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Dura Ace 7700 the Best Looking DA Group?

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Dura Ace 7700 the Best Looking DA Group?

Old 06-20-22, 10:36 AM
  #51  
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Well, if my eBay tracking info is to be believed, a Dura Ace 25th Anniversary rear derailleur should be at my house before I get home tonight!
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Old 06-20-22, 11:12 AM
  #52  
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Originally Posted by IAmSam
Oh I do - whenever DA of the time won't work with anything else while Tricolor works with other Shimanos



You are, of course, entitled to your misperceptions - ride safe
Who in their right mind would put DA with anything else? Ultegra? Yeah, I can see that...
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Old 06-20-22, 11:30 AM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by IAmSam
Oh I do - whenever DA of the time won't work with anything else while Tricolor works with other Shimanos
Probably because the tolerances aren't as tight...Besides, as BMC_Kid points out, why would you want to use Dura Ace with anything else?
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Old 06-20-22, 07:16 PM
  #54  
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...here's something I've been riding a lot lately::Battaglin








...it shifts very positively, and with these wheels is a quick bike for some old steel thing.
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Old 06-21-22, 06:30 AM
  #55  
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Very nice. Looks like you even have the 7400 pedals with the chromed cleat plates?
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Old 06-21-22, 08:18 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer







...it shifts very positively, and with these wheels is a quick bike for some old steel thing.
very nice but it’s no tricolor....
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Old 06-21-22, 08:52 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by BMC_Kid
very nice but it’s no tricolor....
Thank God! If you've got Dura Ace, why would you want gray-painted inferior parts??

And please, just shoot me if I ever refer to them as "tricolor."
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Old 06-21-22, 09:05 AM
  #58  
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The Dura Ace 25th Anniversary Rear Derailleur I got from eBay came yesterday. This is the very first bit of 25th Anniversary componentry I have seen except for photos on the Internet. Surprisingly, it looks like it's never been used. Maybe that's sort of typical for this higher-level stuff that came in its own case.

Anyway, it's in nearly mint condition, except for a tiny scuff on one of the pully side plates, which I can try polishing or replace with a mint one if I decide to. The hangar bolt looks like it was never installed into a frame. Adjuster screws don't look like they've seen a screwdriver head. Pulleys look immaculate (although I'd probably replace them with lighter alloy ones). The engineering plastic next to the upper pully has nary a scratch.

It's in far better condition than described, and for the price I paid for it. Now I'm almost hesitant to install it! But of course, it would do me no good sitting on a shelf (even though it looks amazing doing so). Talk about first-world problems!

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Old 06-22-22, 12:09 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer






...it shifts very positively, and with these wheels is a quick bike for some old steel thing.
Nice Battaglin! I have one that was my go-to bike for a decade, but it's got 2006 Chorus.
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Old 06-24-22, 10:37 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by BMC_Kid
very nice but it’s no tricolor....
Originally Posted by smd4
Thank God! If you've got Dura Ace, why would you want gray-painted inferior parts??

...I have a couple of bikes set up with 600 indexing stuff. People who have never owned and ridden the early Dura Ace stuff just don't get it. Crisp, clean shifting and a sort of timeless good looks. I have a couple set up with the earlier 6 speed with DT shifters. It is also a personal favorite.
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Old 06-24-22, 10:40 PM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by genejockey
Nice Battaglin! I have one that was my go-to bike for a decade, but it's got 2006 Chorus.
...I got this third hand from a Cat 2 (or 3, I forget) racer, who bought it after the Specialized factory rep raced it for a year.
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Old 06-25-22, 07:43 AM
  #62  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...I have a couple of bikes set up with 600 indexing stuff. People who have never owned and ridden the early Dura Ace stuff just don't get it. Crisp, clean shifting and a sort of timeless good looks. I have a couple set up with the earlier 6 speed with DT shifters. It is also a personal favorite.
Exactly. I have bikes with Dura Ace AX, EX, 7400, up to 7700. Ive been able to experience the evolution of it. I also have early 600 equipped bikes and have experienced its evolution up through Ultegra 9 speed. All good stuff and very capable but not on the same level as Dura Ace ever.
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Old 06-27-22, 08:48 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...I got this third hand from a Cat 2 (or 3, I forget) racer, who bought it after the Specialized factory rep raced it for a year.
Did the crank dust covers come with the bike? My 7700 dust covers are blank.
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Old 07-05-22, 10:13 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by smd4
Did the crank dust covers come with the bike? My 7700 dust covers are blank.
...yes, those bolts were what was on it when I got it.
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Old 07-05-22, 10:20 AM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by 3alarmer
...yes, those bolts were what was on it when I got it.
Interesting. Thanks!
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Old 08-04-22, 07:39 AM
  #66  
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I'm a huge DA 7700 fan, especially the brifters, they look great and perform even better. But I do have to say that I prefer the 7800 brakes, not so much for their looks, but they are the best performing rim brakes I have ever used. I also have a soft spot for 6400 tri color bits, I have a tri color front mech on both of my main bikes, and the tri color hubs are awesome, they seem to have almost zero rolling resistance, they are well-sealed, and less fussy than their DA counterparts. I'm going to go against popular opinion and say that I also like the DA 7800 outer chain ring. It looks like a high tech meat slicer!

