Thought I'd just go ahead and mix the two subjects together, because they are kind of related anyway.
How rare are LAST generation NR and SR deraileurs as compared to FIRST generation? Maybe more so that FIRST?
I have a PAT 11 NR der (no, it's not from 1911) that was given to me some time ago by a non-bikie friend who found it in a consignment shop in Italy. It was new in it's box and the instruction sheet was still neatly folded in the bottom. I couldn't figure out why it would be a PAT 11, but since it was essentially a late model SR with a NR face plate and adjuster screws, and silver instead of black body, I guessed that maybe it was sold as a replacement part or something, but still don't know the significance of the 11. Interestingly enough, I also have a late model SR with no PAT number. Is that also the very last version?
At any rate, I held on to the PAT 11 NR for quite some time, trying to decide what I should do with it. When I finally got around to building up my Stan Pike, I decided to do so with a mix of the more esoteric components I had lying around. Many of those components were NOS. I knew that they would probably be worth more that way (at least some day) than if I used them. In the end, I decided to go ahead and use them. Are they worth less now? Of course, but not to me. To me, it's not about the money (or monetary value). I wanted to enjoy them. And I enjoy them more on the bike than in the box. And I ride the Pike. Not a lot, but occasionally. I don't have anything that I don't ride (at least once in a while) and I don't think I ever will. I'm not advocating that for everybody, but personally, I love playing with them. Taking them apart, putting then together, and RIDING them. That's why I'm in this hobby, I guess.
But hey, that's just my opinion.
Anyway, anybody know what year models a NR PAT 11 and a SR with no PAT represent?
Wayne Bingham