My understanding is that 100 sets of the prototype GROUPs, not just brakes, were issued to select framebuilders to showcase their frames at shows and in catalogs, as mentioned in the post below. I have no confirmation of the 100 number however. They were issued in 1984 and the crankarms are so dated. The Delta calipers were about 80% the size of the first generation models that were offered to the public, so the prototype models are indeed rare. I also heard that Campagnolo asked framebuilders to voluntarily return the groups after the season, but that many didn't. There was a set on the J.P. Weigle that was in Bicycling and Playboy and now owned by Ron Edmiston in Florida. So, that makes at least four! Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
-----Original Message----- From: rothe@amitra.de To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Sent: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:09 AM Subject: [CR]Very early Campagnolo Delta brakes from 1984
At the moment there is a set of very early Campagnolo Delta brakes from
1984
on eBay:
http://ebay.com/
They exactly look like the Delta prototypes which are presented on
Campyonly.com:
http://www.campyonly.com/
I am the seller of the set on eBay. Prior to writing my item description I did a lot of research on the Internet. As stated in that description it was my assumption that my brake belonged to the first run of serial production of the Delta brakes.
Yesterday I received a message from a collector (Dirk Feeken who is pretty well known on this discussion list): Dirk said that this generation of Deltas was given to bicycle manufacturers in 1984 in order to allow them to take pictures of their bike for their 1985 catalogs. According to him this Delta model never was available to the public.
If you got to Campyonly.com you can read that there are only three prototype sets in existence. According to Dirk this number is an invention by an eBay-seller who incorrectly claimed that there were only three sets: The one owned by Richard Sachs, the one owned by Campagnolo and his. As Dirk told me there were more set than just three, but they were all prototypes. That would mean that my set on eBay is a prototype set, too.
Is there anyone out there who can tell me: Was that very first generation of Delta sold to the public or not?
Christian Rothe
Baden-Baden
Germany