Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Whats your opinion on em?

I've got a brake/derailleur/shifter set of these and its not bad...I dunno am I just spoiled by Suntour?

They look cool as heck and the fact that they aren't the greatest performing components i've used isn't stopping me from searching for a 600 arabesque crankset....or hubs (wait, did they have hubs in that group?)

unterhausen

When I was at Trek, they got one of the first sets in and told me to build up a bike and try it out. I didn't like the way it looked and it only worked ok, so I told them to skip it. Other people like it for some reason. I would always pick Suntour myself. I don't remember anything about the hubs I used.

mazdaspeed

I have had better luck with shimano personally. I never liked the suntour sprint group at all, and was rather underwhelmed by the cyclone group the trek has/had. The 600 group and dura ace groups I've had in the past, on the other hand...

Sixty Fiver

It's one of the best looking vintage groups out there but can be finicky as hell to set up as the rear d is rather primitive compared to the Suntour of the day... the cranks are beautiful and I have been running these cranks on my Gran Sport for years with no issues as both a double road and single for the fixed gear set up I am running now.



The Suntour of the day was greatly superior to the Shimano 600 and you can't even compare the performance of a Mk1 Cyclone to a 600 Arabesque... or any other non Suntour derailleur of this period.

I still use vintage Suntour groupos on more modern bikes that were originally fitted with indexed systems as the performance is still that good... I really like the Vx in the road and GT versions as it's performance is great and it has a better look than the Mk2 Cyclone and later Suntour groups.

It is just as light or lighter than most modern derailleurs.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

yeah that 600 crankset is sweet.

mazdaspeed

One other thing, the shimano groups I've had were newer than the suntour groups I've had. The freewheels probably had a lot to do with the difference.

Sixty Fiver

From disraeli gears... a few reasons why Suntour is regarded as being the best friction derailleurs ever made.


200 grams...


215 grams - love this derailleur model with the mid length cage as it will handle as many as 30 teeth.


So tough that early mtb's used these... and a great touring d.

Sixty Fiver

Matching a Suntour rear d with a Shimano Ug or HG freewheel or cassette is a match made in heaven... I also like Suntour freewheels as despite a slightly poorer shift they are much more robust and long wearing than Shimano freewheels.

I found a virtually new Huret Svelto that was mated to a 5 speed Atom freewheel and the shifting was pretty noisy and rough... mating that derailleur to a Hg 6 speed turned it into a very smooth running mech.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

funny I've got a V-GT luxe right here next to me.

also, I agree completely about HG cassettes and Suntour Derailleurs. I'm partial to Cyclone...

Sixty Fiver

It is probably the most desirable part of the group... but I do use a 600 rear d on one of my bikes.

My long bike needed an idler and I had a slightly worn 600 Arabesque so it now sits between the crank and the Suntour V GT in the rear... it's version of the quick cage is a nice feature and the Suntour V Gt also has a quick cage.

This is something I miss with modern derailleurs... it makes wheel removal and installation so much easier and you can service or replace a derailleur without having to break the chain.

Sixty Fiver

I love the Mk1 Cyclone as it is freakishly light and rock solid... the Mk2 is a truly amazing derailleur but comes in such a plain wrapper compared to the nicely sculpted Mk1 and V series.

I rock a Mk1 rear d and Mk2 front d on my Ron Cooper... will be adding some Suntour half ratchets to replace the Shimano 600 dt levers I was using as these too are a far better unit.

I figure I almost have two complete 600 groups here... and quite a few extra front and rear d's.

cb400bill

Here is the catalog shot of an entire group.

mudboy

My first "real" bike was a Panasonic DX4000 with Arabesque. I was a strong rider and had just gotten into racing as an intermediate and a junior. I went through 3 or 4 of the arabesque rear derailleurs over the course of a summer before I replaced the drivetrain with Nuovo Record and Simplex retrofrictions. I would just kill the return springs in them.

JunkYardBike

I've got the crankset and BB, both in pretty good shape. Also have a frame with the alloy headset, and a wheelset in pretty sad condition. I didn't pull the hub axles yet, but supposedly they are identifiably marked as belonging to the arabesque group.

However, the components belong to my 7 year old son. I'm thinking about attending the swap meet at Jorba's mountain Bike Fest next Saturday, and in gathering some stuff to bring for sale, my son wanted in on the action. So, I gave him the Arabesque group to 'clean up'. I'm sure he'd be okay with selling it early, or better yet, trading for Star Wars legos.

randyjawa 

I really like the 600 Arabesque group and have a few sets kicking around. I am presently mounting a complete set on my ALAN Super Record. Some time ago, I wrote this article on the Shimano 600 Arabesque components.

cobrabyte

I love this group. I was lucky enough to find this Lotus (complete on c-list for $80 )originally equipped with the entire group: hubs and all

I use this bike for longer solo rides. It performs great. Complete the group and you will not be disappointed.

jebensch

I love the Arabesque brake levers - possibly my favorites.

ZB - shoot me a PM if you're interested in procuring a crankset. No rings, but the arms are nice.

mparker326

I always thought they looked quite nice and I've never had shifting trouble with mine. It shifts about like any other friction d. Even comes with an optional claw for those stamped Super Course dropouts.

SKO

Has anyone know Shimano Sante crank? I have a chance to buy this and would like to know more.

Grand Bois

I'm not crazy about the rest of the group, but I do like the crank.

king*stink

i put the group on my super course. It looks great. It doesnt shift as nice as suntour. But its not bad at all. Ive not had any problems. I wish i had the crank. I kept the cottered stronglight with it.

Sixty Fiver

This is probably the greatest weakness in the group and if it was not for that I'd probably love the rear d... thinking that I will have to put up a bunch of this 600 stuff up for trade so I can complete some other groups (Suntour).

Seems like the 600 stuff has been breeding here... I think I have 4-5 extra front derailleurs.

Mind you... most front d's are pretty similar and the important stuff is all out back.

Road Fan

I'm using Shimano 600/6207 (a little later than Arabesque, but a little earlier than tricolor 600EX) rear/front derailleurs, crank, and BB spindle on my Peugeot UO-8. These parts all came new on my 1984 Trek 610, and work well on the Peug.

Drakonchik

The rear derailleur is really fragile in that the long sleeve/bolt attaches the cage is very easy to bend, whereupon alignment goes crap, and it's quite fussy to fix. Fully 2/3 of the dozens of 600 Arabesque RDs that I have picked up have had this problem.