George asked:
> What was the difference between Normandy Competition yellow tag or red tag
> hubs and Normandy no tag hubs?
...the red tagged ones had red tags and the yellow tagged ones had yellow tags...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
The yellow tagged ones are actually gold foil labels and have black plastic bearing covers. These are the earlier version of the Normandy Luxe Competition hubs. The red labeld hubs are later versions and I have owned sets that had either red or black plastic bearing covers. In my experience, there is no difference in the hubs except the color of the label and covers. Both hubs have a profile very similar to Campagnolo Record hubs. The Luxe Competition hubs are wonderfully finished but are mid tier in their bearing and race quality - not on par with Campagnolo Record but better then most low end hubsets of the period. They have ground races, are very lightweight, and look fantastic especially when polished up. The no tag hubs are Normandy "Sport" model used on many bike boom bikes. The Sport model had poorer quality turned races, they also did not have the nice finish nor profile of the Luxe model. Sport hubs seemingly always have black steel lock nuts while the Luxe model usually has chromed steel lock nuts. The outer perimeter of the Luxe model is thicker then the central portion of the hub flange whereas the Sport is one constant thickness.
Hope that's helpful.
Eric Elman
Somers, CT