I liked this SunTour Superbe (5300) more than the more prestigious SunTour Superbe Pro (5200) (which is often regarded as the finest friction derailleur of all time). I like the conventional, non-aero, pulley cage plates and I like the fact that these plates and the ‘normal’ pulley wheels bring the weight down to a stoating 174g.

The plain Superbe has all of the the Superbe Pro’s beautiful polished finish and exquisite detailing, from the aluminium hanger bolt and pulley bolts to the stainless steel pivots with Allen heads that were removable so that the gear could be completely disassembled.

In its time it was considered to knock the Shimano Dura-Ace (7200) into a cocked hat.

• Derailleur brands: SunTour
• Categories: SunTour - the Superbe story
• Country: Japan
• Date of introduction: 1984?
• Date of this example: 1985 (two letter date code is BD)
• Model no.: 5300 (SunTour box)
• Weight: 174g
• Maximum cog: 23 teeth (Sutherlands 4th edition)
• Total capacity: 26 teeth (Sutherlands 4th edition)
• Pulley centre to centre: 52mm
• Index compatibility: friction
• Chain width: 3/32”
• Logic: top normal
• B pivot: unsprung
• P pivot: sprung
• Materials: aluminium (including the hanger bolt and the pulley centre bolts)