From the collected Campagnolo catalogues (available from Velo-Retro.com), I gather that the early Campagnolo shift levers had simple screws to tighten them, rather than the handy "D" rings of later models. The "D" rings first are shown in catalogue No. 14 from 1958 with the Record gruppo (still with Gran Sport rear derailleur). Does anybody know when they were introduced?
To confuse matters, the catalogue also shows the Gran Sport gruppo, both with the older-style screws and the new "D" rings. Is this a case of reusing old drawings? Or were both available, as the parts diagram on p. 17 indicates (part 604 for standard, part 604/1 for D ring). Or did the standard screw come with a cheaper version?
I have seen these all the way to "closed-C" levers. On the other hand, I have seen "open-C" levers with the "D" rings. Of course, the screws are easy to replace, so perhaps riders retrofitted the D-rings to older shift levers to be able to tighten them on the move.
Finally, some bands for Campagnolo clamped-on parts (shift levers, cable guides) etc., seem to be nickel-plated and tarnish with age, others are chrome-plated and remained bright. Is the difference age-related, or were there two levels of parts. (Especially, does a nickel-plated clamp on shift levers give any indication to its age?)
Thank you for any help sorting this out.
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Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
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