is almost indistinguishable. Saying that I have a set of Athena differentials simply because the concept intrigues me, but they don't stop me any better when both brakes were dual pivot.

The mechanical advantage of a dual pivot brake is based on the fact that a dual pivot brake pad is set up closer to the rim surface because the caliper naturally centers itself. This means the brake arms need to travel a shorter distance using the same lever travel; in essence you moved the fulcrum of a lever closer to the load. While some say this advantage is minimal I tend to differ. I recently built up a road bike with 700x30c off road tires and some old Campy single pivot brakes. I like to ride fire roads but the effort it took to slow down with the single pivot front brake was considerable. I then switched it to a dual pivot brakes (same levers) and it made a world of difference. Saying that the single pivot front brake is certainly adequate for the road. 

IOW, no matter what you choose, you can do no wrong.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

I have the dual front/single rear combo on most of my bikes, I kind of prefer it because it is slightly harder to lock up the rear. It is also slightly easier to clean the single pivot skeletonized brake. It is harder to set up (requires that damn non-allen key).


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## rayms (Sep 11, 2013)

onespeedbiker said:


> I think you are mis-stating your question here. To my knowledge Campy does not routinely offer front and rear single pivot brakes; it either both dual pivot brakes or front dual pivot and rear single pivot (called differential braking). In theory it makes sense as you front wheel does 80-90% of the braking and rear does little more than stabilize the bike during braking. In actuality, the difference is almost indistinguishable. Saying that I have a set of Athena differentials simply because the concept intrigues me, but they don't stop me any better when both brakes were dual pivot.
> 
> The mechanical advantage of a dual pivot brake is based on the fact that a dual pivot brake pad is set up closer to the rim surface because the caliper naturally centers itself. This means the brake arms need to travel a shorter distance using the same lever travel; in essence you moved the fulcrum of a lever closer to the load. While some say this advantage is minimal I tend to differ. I recently built up a road bike with 700x30c off road tires and some old Campy single pivot brakes. I like to ride fire roads but the effort it took to slow down with the single pivot front brake was considerable. I then switched it to a dual pivot brakes (same levers) and it made a world of difference. Saying that the single pivot front brake is certainly adequate for the road.
> 
> IOW, no matter what you choose, you can do no wrong.


This comparision is only valid if all the variables are looked after. Same pads for one.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

cool dredge


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

This thread is so old I forgot I replied to it!


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

rayms said:


> This comparision is only valid if all the variables are looked after. Same pads for one.


Great job bringing this one back to life. Hopefully now that you have your 10 posts you won't see the need to do this anymore.

And for chrissakes, the OP was talking about NEW brakes...of course the pads would be the same. All Campy brakes come w/ the same pads.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Nov 11, 2009)

JohnJGreenfield said:


> Hi, I'm going to buy a 2012 Campagnolo Super Record Groupset and have the choice of either single pivot or dual pivot brakes. Can anyone advise benefits/disadvantages? All advice gratefully received.


The dual pivot takes less hand strength which you might appreciate on descents especially being right handed with a right front setup.

The single pivot looks different (I think the original is a bit more elegant than the dual pivot), was originally 40g lighter for bench racing purposes which made Record beat Dura Ace in marketing comparisons, can't be centered without tools if needed, and makes ham-fisted accidental lock-ups less likely.

I don't find modulation to be appreciably different.

Tangentially what is up with the increasingly prevalent web forum dead thread resurrections?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Drew Eckhardt said:


> Tangentially what is up with the increasingly prevalent web forum dead thread resurrections?


Seems a slightly odd question for you to ask after you posted lengthy advice to a poster who hasn't been here in 2 1/2 years. But then, here I am wasting time commenting on that . . .


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