New-Old-Stock Shimano RX100 (First Generation) Front Derailleur...28.6 mm Clamp

Description

New-Old-Stock Shimano RX100 (First Generation) Front Derailleur...28.6 mm Clamp-On Model for Double Chainring...Shopwear
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Product Description:
This offering is for a new-old-stock (NOS) Shimano RX100 (first generation) front derailleur from the very early 90's (model FD-A550). 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:
105 grams (per our digital postal scale)
The Shimano RX100 product line from this era was considered an entry-level racing groupset (so good quality components). We have also confirmed there is no difference between Shimano's RX100 group and it's more popular 105 group...other than the cosmetic finish...and this appears to hold true with these front derailleurs. We sell both models of this vintage in our store and they are very similar...other than the polished/silver finish on the seat tube clamp of the RX100 model compared to the enamel (or painted) finish on the 105 model. Otherwise they look identical in design and workmanship.
Our Shimano catalogs indicate the RX100 groupset in the 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).
We also compared this model FD-A550 front derailleur to it's "close cousin" and predecessor Shimano 105 model FD-1050 (the latter of which was marketed in the late 80's primarily with a six speed drivetrain...so effectively compatible with a wider chain). We compared these two units...and specifically the derailleur cages (or chain guides), because we wanted to assess any differences in their width and/or design. After making such comparisions and taking some caliper measurements, it's actually fairly difficult to make any significant distinctions between the two cages...and the inside width of each cage appears similar. As a result, the derailleur cage (or chain guide) on this model FD-A550 should be wide enough to handle most of the wider chains found on vintage road bikes. The widest of these chains (8.0 mm or wider) may still present some chain rub problems, but we see very few of these extremely wide chains in today's market...so this will probably not be an issue when considering one of these front derailleurs for a vintage drivetrain.
In terms of condition, these are nice and still retail boxed. We were not able to acquire as many of these retail boxed units, and they cost us a bit more money relative to our new-old-stock (unboxed) equivalents, but we still thought they were worth it. I guess we were thinking there might be some folks out there that need one of these units in really nice cosmetic condition (so we wanted to make them available).
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 accommodate 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.