What are your favorite classic component groups and why?
At the moment my favorite is Campagnolo victory. I like the simplicity and design.

Well I'd have to say Campy nr/rec and tri-color because those are basically the only two I have any familiarity with. Superbe might be on that list real soon though. Heck at this rate I'll just become a fan of everything C&V that I come across

This gets into definitional territory as I'm quite sure that gruppos I consider to be classic would not be considered classic by many. My favorite group for the combination of aesthetics and function is the 8 and 9 sp Campy Record gruppos with alloy levers. They work extremely well, they're durable, repairable and beautiful. I think it's the prettiest crank design ever executed. I prefer the 9sp alloy, but for pure aesthetics hard to argue with the earlier 8sp Ergo with the c-record post and deltas.

That is easy, the orginal Chorus. I like the Victory cranks but the Chorus woth that lowprofile spyder and doggleg bend, and those beautiful gracefully curved monoplanor brakes are simply the best. The RD is pretty nice too.

BG - the monoplanar is beautiful...but c'mon!

But where do you put the Cobalto gem on those? LOL. They are good looking and it is a tough choice between the two. I used to be really starry eyed for C-rec and Deltas but these days I like the graceful simplicity of the monoplaner.

Ofmega Mistral, just for the aesthetic.

The gentle curve to the monoplanar and the finish really are beautiful. @ Cobalto!

IMO Nuovo Record because it's on a different level aesthetically than just about anything else, and also because it was the default group on so many beautiful top level '70's bikes.

Hello..Boy is this string picture heavy!..I just bought a new to me 1984 Raleigh Road Ace with a full set of Shimano AX components..and I also own 8 other vintage and one new Kona Jack the Snake with Ultegra (all around). I have ridden all the other componet groups including my Raleigh Gran Prix (Sun Tour, VGT) and Peugeot with Simplex...

Strike me dead, but I am going against most of the reviews concerning the AX group, I like the look and the precision of the components...and, most importantly the feel...IMO.

I know what your all thinking, and I won't repeat it to anyone...LOL. Take care and Ride Safe.

Nuovo Record for me, pretty much because its all I've used since 1972. I'm trying to develop a soft spot for French stuff though...

Nuovo Record for me too. I couldn't afford it back in 1972, but got some when I could. Because it's so dog-goned beautiful, it works very well, is rebuildable in many cases, and has a very strong racing heritage. But mostly because it's beautiful gear and was/is original spec on the bikes I love.

over time I've had love affairs with a number of different groups.

My Top Five that I've owned are:
1. Sugino 75 road - from 1982 and possibly the rarest of all Japanese groups, made up of re-branded Suntour, Dia-Compe, and Sugino parts. Includes several of the earliest attempts at carbon components.

2. Shimano Sante - light, stylish, and shifts excellently. You get the quality of Dura Ace 7400 with a more unique look.

3. Huret Jubilee - smoothest shifting I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Easily the coolest looking rear derailleur too. It would be number one for me, except that it only includes the derailleurs and shifters, and not a true "group".

4. Dura Ace 7400 - legendary. The cranks are the coolest profile out there, and the brifters are incredibly reliable.

5. SunTour Superbe Pro 7 speed - I collected up a complete group but never mounted it on a bike. Better looking than DA 7400, with a pearlescent finish that's slightly blue/purple in the light.

Top Five that I want:
1. Campagnolo C-Record 1st Gen - I've never been a Campy guy but this group has possibly the best looking derailleurs and brakes of all time. wow. Bonus points for Century finish.

2. Simplex LJ6600 - by all accounts the best Simplex derailleurs and shifters ever made. Been watching them on eBay forever.

3. Cyclo Benelux - chainstay-mounted rear with a combo front rod-actuated derailleur & chain guard. Spectacular!

4. Osgear Super Champion - it's made of brass. BRASS. steampunk as f**k. need I say more?

5. Ofmega Mistral - such cool styling! others have already covered it. The drillium bike Cicli Devotion did for Affinity Bicycles used Mistral parts.


