Since I've seen some activity on this thread I thought I'd chime back in with some notes regarding my... ...***ongoing experiences*** with the Rene Herse brakes. But first: a disclaimer that in NO WAY whatsoever am I trying to make this any kind of general disparagement of Rene Herse products. If their brakes didn't work, they wouldn't be able to sell them. So, obviously, other people are perfectly happy with them, and this is just MY personal experience.
I wanted a very old-world style randonneuse bike, so settled on a custom frame that would support the RH center-pull brakes. Which, between the frame and the brakes, represented quite an investment. The bike turned out looking absolutely gorgeous...
...but, man, those brakes were an absolute nightmare to set up. I'm not the world's greatest or most astute mechanic, but after something like 30 years of wrenching on bikes, and as someone who does technical work for a living, I know what I'm doing. I spent hours and hours and HOURS trying to get those brakes dialed-in, and honestly never got them to where I ideally wanted them to be.
And then -- wow -- on my first "serious" ride on the bike, I did a couple fairly long, fast, semi-technical-ish descents... ...and those were a couple of my most terrifying experiences on a bike, ever. If I got up to speeds above ~25mph, I was NOT able to slow myself in time to comfortably/safely make it through some of the tighter turns. I was out into oncoming lanes, and if there'd been more traffic I'd have been in real danger. No matter how hard I strangled the brake levers, it wasn't enough to control speed. The only way to make it down safely was to ride the brakes, hard, the whole time, keeping speed to around 15mph. It was harrowing, and my hands were aching.
Don't get me started, regarding the squeal. Hoo boy... That is a whole other story. I've set-up PLENTY of center pull and cantilever brakes, and know all the ins-and-outs of how to prevent squeal. I've never experienced anything quite like the decibel level of the sound produced by these brakes.
My set-up, BTW, was using the RH brakes WITHOUT the stock pulley straddle. Per my previous experiences, as described in the original post, I could never get them to work in a way that satisfied me of the set-up being reliably safe. I used a different, more standard style yoke.
Again, I don't think that it is *specifically* the brakes, themselves, that represented the issue. I think it was a combination of factors -- IDK -- cable compression, frame flex, etc. Just something about the set-up which didn't work.
I should mention that for me, when it comes to brakes, I('ve learned that I) prefer drop-dead simplicity, and a VERY responsive feel. I like to feel the brakes biting the instant I apply lever pressure, and I expect to feel true stopping power with only moderate pressure, on a descent.
Ultimately I sent the frame back to the builder for modifications to make it work for standard side-pull calipers. I use the Tekro R559 long-reach brake, now, with compressionless housing. Never been happier. The performance is absolutely flawless. They are an absolute breeze to set-up, and even look pretty nice. All for well under 100 bucks for the set.
All this said: for anyone that loves the brakes, or that pulley-style straddle, and you can get it to work -- my hat's off to you.
And I am still a fan of Rene Herse -- the tires, cranks, racks, other small parts: I love and will continue to purchase.