Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
That's very interesting- was 105 still available in 86 in the golden arrow friction iteration?
Also- the ratcheting SL-422 Light Action shifters appear to be a little more common than the indexed S424, but again, I assume the Light Action "group" sat lower than 105, so it's interesting that a new middle/lower group would get SIS, but the middle group stayed friction.
And don't get me wrong- the Light Action stuff looked nice, and it functioned great. IMO- the Z206 front derailleur is a real workhorse- it looks nice and classy, and it handles every range of double and triple without looking overbuilt or overly heavy.
OR...
Is Light Action a sort of sub-group of 105? I seem to recall that (at least some of) the Z series stuff was a part of the 105 golden arrow group. Or were the parts just shared... Or, more than likely, I'm just reading WAY too much into it because I'm a dork like that...
Yes, fist generation (aka Golden Arrow), friction shifting 105 was still available in 1986. But by that time it had gone though some cosmetic changes (see pic).
I've also wondered why they skipped over 105 for SIS in 1986. I suspect that New 105 may actually have been scheduled for the 1986 model year but there was some kind of delay, as Shimano released at least three system catalogues in 1986. The first (January 1986) didn't even mention a 105 group! Then there was an August 1986 catalogue that included New 105. The official 1987 catalogue came out in December 1986 and included Sante, which wasn't in either of the two earlier catalogues. So New 105 was almost a mid-year introduction; earlier than normal but too late for specifying on 1986 models. The fact that there was no 105 group in the January 1986 catalogue may be an indicator that hey had hoped to have the New 105 group ready for it. Also, the 1986 cosmetics foretell New 105, so maybe it was a stopgap measure. I think that Shimano was aware of SunTour trying to rush AccuShift to market for 1987 and wanted to cover as many price points as possible, before them. Of course there is nothing concrete. It's just speculation based on circumstantial evidence but sometimes that's all you have.
I never considered Light Action a sub-group of 105 They were heavier and less expensive than 105. Shimano never developed any other components around them and they were typically found on upper entry level bicycles with mixed components such as Sanshin hubs, SR cranks & Z-series brakes.