The Price of Quality ?

[ebor62]

Whilst working for the Holdsworthy Company during 1970, Campagnolo brakes were just becoming available. My bike was full record, apart from the brakes. I decided I couldn't justify a weeks wages for a pair of brakes. From my price list, here are the prices.
campag record £22.50 , Universal 61 £5.50, Mafac Racer £4.38, Weinman 999 £3.70, GB 88 £3.40. Although Campagnolo had a brilliant reputation, at over four times the price of its nearest rival, it was still a hard sell. I remember my dad looking in amazement at the price of my karrimor saddlebag,
again a weeks wages for a 16 year old in 1962, However the bag far outlived my dad. At least those names live on, unlike so many others. Incidentally the price of a set of three, Reynolds butted frame tubes was £1.08 in 1971, you were paying for the skill of the builder.

[pwa]

Caliper brakes last a long time, so I'd happily pay a lot for a pair if I really liked them. The cost per year of use or per 1000km would be small.

[rjb]

The talk at the time was that they made you faster and shaved time off your PB, generally because the price of the replacement brake blocks made application of the brakes an emergency option only.

ive a 1981 bike riders aids catalogue which lists Campag super record brake sets with drilled levers at £92
in comparrison the Weinmann 500 brakeset is £10.50 with drilled q/r levers