MoAlpha

I got one of those when I my Nuovo Record RD went into my spokes one day and it was all I felt I could afford. Worked better, if anything, and looking at it now, it’s sort of cool. Just killed me that it didn’t match the rest of the group, though.

ShannonM

Heck, they shift incredibly well today. So well, in fact, that if I'm building a friction-shift bike, I'm using a Suntour Superbe / Superbe Pro or a Cyclone unless I've got a really good reason not to. The 1980 Superbe that I posted above is shifting a 45/42/30 x 14-26 half-step triple. Despite totally blowing past Suntour's 23T max cog / 22T chainwrap specs, (I'm at 26/27,) it shifts beautifully, solid thunk every time... even with the not-great OEM LePree levers.

--Shannon

aclinjury

SRAM: "am I a yoke to you?"

jgwilliams

Interesting thread, proving that beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. Aesthetics are important to me and I wouldn't have anything I feel is downright ugly, no matter how well it performs. For that reason I wouldn't put a Shimano Ultegra crankset on my bike, and the current Campagnolo offering is only marginally better. Cranksets used to have a lovely organic feel to them whereas the current bunch just look horribly utilitarian. My SRAM Force crankset is only marginally better, but bearable.

As it happens, though, I do like the appearance of the Force rear derailleur, particularly the darker gray of the 11-speed one.

Raiden

It really is. Personally, (with risk of tainting the thread with my opinion) my preference is along the lines of the chromed, rounded Shimano models (or maybe the C Record, but from an angle where it doesn't just look simply like a shiny silver rock) but there are definitely some variation, between the vintage suggestions, to the modern brutalism of Rotors hydraulic RD or the no frills (aside from some fun ano) Paul model.

ClydeClydeson

Shimano 600 'Arabesque' is my favourite.

I also like Campy Athena and Chorus from a few years back.

sincos

OK my 2c.

Most elegant: Suntour Superbe Pro, Huret Jubilee
Coolest: Sanko Procyon, Huret Duopar
Class of one: Nuovo/Super Record

Ugliest: Huret Duopar, those pastel Ofmega Mistral things ...

Runners up: Alloy Chorus/Record/Athena (elegant); Mavic SSC (cool -- like a modern Procyon), Huret Svelto (minimalist cool/totally hideous)

Slightspeed

Lots of cool eye candy here. I think the Campagnolo Gran Turismo is pretty cool looking. I've heard bad things about them, but this one never have me any trouble.

Hiro11

You guys already picked all of my favorites:
1st gen C-Record. No name, just the Campy shield and an absurd amount of polishing.
Mavic 851 which looks like something out of a Georges Melier film or steampunk anime.
Huret Jubilee which is probably the most minimalist design ever and apparently still worked well (for the time)
Dura-Ace 7800 which is the best. group. ever.
Black and gold Superb Pro which was light years ahead of the competition when released and might be the best made RD of all time

I'll add two others:
The inanely early 90s Shimano Sante which was kind of poseur-ish back in the day but had 9 speed before Dura Ace and worked well:


And from the same period the Precision Billet Proshift which is emblematic of the same CNC machining fad that resulted in the Paul above.

Germany_chris

I always liked this one

ShannonM

I thought Sante came out in '88 and was gone by 1990 or so? Also, that's the only medium cage Sante I've ever seen. I had no idea such a thing existed! Pretty little thang, ain't it? I'd want one, except that it'd probably cost more than whatever bike I put it on.

I always thought the best looking part of the whole Sante group was the shift levers.

--Shannon

rydabent

Be practical. Forget beauty, go with the one that shifts best.