# Campy Monoplaner Brakes



## DY (Dec 24, 2001)

Can someone tell me about these?

They have an interesting shape to the arms. I don't know anything about them (if they work differently, when they were made, etc.) 

Were they duds like many say the Deltas were?

Just curious because they kind of look cool.

Thanks


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

Read my reply to your Athena question in the Components forum... I answered this question there.

Russ


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## marron (Nov 25, 2002)

*Superior to Delta Brakes*

I would second the comments that Russw made on the other thread and add that they are a definite improvement over the Deltas. Aside from being much simpler to adjust and offering more power they have signficantly more tire clearance. I replaced the Deltas on a Merckx I own with Chorus Monoplanars and they really transformed the bike. Previously I was limited to a 21 in the front and the Chorus brakes had enough room for a 25 if needed. Oh, did I mentions that while no lightweights themselves they are way lighter than the Deltas. Deltas look cool but they fun stops there.


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## colker1 (Jan 2, 2003)

*where do i see a pic of those brakes?*



marron said:


> I would second the comments that Russw made on the other thread and add that they are a definite improvement over the Deltas. Aside from being much simpler to adjust and offering more power they have signficantly more tire clearance. I replaced the Deltas on a Merckx I own with Chorus Monoplanars and they really transformed the bike. Previously I was limited to a 21 in the front and the Chorus brakes had enough room for a 25 if needed. Oh, did I mentions that while no lightweights themselves they are way lighter than the Deltas. Deltas look cool but they fun stops there.


who sells them? i searched ebay for jonesbikes and nothing came through


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

colker1 said:


> who sells them? i searched ebay for jonesbikes and nothing came through



Here's a link to one of their auctions... I will post a picture of the brakes on my bike a little later on.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42331&item=3679996110

Russ


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## colker1 (Jan 2, 2003)

russw19 said:


> Here's a link to one of their auctions... I will post a picture of the brakes on my bike a little later on.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42331&item=3679996110
> 
> Russ


single pivots.. you say they give excellent modulation and power. and i thought than single pivots were inferior brakes.. thinking w/out trying, i confess.


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## marron (Nov 25, 2002)

*Not better than dual pivots.*

Modern dual pivots are more powerful and have more modulation. The monoplanars are better than the Deltas and other older brakes. A pair of ultegra brakes are way more powerful. ]


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

colker1 said:


> single pivots.. you say they give excellent modulation and power. and i thought than single pivots were inferior brakes.. thinking w/out trying, i confess.


I do think they give excellent modulation and power... but I didn't actually compare them to the current stock of dual-pivots on the market. However, since you asked.. the dual pivots seem to actually stop better, but I like the "feel" of my monoplaners better. They seem to me to be a stiffer brake and that shows in how they feel. I won't go so far as to say they are better, just different. Much like the difference in feel between standard auto brakes and anti-locks. Some people prefer the feel of a standard brake, even though anti-locks work better. I would say that is analogous to how I feel about the monoplaners. Also, for the money, they are hard to beat. They are pretty cheap by Campy's standards ($65) where Chorus D's should be over $150. And they look great. They are a bit heavier though, but I am by no means a weight weeine as I am a big boy myself. Saving grams means nothing to me. 

I was going to post a pic of them on my bike, but my camera's battery is dead. I will post one after I charge it back up.

Russ


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## tube_ee (Aug 25, 2003)

marron said:


> Modern dual pivots are more powerful and have more modulation. The monoplanars are better than the Deltas and other older brakes. A pair of ultegra brakes are way more powerful. ]


Having gone from single pivots to duals and then back to singles, I have to disagree here. Dual-pivot brakes have a very light lever feel. Too light, for my taste. This is often mistaken for superior power, because the hand effort is lower. It's not. If you can lock both wheels on dry pavement, that's maximum braking power for you and your bike. My Superbe Pro's can do this. So can any dual pivot I've tried.

Modulation is so sensitive to setup and personal preference that a clear winner doesn't exist.

I prefer a brake with a "stiffer" lever feel, so I like single pivots. Others like the lighter feel of duals. To me, they've always felt like a light switch.

It's all a matter of opinion, these are mine.

--Shannon


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

*here's a pic on my bike*

Chorus Monoplaner Brakes


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## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

*Let's clear this up...*



tube_ee said:


> ...... If you can lock both wheels on dry pavement, that's maximum braking power for you and your bike.


