New-Old-Stock Shimano 600/Ultegra Front Derailleur...Clamp-On (28.6 mm) Model

Description

New-Old-Stock (NOS) Shimano 600/Ultegra Front Derailleur...Clamp-On (28.6 mm) Model for Double Chainring
Thank you for your interest in this item and please visit our store for other offerings. We have very reasonable shipping terms and combine orders to save money (for customers) on shipping costs. We also maintain customer friendly return/refund/exchange policies.
Product Description:
This is a new-old-stock (NOS) Shimano 600/Ultegra front derailleur from the late 80's and early 90's (model FD-6400). Some of it's more prominent design features include...
Capacity:
double chainring with 14T (max) difference (shop catalog specs)
Compatibility:
marketed as road bike model during the 7-speed cassette/freewheel era (although see notes that follow for other drivetrain possibilities)
Mounting bracket:
clamp-on (28.6 mm)...so should be compatible with many vintage steel tubed road bikes that require a clamp-on unit
Cable pull:
bottom (so cable routing must enter from below the unit)
Design:
conventional/bottom swing
Weight:
100 grams (per our digital postal scale)
The Shimano 600/Ultegra groupset of this generation, as it is today, is considered one of the better component groups on the market, and one step below Shimano's top-of-the-line Dura-Ace group. Our Shimano catalogs indicate this groupset in the late 80's / early 90's was marketed primarily as a seven-speed drivetrain with 126 mm (locknut-to-locknut) spacing. These specs indicate this front derailleur was considered narrow chain compatible, as defined for this period (as the seven speed drivetrain with a 126 mm freehub typically required a narrower chain). Please do keep in mind, however, when we speak of narrower chains from this era, this is relative to the wider chains historically used on regular spaced six speed drivetrains with 126 mm spacing and/or regular spaced five speed drivetrains with 120 mm spacing. Today's nine and ten speed compatible chains are even narrower then those that were typically used on these seven speed drivetrains. Having said all of this, one of these derailleurs should function fine over a double chainring with a 5/6/7 speed rear cluster (all the while being mindful of the capacity limits noted above).
The finish is a combination silver and charcoal enamel (painted finish) that covers most of the clamp band, as well as a heat treated and chrome plated steel chain guide. As for the cosmetic condition of this finish, we are finding that most of the blemishes may be characterized as scratches in the enamel finish around the clamp and the actual chrome finish on the derailleur cage (or chain guide) is relatively clean. If we do find one that has excessive scratches and scuffs, we will pull it aside and treat it as a "cosmetic second" (and discount it accordingly), but this is not one of those units...as it looks good with only minor shopwear.
Listing Update...We have begun updating the pictures for these derailleurs to reflect the next unit that will ship. So the pictures in the sequence to the left represent the actual front derailleur we have pulled from our inventory that is next in line to sell/ship. As is hopefully apparent in the pictures, this unit does show well...with some minor scuffs/scratches in the enamel finish...mostly around the clamp band...but still a nice overall appearance. Please also note that while we have multiple quantities listed for sale, we will repeatedly update the pictures to reflect the next offering that will sell/ship.
General note regarding narrower/wider front derailleur cages (chain guides) and chains...
We do not see many good quality clamp-on front derailleurs with these slightly wider cages, which are typically more effective at shifting the wider chains desired on some vintage road bikes. Narrow chains may also be used with these vintage setups, but because they are typically more expensive and usually not as durable (because they are made with thinner/lighter component pieces)...they are probably not the best alternative for a vintage road bike. Wider chains are usually a better option, because they are made with thicker/heavier component pieces that will generally hold up better over a longer period (so more miles between replacements). The problem is that most of today's front derailleurs are built with cages to accomodate extremely narrow chains (for 9 and 10-speed shifting), which means they might not work as well on a vintage road bike when a wider chain is preferred (for the reasons noted above). In many cases, it's still possible to get the newer front derailleurs to function...but with a narrower cage and a wider chain, it would appear the limit screw adjustments have to be near perfect to eliminate chain rub (so little margin for error here...and hence the reason the slightly wider cage on these older front derailleurs is a nice feature).
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Note to international customers regarding shipping...
We apologize to those that feel some of our international shipping charges are too high. We only charge actual shipping rates, but once an order exceeds a certain amount, we hesitate to use the least expensive US Postal Services First Class International service. We feel this way, because this service is not trackable or insurable...so more risk of loss. We prefer the US Postal Services Priority Mail International service for more expensive orders, because this service is trackable at USPS.com and insurable...so less risk of loss. Unfortunately, this service is more expensive, especially for smaller/lighter packages, relative to the First Class International service. We are sorry about these higher shipping costs, but hopefully our notes help to explain why this is the case.
Note to international customers regarding customs...
We also apologize to those that feel their country import taxes, duties and brokerage fees are excessive. As a small US business, we are required by customs' laws to declare each order as a retail sale. Additionally, the declared order value must be equal to total store purchases and/or winning auction bids (less any shipping costs, as these are not considered in the declared value). As a result, each customer will be responsible for paying his/her own country taxes, duties and brokerage fees, which will be collected upon delivery. Again, we apologize for these additional costs, but we cannot afford the penalties and fines that come with breaking customs' laws...so we have to strictly abide by them.