I have two early Record front derailleurs with chromed swing arms and the cable casing stop arm. Neither unit is old enough to have the screw to secure the pivot arm, and neither unit is new enough to have the split in the stop arm for easy cable installation and removal. The two derailleurs are seemingly the same ... except that close inspection shows ... they clearly are NOT the same. In the following photos, I have placed both units on a seat tube, for easy side by side comparison.
In the drive side view,
<http://picasaweb.google.com/Torp84SL/Campy60sRecFrDerCues/photo#5155144732034 528754>
there is a visible difference in the thickness (front to back) of the aluminum triangle that holds the swing arm pivots. (It is only the cross section of that triangle that we can see from this view). The material on the upper unit appears much thicker, than on the lower. In addition, the thin but flat top edge of the hinged clamp face, very close to where it meets the hinge pin housing, is much more flush and integrated fitting on the upper unit, than on the lower. That is, the lower unit has a rougher, less streamline cast design than the upper.
In the back side view, <http://picasaweb.google.com/Torp84SL/Campy60sRecFrDerCues/photo#5155144736329 496066> there is a visible difference in the thickness (top to bottom) of the flat little shelf that houses the limit screws. The upper "screw plate" appears much thicker on the upper, than on the lower.
If you cannot view these differences easily, then please ZOOM the image to full size, to get it "in your face". :)
It is my guess that the lower unit is earlier, and that the heavier duty look to the upper unit is due to manufacturing changes intended to better limit fragility and breakage. Any knowledge, or educated opinions on the subject? Any rough ideas of when they changed this mold? Thanks very much, as usual...
Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI USA
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