SpeedofLite 

dddd

Interesting that at 5000 miles they measured only 1/32" of chain stretch over 1 foot of chain, which is just 0.23% stretch or half-worn by modern standards.

Some of the early Uniglide and DID/Suntour chains wore rapidly, but later Shimano "UG Narrow" and apparently this group's Superbe chain were quite slow to wear.

bikemig 

I like the shimano 600 group by and large but I am not a big fan of the 600EX long cage rear derailleur (RD 6207 GS). It works but not as well, IMO, as the later shimano MTB RDs. My Cannondale 1985 ST 400 came stock with a complete shimano 600 group. I found the shifting to be less precise than I liked. I kept the 600EX headset and brake calipers but swapped out pretty much everything else.

dddd

Nice Cannondale(!), they had some really good colors back then (mine was the light metallic green).

The pre-SIS Shimano derailers would have really benefitted from having some kind of body angle adjustment, but there is no external means of adjusting either the B-pivot or cage-pivot springs on these derailers.

But just as when I couldn't get my Cyclone GT derailer to swing forward enough for responsive shifting on a 13-28t 6s freewheel (where I had already removed the B screw and had to remove further metal from it's stop lug), the Shimano derailers can have their spring tensions revised internally by drilling new spring-holes, or by grinding some metal off of the bent tab on the stop plate.
These are much like Simplex derailers, which do often have the cage pivot locknuts or alternate spring holes which allow for adjusting the dersiler angle to the freewheel size.
Shifting is radically improved with best adjustment, versus random combinations with factory pre-settings. It's one of those things (just like chainline) that can make or break a bike's ride character imo, so I will take the time to do it one way or the other.

mstateglfr 

$350 for 600 Ultegra level SIS indexed shifting group.
$700 for Superbe Pro level Accushift indexed shifting group.

Thats the takeaway for me. Quite surprising.

The Golden Boy 

Yes and no.

6200 stuff is not 6400 level stuff.

But, yes- that is a price gap. And SIS is just "better."

mstateglfr 

Yeah, I mentioned Ultegra level since the article mentions 600 being elevated a level with the introduction of 105.
Regardless, you summed up what was the real surprise- the indexed group that just worked better overall cost half as much. At first glance, seeing those cost differences runs counter to so much of what I have read about how SunTour was the budget option that worked better and how SunTour wouldnt inflate prices to create scarcity or appeal.

Ferrouscious 

Superbe Pro was Suntour's top end groupset. It would be better to compare it to Dura Ace. Excellent fit and finish cost a lot.

mstateglfr 

Right, and I thought about typing this earlier but figured it'd get too wordy- this too is a surprise since they reviewed both for thousands of miles and found the lower level group(600) performs as well as and better than the higher level group.
600 was half the cost, had indexed shifting that worked better, and was the better reviewed components.

Again, taken as a whole it was a surprise. Thats aThat's my point was.

Ferrouscious 

Yeah. I've always been a Suntour guy based on aesthetics and the pure logic and cleverness in their designs, but I can't longer deny that Shimano made an equally appealing product. My last point of defense would be that Superbe Pro was 2-3 years old at the time this review came out, while 600EX was less than a year into its cycle. Makes me want a mix of the two.