How to tell the best components ... Last post Worth a read

One thing to remember is that Campagnolo stuff tends to be somewhat more serviceable - for example the shifters can be dismantled and their internals replaced. Spares are still available for most bits back to around 1995. I repaired my 1994 Record shifters with two small springs, total cost £2.02.

If your Shimano shifter fails then it's dustbin time, sadly.

Now I'm not saying that Shimano is rubbish though. Their (patented) freehub design is way superior and the bearing seals are excellent. Campag bearings seem to be ground to finer tolerances and run slightly smoother.

TGR":ksi11l02 said:

G'Day,

You have just about answered my question - it appears that there is no way of tracking what is what except with your own personal knowledge and experiance.

I note you are in the Gold Coast - i was there a few years ago and i remember thinking it would be a superb area for cycling (if the wind was not blowing from the sea too much). Where are the best cycling routes near you - are the all parallel with the coast?

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there are plenty of rednecks to be avoided here but you either go north or south parallell to the ocean for flat rides (also warmer in winter) , for me heading South avoids more traffic and potentially drunk early morning pedestrians in Surfers paradise, if you want a more undulating course then Currumbin and Tallebudgera valleys are the best option or go West to the hinterland and a 7 km climb up Springbrook.

Re: How to tell the best components ... Last post Worth a re

TGR":2ucg9x12 said:

What i was wondering was - is there a components league table or similar so that i can guage components against each other? This is an odd question and possibly there is no answer to it but i would appreciate any advice.

As per my previous posts, i am thinking of putting Shimano 600ax components on my bike but i have seen 600ex (perhaps called DuraAce) components for sale. If memory serves me right, these are a higher quality than the 600ax - but i could be mistaken. I am very (VERY) confused by the naming of various sets of components as, to me, the name may be the same but the year is the important bit - a 1983 DuraAce is not the same as a 2012 DuraAce - how should i be able to tell the difference?

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I'm not aware of any league table as such, but the Shimano hierarchy has already been stated. Campag has a hierarchy as well: (Super) Record > Chorus > Athena at the top, starting from the late 80s. Lower range names have changed around a bit. As also stated already, don't rule out Suntour. Their gears were arguably the best going in the early 80s, and when you can find them are often cheaper than the corresponding Campag/Shimano.

Regarding your question about the years, the main area where you need to exercise some care is in the gears. Over the years the standard number of rear sprockets has gone from 5 to 10 (and more, but this is retrobike of course...). Indexing started with 6 and 7 speed, and as the number of sprockets went up, so the spacing of the sprockets went down. So you can run into trouble if you try to mix shifters and derailleurs of different years. Some manufacturers used a more or less cryptic code for year of manufacture (see http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm for some).

velobase is your friend if you have any specific components in mind.

Nick

there are old catalogs posted here in another section but check out this site for Campagnolo http://www.campyonly.com/history/campy_timeline.html
Im sure there are similar sites for Shimano and there were minor players like Suntour , Mavic, Gipiemme, Simplex ,Stronglight etc , lots of them disappeared with indexing and brifters arrival and in recent times the arrival of SRAM (saw an IPO is in the wings) and Microshift.

Re: How to tell the best components ... Last post Worth a re

nammonk":w6xe2iwa said:

I'm not aware of any league table as such, but the Shimano hierarchy has already been stated. Campag has a hierarchy as well: (Super) Record > Chorus > Athena at the top, starting from the late 80s. Lower range names have changed around a bit. As also stated already, don't rule out Suntour. Their gears were arguably the best going in the early 80s, and when you can find them are often cheaper than the corresponding Campag/Shimano.
Nick

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I'd also add Sachs to the list. Early indexed groupsets had a reputation for being a bit "clunky", but the final incarnations just prior to the SRAM takeover were pretty good* and worth looking out for. I can't speak highly enough of their Rival 7000 and New Success cartridge bearing hubs.

David

*Good enough, using a New Success front mech and short-arm Quarz MTB rear mech, to bag me a club cyclo-cross trophy and a top 15 slot in the district CX league last season, anyway.

1980's Mavic light and top quality.Galli also good. Do not forget Zeus from Spain.
Going back further BSA and Chater lea and Williams,GB. All of which were British made and will out last most modern components.

All most interesting advice, thanks to all.

Latman, I am jealous of your location, more than you could ever know.

As per all my posts about my old bike, I have discovered that I have a Campag hub on my spare front wheel. The rear is a Mallard with a helicomatic freewheel. I am thinking of changing this rear but to what? I think I want an ultra 7 freewheel or a normal 6 but I have a few options to consider.

Are there any Shimano experts here? Should I look for an ultra 7 in Shimano? Do they exist? I think I want all 600 ax bits and I think the freewheel had some form of twisted teeth but my memory is hazy.

More info will be appreciated, thanks to all, so far.