Originally Posted by
sykerocker
To put it bluntly, Dura Ace 7400 blew Campagnolo Nuevo Record out of the water, showing it to be the overpriced, snob brand that it was.
Actually, it didn't take that long. The main significance of Dura Ace is that it was the first complete gruppo that not only competed, but beat Campagnolo at it's own game. Prior to that, you could easily outdo Nuevo Record, but you had to buy an all high end French bike to do it. Say, a Puegeot PX-10 or Gitane Tour de France. Motobecane, etc. make competitive bikes.
Prior to the Dura Ace 7400, the killer grouppo was a combination of high end Simplex derailleurs, Stronglight 93 crankset and Mafac Competition brakes. As I found out in 1973 when I paid stupid money for a complete Campy equipped Gitane Professional Super Corsa, and discovered that I'd had better spent my money on a Tour de France.
Well, that's hard to argue with, but I was discussing first generation Dura Ace, not something from the 1980s that competed with Super Record.
The 1973 edition:
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