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History of Dura Ace

Old 09-21-20, 09:13 PM
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Fahrenheit531 
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History of Dura Ace

I'm sure it's even cooler if you speak Japanese.

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Old 09-21-20, 09:15 PM
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HAHAHAHA It's like they heard me.


...but I'm gonna say it was cooler in Japanese.
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Old 09-22-20, 03:57 AM
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7400 6 speed is still my favorite. Great performance combined with a classic style.
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Old 09-22-20, 04:47 AM
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I'm not a Shimano fan but if it weren't for them, Campy would still be selling old Super Record with friction shifters as "state of the art". The same way Honda (and the other Japanese MC manufacturers) made Harley Davidson's products more reliable.
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Old 09-22-20, 04:53 AM
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
I'm not a Shimano fan but if it weren't for them, Campy would still be selling old Super Record with friction shifters as "state of the art". The same way Honda (and the other Japanese MC manufacturers) made Harley Davidson's products more reliable.
Competition is almost always good for the consumer.
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Old 09-22-20, 06:48 AM
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
I'm not a Shimano fan but if it weren't for them, Campy would still be selling old Super Record with friction shifters as "state of the art".
And that’s a problem because...
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Old 09-22-20, 07:08 AM
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Originally Posted by b dub
7400 6 speed is still my favorite. Great performance combined with a classic style.
As of recent I have moved away from my 9 speed bikes. I am finding the 6 & 7 speed stuff for 126 is as good or better in many ways.
I find myself shifting one cog at a time instead of 2 and getting the same amount of gears.
There is a point where more cogs are useless.
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Old 09-22-20, 07:14 AM
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They missed a major innovation by not mentioning Hyperglide's ramped and profiled cogs, which were introduced in 1989. I'd put it right up there with SIS and STI in terms of shifting game changers.

Not quite so alarming was the bypassing of their improved dual pivot brake design, which started another industry trend.
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Old 09-22-20, 07:17 AM
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Where were the Dyna Drive pedals and cranks????
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Old 09-22-20, 07:48 AM
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no beauty shots of the Crane? cmon
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Old 09-22-20, 07:51 AM
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
Where were the Dyna Drive pedals and cranks????
To this day, Dyna-Drive is my favourite toe clip and strap system. The pedals were incredibly stable and the easiest of all cup and cone pedals to overhaul. The matching crankset was the stiffest of it's era. Alexi Grewal was sponsored by SunTour but used Shimano Dyna-Drive on his Pinarello to win the 1984 Olympics road race.
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Old 09-22-20, 08:02 AM
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Almost as interesting as the changes in the components themselves: the evolution of the logo.
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Old 09-22-20, 08:02 AM
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It's getting more and more italicized. Experts believe that by 2050 the Dura Ace logo will be an infinitely long straight line.
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Old 09-22-20, 09:27 AM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
To this day, Dyna-Drive is my favourite toe clip and strap system. The pedals were incredibly stable and the easiest of all cup and cone pedals to overhaul. The matching crankset was the stiffest of it's era. Alexi Grewal was sponsored by SunTour but used Shimano Dyna-Drive on his Pinarello to win the 1984 Olympics road race.
At some point after Dyna Drive was discontinued, I recall reading the Velo News classified ads( remember them?) and A.G. put out an offer to buy any Dyna Drive pedals and cranks that shops might still have in stock. No idea if he actually found any.
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Old 09-22-20, 11:39 AM
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Originally Posted by b dub
7400 6 speed is still my favorite. Great performance combined with a classic style.
Still my favorite setup, too. The gruppo that finally put Campagnolo on the scrap heap.
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Old 09-22-20, 02:53 PM
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Funny enough, my first foray into Shimano Dura Ace was last year when I bought a lovely gruppo from @Brewsmith, and a ridonculously underpriced set of DA/Mavic MA 40 wheels to match. Smooth. Hubs are glass like, shifting is smooth and crisp... Still love me Campy Ergo-8 stuff though.
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Old 09-22-20, 04:41 PM
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No experience with Dura Ace. And only just now getting ready to build wheels with Campy hubs. I've been an avid cyclist for 50 years. Better late than never.
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Old 09-22-20, 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by sykerocker
Still my favorite setup, too. The gruppo that finally put Campagnolo on the scrap heap.
Campagnolo put themselves on my personal scrap heap with Syncro.
1990 and DA7400; I made the switch and never bought another Campagnolo product. I even trained myself to say "group" vs "gruppo".
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Old 09-22-20, 05:42 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott
I even trained myself to say "group" vs "gruppo".
I think they should have stuck with 'ensemble'.

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Old 09-22-20, 06:38 PM
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Dura Ace 7700 the best there ever was.


Last edited by Wileyone; 09-22-20 at 06:44 PM.
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Old 09-22-20, 07:25 PM
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My first was a mixture of DA and Ultegra for 9 speed. I later got a bike with full 10 speed DA. I still think my Campy Chorus 10 speed is smoother.

I actually really like my 6 speed group.

​​​​​​I'd love a bike with AX if I found one.
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Old 09-22-20, 09:12 PM
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Heck, I'm still using Nuovo Record components.

Shimano's ever-evolving componentry is a blessing and a curse. Innovation is good but when you cannot get spare parts for something only a few years old,...

BTW, I bought a set of DURA-ACE brakes when they first came out, maybe 1973. I still have them but no longer use them.
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Old 09-23-20, 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by P!N20
I think they should have stuck with 'ensemble'.

i think i've heard "combo" used in Japanese which I always kind of liked
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Old 09-23-20, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott
Campagnolo put themselves on my personal scrap heap with Syncro.
1990 and DA7400; I made the switch and never bought another Campagnolo product. I even trained myself to say "group" vs "gruppo".
I start to like Campy more once 10-speed hits. God, it's scary that the RD-00 is arguably C+V now...
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Old 09-23-20, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by DiabloScott
Campagnolo put themselves on my personal scrap heap with Syncro.
1990 and DA7400; I made the switch and never bought another Campagnolo product. I even trained myself to say "group" vs "gruppo".
I got disillusioned with Campagnolo back in 1974, when I virtually sold my girlfriend on the street to buy an all-Campagnolo Gitane Professional Super Corsa . . . . . and after riding a buddy's bike, realized I should have saved a hell of a lot of money and bought the Tour de France instead. Campy has always been overrated in my book. I finally built my latest Rossin last year with Nuevo Record (because the frame came with a Campagnolo sticker on it), and it was every bit as mediocre as I remember. My other two are 7400 Dura Ace and Tricolor 600, and I prefer them completely. And a Tour de France is my second oldest bike in the stable.
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