Saturday, February 20, 2016

New Front Derailleur -- Shimano Ultegra FD-6700 -- From the Whittier Bicycle Swap Meet

NOS Shimano Ultegra front derailleur FD-6700 for 10 speed setup (Ultegra is second to the top of the line for Shimano.  Top of the line is called DuraAce...).  The front derailleur on the bike I ride is corroding due to the pretty severe salt environment along the beach...  Still works OK but may not function well for too long so this is a potential replacement...  Don't really need it yet...

If you look closely at the castings and the finish, it's incredibly well made.  The individual pieces are like works of mechanical art.  The only piece that's not super nice is the chain guide (not that it's not nice but the cast pieces are so much nicer...).  Considering how functional (the tolerances in the moving joints is phenomenal...  everything moves/pivots with nearly zero slop...), reliable and durable this is, it's a pretty much the highest level of mechanical engineering achievement, for the masses...


Bike ride to Marina Del Rey on Valentines Day -- Sunday, February 14, 2016

A particularly beautiful day... (not super hot like the next day...)