On Apr 23, 2007, at 12:03 PM, Donald Gillies wrote:
> Just because campagnolo introduced a rear derailleur in 1950 doesn't
> mean they had an instant reputation for quality. And, I wonder what
> was the warranty in 1955? 1960? 1965? I suspect that their
> reputation for quality wasn't earned for at least a decade.
What follows is all opinion and anecdotal observances on my part, and might not even be factual:
Tullio Campagnolo started making high quality product in the mid 1930s, so by 1950 his product would have an established reputation for quality amongst professional racers (and elevated-reputation- trickle-down to the unworthy).
Campagnolo's "warranty" up to fairly recently was the replacement any broken Campagnolo part with a new one, no questions asked. This is not the situation today, however. I've heard that the Olympics, held every four years, was an opportunity for racing mechanics from poorer nations to trade in their worn and/or broken Campagnolo parts for new replacements supplied by the Campagnolo factory technicians in attendance.
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)