No. 

Maximum braking power is always *before* a brake locks up. Once you lock a brake up, you change from rolling friction to sliding friction. A rolling wheel *always* has more grip (i.e. stopping force) than a sliding one. 

Any other ASME members care to concur?


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## tube_ee (Aug 25, 2003)

Dave_Stohler said:


> No.
> 
> Maximum braking power is always *before* a brake locks up. Once you lock a brake up, you change from rolling friction to sliding friction. A rolling wheel *always* has more grip (i.e. stopping force) than a sliding one.
> 
> Any other ASME members care to concur?


Right. Coefficient of static friction is greeater than coefficient of kinetic friction for all materials I'm aware of. It's static friction when the wheel is rooling, because the tire is instantaneously at rest with repect to the ground. If it moves relative to the ground, it's sliding. Sounds backwards, but there you go.

My point was, if you can lock both wheels with the brakes you already have, more "power" won't do you any good, so you've reached (exceeded, actually) the limit of braking power for you and your bike. Since my single pivots can do this, dual pivots are not "more powerful", in this instance.

--Shannon


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## colker1 (Jan 2, 2003)

*nice bike russ*



russw19 said:


> Chorus Monoplaner Brakes


123454


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## russw19 (Nov 27, 2002)

colker1 said:


> 123454


I can get you the same frame... I have a friend who is selling one, it's a 54 I think, but I would have to measure it. Banesto Blue Pinarello Paris. 

One of the guys I work with has one, but he's a mountain biker and never really rides it.

Russ


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## colker1 (Jan 2, 2003)

russw19 said:


> I can get you the same frame... I have a friend who is selling one, it's a 54 I think, but I would have to measure it. Banesto Blue Pinarello Paris.
> 
> One of the guys I work with has one, but he's a mountain biker and never really rides it.
> 
> Russ


if i didn't already have a nice 54 pinarello... i would be itchin' and breaking the piggy with my left hand while typing w/ my right. it sure is pretty. though i hear around the shops that the paris is stiff and unforgiven on light (and weak, like me) rider's carcasses.


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## split (Mar 22, 2004)

Wow, I just bought a set of these campy monoplanar brakes for my beater peugeot bike not knowing what they were at all. I needed road brakes and they were listed at a good price so I bought 'em! Can't wait to get them now. They look pretty sweet.


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## unchained (May 8, 2002)

*I got mono*



DY said:


> Can someone tell me about these?
> 
> They have an interesting shape to the arms. I don't know anything about them (if they work differently, when they were made, etc.)
> 
> ...


They were single pivots brakes that were still offered up until 1997 or so in the Veloce, Athena, and Chorus groups.

They weigh around 380gms per pair, Deltas were approx. 450 or so. (Record Dual Pivots without the ti bits were 420)

I have the Veloce Monoplaner on my winter bike. They seem to offer more fender clearance than dual pivots, and they are not as "grabby". They offer reasonable stopping power with moderate hand effort.

I have used Delta brakes since 1988, of various generations. They are not all created equal. They are among the most maligned of all bicycle parts. The later generations, properly set up, perform great. I think part of the reason people hate them is because they could not afford them. If one is to factor in inflation, the C Record components were the most expensive, at least until this year.

There is a roadtest and review of Deltas at campyonly.com.

Here is a quote from guru Sheldon Brown:

•I don't like Monoplaners (you're right, it _should_ be spelt "monoplanar", but
it ain't!) I've never been a fan of Campagnolo brakes, because I prefer more
mechanical advantage than they had in the old days. The current dual-pivot
units have mechanical advantage which is more to my taste, but I'm not crazy
about double-pivots either.

My major beef with the Monoplaner calipers is that it is a snake-oil design;
they talk about how the doubled caliper arm is stiffer than a conventional
arm...but fail to mention that the _other_ arm is thinner than that of a
conventional caliper. This design, like the cockamamie seat clusters on most
GT bikes, is a case of needless overcomplication for basically stylistic
purposes, and does nothing to improve function.

That's not to say that Monoplanar brakes don't work OK, just that they are a
goofy, gimmicky design, driven by cosmetic considerations above functional
ones.

Sheldon "My Ergo-Equipped Bike Has Weinmann Centerpulls, Which Work Very Well
Indeed" Brown


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