Honorable mentions:
- Shimano Deore M700 "Deerhead" series. Bombproof. Classy.
- Suntour Cyclone. Prettier than the "Deerhead" stuff and just as reliable.
- Campagnolo 50th Anniversary. because, duh.
- Sachs New Success. Modolo brakes and levers! Campy components! Very 80's futuristic.

Anything Campy but NOT carbon! All the pics posted here so far, esp. Bianchigirll's (Thanks for sharing!)

- Wil

Speaking of AX... I would LOVE to get my hands on some...

I vote anything Campy, but nuovo record is at the top of my list for the way they look and after NR are the campy rod shift components. I really love the way the rear derailleurs look and the simplistic design. So campy anything including the new carbon stuff.

Anything marked "Schwinn Approved".

My all-time favorite component group is the 80's Mavic SSC group, Although admittedly there was a lot of it contracted out to other Italian and in one case (brakes) Japanese companies with the magic of re-branding, there was enough French DNA in the group through the years it was issued that it works nicely on "Tout French" builds. Add to that the uniqueness of the derailleur and crank designs (Most notably the "Erector" style RD, Mektronic RD and the "Starfish" cranks) so that unique and awesome builds can be easy to achieve with them.

Second to the Mavic SSC Group, I love the Spidels. My ideal Spidel group would have the following:
Spidel/Stronglight 106 crankset (Much nicer than the higher model 107, IMO)
Spidel/Stronglight A9 headset
Spidel/Mafac LS sidepull brakes
Spidel/Simplex fluted seatpost
Spidel/Maillard 700 hubs
Spidel/Maillard 700 7S super compact Freewheel
Spidel/Simplex SLJ6600 derailleur set
Spidel/Maillard 700 pedals
Not sure if there ever was a Spidel (Atax?) stem.....or a Spidel (Stronglight?) BB, but I'd take one of each too...

Slap these Spidel components on any top line mid 80's French racing bike and you will have a masterpiece! Tout French!


Chombi

Of course I love the Campagnolo SR/NR stuff

other then that...

Shimano 600 Arabesque1000 × 750 - bicycles.net.au



and the super weird
Suntour Blueline

I still like SunTour Cyclone derailleurs, Campag. NR hubs, and Stronglight cranks. I like Weinmann and Shimano brake handles, because Modolos, Mafacs, and Campagnolos are a bit too long in the reach for full hand panic grabs.

I "voted" earlier for NR, here's Nuovo Record on my '71 Schwinn:

i'm curious as to why Blue Line is ranked lower on the SunTour hierarchy than Cyclone? Looks almost identical.

I'm a bit on the younger side, and have never tried a NR or Superbe groupset, although I hope to someday.

I've had very good experience with both a 640x Tricolor group that was on my RB-1, and a 105-1055 group I foolishly sold. I got them cheap but they were super reliable. The 105 is kind of an ugly duckling but in an endearing way.

I've recently updated the RB-1 to a Veloce/Centaur 10sp group, and have a new project with a cosmetically-challenged Dura Ace 7700 group that I'm very excited about, so I'm excited to try both a Campy group and a reasonably modern Shimano group this spring, assuming the snow from this coming super storm melts by then.

Disagree with that bit about the quality of Dura Ace. The brake quick-release located in the (admittedly beautiful) brake levers, and also the flimsy plastic load bearing spacers in the brake calipers--IMO Sante is 7400's prettier (daintier) kid sister. I've also broken two derailleurs. That said, I've got a lot more NIB Sante stuff in my garage than 7400 stuff.

The group that single-handedly murdered Suntour (the entire company), and very nearly Campagnolo too.

The DA7400 group is "legendary" and I wouldn't kick it off my bike if one in good condition happens to come with it, but I do think that the desing on some of the items in the group is not as impressive as the group's reputation suggests. In particular, the crankset. Yes, a clean "modern" design that does not get old to most eyes, but maybe just too clean and too simple. I'd maybe look at a DA7400 crank for one minute to admire it, but in comparison, I'd look at other C&V fluted cranksets like a Campy SR, Stronglight 106, 105bis or 104bis easily three, four, maybe more times longer anytime to admire their beauty.
for this reason, I put Suntour's Superbe Pro group (earliest version) ahead of the DA7400 group in my list......any time....

Chombi