>>>>The Laprade version was beautiful; polishing and machining was excellent! The SR version was not so beautiful; the machining was not so wonderful and the serrations on the saddle clamp were not nicely machined so that the clamp tended to slip.
Chuck Schmidt<<<<
I think there are several versions of the SR/Laprade posts. I have an NOS/NIB SR Laprade with a black band (sticker) around the top of the post that labels it as "SR FOUR'SIR LAPRADE ". The machining on the shaft, with fluting ala S-Rec, is quite good. The machining on the head is fairly good as well, but there is still a little flashing evident around the bolt recess. There are no serrations whatsoever in the clamp area. I also have a NIB SR stem with the same black sticker identifying it as FOUR'SIR. The stem also has a titanium bolt. Does any of this trigger any other recollections about early SR/FOUR'SIR stuff?
On another SR note, I have an older, two bolt SR post, most likely pre-Laprade association. The post is interesting, and I have yet to see another one. It has a large "SR ROYAL" crest (about the size of a quarter, with what looks like a circle of leaves and a bow) on the front of the post. Surrounding the rest of the post (and the crest), completely covering the area above the insertion line, is an interesting array of machined slots and circles. The post also has a fairly large slot cut completely through the head, all the way down to the top of the shaft. Very cool look. Okay, okay, probably too much info. It's probably hard to picture. I'll try and post a real picture.
As you can see, I have a bit of a soft spot for interesting Japanese components. Anyone suffer from the affliction?
Wayne Bingham
Falls Church VA