With a bit of spare time and plenty of motivation–see my post on the spring classics book review–I tackled the job of returning the Moseman’s brakes to original form. If you’ve read any of the earlier posts or looked at the photo on the “The Bicycle” page, you’ll know that many years ago,
View of converted brake lever from handlebar side
I converted my Campagnolo Nuovo Record brake levers to something that approximated the Dura-Ace aero levers introduced in the mid-80’s. The pictures show the conversion work. The effort was misguided. At the time, it seemed important.
I’ve known for some time that the levers, and consequently the brakes, did not work as well in the conversion, but I didn’t care. They were cleaner without those exposed cables. Of course, the cable housing was still visible, so what had I really eliminated? A few inches of housing.
Pulley "fulcrum" on the converted lever
Today, after more than 20 years of the more modern look of an aerodynamic lever, the brakes are now returned to their original configuration. The levers themselves are an eBay find since I wasn’t sure whether or not I could salvage the old levers. As it turns out, it would have taken a bit of effort to return them to working order and they have been drilled through. Perhaps at another time, I’ll take them back to their origins. For now, the second-hand goods will do.
The test ride proved to me that the brakes work much better than the conversions. It was all I could do to keep myself on the bike on my first use. Makes me appreciate the quality of the brakes once again.
The cables, exposed.
And, now I can appreciate “the look” of the exposed cables. Original Campagnolo, by the way.
L'Eroica Dreams 
Nice job on the lever restoration. The only time I really appreciated the aero levers was when I was flying over the handle bars, they make for less things to get caught up in. Did you celebrate race day yesterday (PR) ?
Hi Mark, I like vintage stuff. However, I am also a big fan of aero levers. Therefore, I replaced my campy SR levers with ‘Suntour Superbe Pro’ ones.
BTW, how did Laurent (who was apparently also an aero fan) modify his brake levers ?
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P.S.: When it comes back to SR, is to ‘drill exactly that hole’ the only possible way ?
“Joe,” Not sure I understand your question. However, to modify a Campy lever from the SR period as I did, you must drill the lever as I did. (See image #1). That allows the cable to pass through the lever body. Then, you must drill the handlebar under the lever and an exit hole near the stem for the cable housing to run. Ultimately, not a good solution as the leverage on the cable is not really sufficient for good braking. Better to buy aero levers as you did. Thanks for the link to the photo. Nice shot and autograph.