I still have a functioning Flight Deck computer on each of my two main steel bikes (92 Paramount PDG Tange Prestige, and an 89 Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra SLX). I like knowing what gear I am in w/o having to look down and back at my cassette, I wrecked once doing that on a non-flight deck bike.
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Old 08-04-22, 07:48 AM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by Keefusb
But I do have to say that I prefer the 7800 brakes, not so much for their looks, but they are the best performing rim brakes I have ever used.
You're definitely not the only person I've heard/read that from. Seems to be pretty much the consensus that the 7800 brakes function amazingly.

The don't look terrible, except for those fugly cable adjusters, but those can be swapped out (as I did on my 7700s--I didn't like those either--too mountain-bikey). Although, properly adjusted, and with compressionless cable, I'm not sure they can be much better than my 7700s for responsiveness and stopping power.
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Old 08-04-22, 07:57 AM
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I had DA 7700 brake calipers before I got the 7800's. There is a noticeable improvement in modulation and stopping power. The Koolstop salmon pads and Jagwire compression-less cables also help. My main bikes are both old steel heavyweights compared to today's Al, Ti, and carbon, and I'm something of a Clydesdale rider (6'3" and 210#). The 7800 brakes are definitely confidence-inspiring.
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Old 08-04-22, 08:21 AM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by Keefusb
I had DA 7700 brake calipers before I got the 7800's. There is a noticeable improvement in modulation and stopping power. The Koolstop salmon pads and Jagwire compression-less cables also help. My main bikes are both old steel heavyweights compared to today's Al, Ti, and carbon, and I'm something of a Clydesdale rider (6'3" and 210#). The 7800 brakes are definitely confidence-inspiring.
They don't seem especially expensive...I may have to pick up a pair!
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Old 09-06-22, 07:17 PM
  #70  
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Well, a nearly mint set of 25th Anniversary 7700 calipers popped up on eBay for a good price, so I’m sticking with those. They are stunning.
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Old 09-07-22, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by smd4
Well, a nearly mint set of 25th Anniversary 7700 calipers popped up on eBay for a good price, so I’m sticking with those. They are stunning.
I had a mixed Dura-Ace group on my Tesch before making the switch to Campy recently. It consisted of 7400 front/rear derailleurs, 7410 crankset (my favorite), ancient DA AX stem (polished), and 25th anniversary 7700 seat post, headset, hubs, and brakeset. The 25th stuff is beautifully finished, jewel-like. I've never seen another group finished to this level of quality and probably never will again. If you have the chance, compare your 25th brakeset with the standard 7700 and you will see what I am talking about. Only a higher level of hand finishing produces that level of finish.




Edit: My favorite DA crankset is still the 7410, an end of an era and a thing of beauty. I prefer the thinness of the solid arms to that of the larger hollow arms of 7700.



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Old 09-07-22, 04:49 AM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by BMC_Kid
If you have the chance, compare your 25th brakeset with the standard 7700 and you will see what I am talking about. Only a higher level of hand finishing produces that level of finish.
I currently have the standard 7700 brakeset on the bike, and I agree—the difference in finishing is striking.
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Old 10-01-22, 11:16 AM
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A yea for Dura Ace 7700 and 25th anniversary set from Japan!
I love slim and silver anodized parts.
They are cool
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Old 10-04-22, 07:28 AM
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And I like 7700 chainring's color, dull gray.
It's cool
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Old 10-04-22, 08:47 AM
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I used to really like the gray/nickel/gun metal anodized parts like the chainrings, but I'd love to get a bright silver set like what's on the 25th Anniversary group.

After getting a few 25th Anniversary pieces (brake calipers and rear derailleur), I'm starting to think that variation on the group is the absolute pinnacle of aluminum components. The high polishing, coupled with the white lettering, is simply stunning.
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