Dura-Ace scholars-clue me up?

[Gazelleer]

Mine are from sept. '77 (BI):


BTW the BL-7200 bodies are also pressed rather than cast. I don't think Shimano ever used cast road brake lever bodies... Brake hoods on the BL-7200 are narrower than the earlier hoods and not interchangeable.

 

[torqueless]

Thanks Gazelleer. Yeah, Shimano sort of 'Campagnoloised' the shape, some time in '78, didn't they? (That's why I assumed they were cast) I guess putting that Campag-style cable-slot in the front also made it easier/possible for them to form that kind of body-shape, too. It would be a big stretch for a flat piece of alloy, otherwise.

 

[TGR]

I was presuming these were earlier - can anyone enghten me?



Richard

 

[torqueless]

Do they have a date-code, TGR? Looks like first generation. (Earlier)

 

[Gazelleer]

@Torqueless: Yes, that is correct. Your levers still need the old style hoods that were used for the 600 levers as well as the Dura Ace at the time.

@TGR: Yes, those are earlier and first gen. but use the same hoods as Torqueless' levers.

 

[Midlife]

Richard.

See my post number 2 which was more of an observation than anything else. My 1st Gen Dura Ace levers were drilled not slotted and are earlier (as are those in your pic).

What I was trying to say was that manufacturers tried to distinguish their stuff by design..........black bits on campag meant Super Record type of thing. Early on in Dura-Ace life the levers were drilled and the 600 stuff was slotted which is why to me the slotted Dura Ace looks odd (but not incorrect if you know what I mean).

My Drilled Dura-Ace are 1974-75 and if my avatar was clearer you could see them LOL

Shaun

 

[Gazelleer]

600 (EX) levers were drilled from 1978 to 1984 and only then became slotted. Before 1978 600 was neither drilled nor slotted.

Dura Ace levers became slotted (just) before 600 went drilled, so I assume Shimano thought slotted was cooler than drilled...

 

[Midlife]

note to self............must stop relying on 40 year old memories

Shaun

 

[Gazelleer]

Yes, sometimes things get muddled up. Still trying to remember myself whether my first racing bike had chromed rear fork ends or not...

 

[torqueless]

One of my lever blades, I take it to have been the non-drive side one, has definitely received a nasty side-impact at some time in the past- enough to ovalise the pivot-holes. Still functional, but a lot of sideways movement.

I just spent some time with a scalpel and a file manufacturing a replacement plastic bush for this lever out of a toothpaste tube cap. It worked so well I'm thinking of replacing the other three, too.

Skintness is the mother of invention..