Jacque Lucque
Retro Guru
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I recall reading some years ago that, back in the good old days, it was not uncommon for a complete groupset from the big manufacturers to include dropouts, the idea being your local bike shop would take your shiny box of Dura-Ace/Super Record and frameset would be built to suit your needs using these parts.
While it is, of course, not uncommon to see lovely NOS boxes of the above that include seatposts, binder bolts and headsets, I am yet to see an example that includes dropouts.
Was it in fact the case that dropouts were merely offered by manufacturers, and these were readily available to frame builders and shops?
I'm trying to get a better understanding of how people ordered bikes during this era. As we know, it was not uncommon for good shops to work with local frame builders (or to have their own) who would build bikes for customers. That Shimano et al produced dropouts suggest it supported this part of the industry, but just how prevalent was it?
Bonus question – what was the last groupset generation from Shimano and Campagnolo that included dropouts, and when did they stop manufacturing them?
While it is, of course, not uncommon to see lovely NOS boxes of the above that include seatposts, binder bolts and headsets, I am yet to see an example that includes dropouts.
Was it in fact the case that dropouts were merely offered by manufacturers, and these were readily available to frame builders and shops?
I'm trying to get a better understanding of how people ordered bikes during this era. As we know, it was not uncommon for good shops to work with local frame builders (or to have their own) who would build bikes for customers. That Shimano et al produced dropouts suggest it supported this part of the industry, but just how prevalent was it?
Bonus question – what was the last groupset generation from Shimano and Campagnolo that included dropouts, and when did they stop manufacturing them?