On Monday, May 8, 2017 at 4:26:18 AM UTC-7, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 3:53:29 PM UTC-4, Robert Latest wrote:
...after I properly re-sorted the spacers in the rear cassette. Duh.

robert

It's pretty amazing how well a lot of the 1980s (or a lot earlier) stuff still works if it's maintained reasnonably well rather than abused. I have a bicycle with the old Shimano 600 EX stuff on it including the scallop headset and I never have problems with it. I even have a number of NOS Uniglidge cassettes for it. I also have another bicycle with Duara Ace AX on itthat's still going strong. I just adore the stopping power of those brakes. Plus those brakes are the absolute easiest brakes to center if they should ever get knocked off center = just hold the center section of the brake caliper and move it to the centered position = no fuss no bother. My bicycle with the New 600 groupset still shifts flawlessly to. I think thatthe old stuff had a lot less that could go wrong with it in the shifting department..

Cheers

The old groups only had to shift five or six speeds and the downtube shifters had a straight shot at the derailers. Everything was built very strongly in comparison to what we have today and all of the parts were metal without sections of them being made out of plastic and then covered with carbon cloth and entitled "Carbon Fiber".

It's no surprise that not only have they survived but they still work almost as well as new.