Grant wrote: >>>> 1973. From the book "the history of shimano" c 1975:
"in 1972, the dura ace division was organized in order to perfect the skill necessary to produce components of unmatched excellence"
followed by pictures from the 1973 catalog
Flandria was sponsored by Shimano in 1973, and won the "world cup" that year for best team.
I have seen even older center pull brakes marked "dura ace" too, but they don't appear in any catalogs I have (73,74,77) <<<<
Thanks, Grant. Based on other factors, I had guessed that the DA brakeset I had was '73. I have several other early DA components, including a rear derailleur that is similar to, but still different than, the Crane. Also two front derailleurs that are slightly different. It would be interesting to sort out the progression of the parts up to the 7200 series, which I believe came out in 82 or 83 (??) with a six speed cassette. I'd love to see those catalogs posted somewhere as a resource for us curious-minded geeks.
Wayne Bingham
Falls Church VA