FD-A550 derailleur from what group?

Hi.

I have a Shimano FD-550 braze-on front derailleur and would like to
know what group it's from. Do any of you know?

Thanks and cheers

Sir Ridesalot wrote:
Hi.

I have a Shimano FD-550 braze-on front derailleur and would like to
know what group it's from. Do any of you know?

Thanks and cheers

A550 was RX100, successor to Exage Sport

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Nov 27, 2:54*pm, AMuzi wrote:
Sir Ridesalot wrote:
Hi.

I have a Shimano FD-550 braze-on front derailleur and would like to
know what group it's from. Do any of you know?

Thanks and cheers

A550 was RX100, successor to Exage Sport

--
Andrew Muzi
* www.yellowjersey.org/
* Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Thanks Andrew.

How does the quality of the A550 compare to a 1980s Simano 600 EX
derailleur?

Cheers

Sir Ridesalot wrote:

AMuzi wrote:

Sir Ridesalot wrote:

I have a Shimano FD-550 braze-on front derailleur and would like to
know what group it's from. Do any of you know?

A550 was RX100, successor to Exage Sport

How does the quality of the A550 compare to a 1980s Simano 600 EX
derailleur?

Exage anything was entry level, functional but cheesy and relatively
quick-wearing. Every iteration of Shimano 600 (now called Ultegra)
was much more nicely made (but not always more functional).

Chalo

John B. wrote:

Chalo wrote:

Exage anything was entry level, functional but cheesy and relatively
quick-wearing. *Every iteration of Shimano 600 (now called Ultegra)
was much more nicely made (but not always more functional).

What is the functional difference between the various versions of
Shimano stuff. For example a Deore and a Tiagra crank set, or long
frame derailour. Is there really a difference in something other then
the polish?

Shimano uses progressively better materials and finishes all the way
up the line. At the very extremes there are anomalies (e.g. archaic
designs on the bottom end, wacky new marketing experiments on the top
end), but for the most part geometry will be comparable throughout the
range while materials and finishes improve as you spend more money.

In the case of derailleurs, that means a $20 derailleur tends to work
as well as a $250 derailleur when it's brand new, but it weighs more
and doesn't last nearly as long before its operation degrades
noticeably. The expensive derailleur has a forged aluminum body,
aluminum sideplates, bronze pivot bushings, and details like ceramic
jockey pulley bearings, along with nice quality fasteners. The
cheapie is stamped from steel plates with simple pins passing through
the plates to serve as pivots. It probably has a little cast aluminum
thrown in, for the bits that don't lend themselves well to being
stamped from sheet. (Or it has really raunchy-looking stampings for
those parts, disguised with plastic shrouds.)

In between the price extremes, you find basic derailleurs with steel
parts where steel works best, aluminum parts where that's a good idea,
and sturdy, precise construction without fancy details. Deore MTB
parts and Tiagra road parts are examples of this category. Many of
use here use such parts because they work well, last a long time, and
provide excellent value.

I sell a lot of the cheaper sorts of derailleurs at my work, because
my customers tend to be price-sensitive and would rather buy a $25
part every couple of years than pay $50 for a version that will last
for as long as they are likely to keep their bike. For some
customers, like pedicabbers, I recommend the cheap stuff because their
derailleurs will more often die by violence rather than wear and
tear.

Like most bicycle mechanics, I use the premium stuff when I can. (For
me, "when I can" usually means when I can scavenge it between free and
well under wholesale.) When I'm buying new, I go for cost-effective
parts with a bias towards effective.

Chalo