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When were Shimano ALTUS AX derailleurs made?

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When were Shimano ALTUS AX derailleurs made?

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Old 10-22-19, 11:01 AM
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Miele Man
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When were Shimano ALTUS AX derailleurs made?

I never knew until recently that Shimano made ALTUS AX derailleurs. I have both a front one and a rear one. the front one looks just like the old Shimano FE front derailleurs and the rear one looks a lot like the Adamas AX one but with provision for external cable housing.

Does anyone here know when these were produced?

Cheers
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Old 10-22-19, 11:12 AM
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Definitely 1981-1983 model years, possibly 1984. There should be a double alpha character date code on them.

Edit: Just double checked my literature and Adamas AX was only 1981-983.

Last edited by T-Mar; 10-22-19 at 11:17 AM.
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Old 10-22-19, 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
Definitely 1981-1983 model years, possibly 1984. There should be a double alpha character date code on them.

Edit: Just double checked my literature and Adamas AX was only 1981-983.
Thanks. I knew about Adamas AX, 600 AX and Dura Ace AX only being made 1981 - 1983 but never knew there was anything made as Altus AX.

I wonder if ALtus AX was strictly OEM stuff on bikes?

Cheers
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Old 10-22-19, 12:43 PM
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Shimano needs to bring back the AX group, since bicycle aerodynamics are once again so much in vogue, nearly as much as they were in '81-83.
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Old 10-22-19, 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Lemond1985
Shimano needs to bring back the AX group, since bicycle aerodynamics are once again so much in vogue, nearly as much as they were in '81-83.
Many of the aero developments of AX went mainstream: elimination of embossing and fluting, aero seat posts, aero stems, aero pedals, aero brake levers,etc. There's not a whole lot to bring back.
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Old 10-22-19, 01:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Miele Man
Thanks. I knew about Adamas AX, 600 AX and Dura Ace AX only being made 1981 - 1983 but never knew there was anything made as Altus AX.

I wonder if ALtus AX was strictly OEM stuff on bikes?

Cheers
There was a an AX group below Adamas AX called just Shimano AX but the rear derailleur was Positron and used the direct cable mechanism without housing. You should post pictures, check the model numbers and date codes.
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Old 10-23-19, 05:03 AM
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Hopefully this does not derail (sic) this specific thread, but since I recently acquired a Lotus Super Pro Aero with Dura Ace AX, a picture of the RD could be helpful. Notice how there is no cable housing? The RD cable runs straight from the shifters to the BB guide to the RD.

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Old 11-08-19, 05:52 AM
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hi,

I also just fount out that ALTUS AX existed and was surprised that there are literally no photos on google with them. Can you upload some photos with your derailleurs ?
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Old 11-08-19, 06:03 AM
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Also, you should check the back plate of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur's cage for 2 letters (ex. GE. ). If you find them you will find when your derailleurs were produced. I doubt you can find someone, other than Shimano itself, that can tell for sure the period when these were made but I would guess, like others , that these were produced somewhere in the early 80's. Maybe they were produced only for a year or two as they are extremly rare.
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