In 1991 Campagnolo replaced the Campagnolo Record (R010) road derailleur, with its exposed Allen bolt at the p-pivot, with the suave, svelte Record (RD-01RE) with a concealed p-pivot. At the same time, they introduced a new top-end ATB groupset - called 'Record OR'. 'OR' stands for 'Off Road'.
Record OR was fiendishly expensive, not particularly lightweight, did not index particularly accurately and so did not sell too well - in other words it had everything that a groupset requires to become a cult among vintage mountain bike fanatics today.
The Record OR derailleur was basically a long cage version of the new Record road derailleur. Just like the road derailleur, it went through a bewildering succession of iterations, which are notoriously badly documented in the various catalogues of the time. Here are my suggestions as to what they may be:
- 1991 saw the first Record OR generation, RD-01OR, RD-02OR and RD03OR. The difference in the second number indicates the cage length with '1' indicating short and '3' indicating long. These derailleurs are distinguished by having a smooth round allen key cable clamp bolt and the same type of pulley - #1302005 - for both the guide and tension pulley.
- In 1993 Campagnolo introduced RD-11OR, RD-12OR and RD13OR. These have Campagnolo's distinctive combined hex and allen key cable clamp bolt. They still have two #1302005 pulleys.
- In 1994 the long cage variant disappeared and we got RD-21OR and RD-22OR. These retain the distinctive combined hex and allen key cable clamp bolt but they have RE-004 pulleys (8 speed units where the guide pulley #1302012 - incorporates a 'Centeron' type feature and is distinctly different from the tension pulley - #1302013).
- For 1995 the short cage version disappears and only the medium cage RD-22OR is left. The 1995 parts list shows this as identical to the 1994 version except that it has 'Record' written on the outer parallelogram plate. Because of this it should technically be RD-32OR - but it is still clearly labelled RD-22OR. Oh well...
I think that this particular Campagnolo Record OR is a 1993 RD-11OR.
Some relevant details are:
- It has only the Campagnolo script logo on the outer parallelogram plate.
- The cable clamp nut is a combined hex and Allen key item.
- The pulleys are part #1302005.
- The cable adjuster is flat and threads into a brass (?) insert in the b-knuckle.
- It has a single parallelogram spring using ~1.5mm wire, without any black plastic tension adjuster in the centre of the inner parallelogram plate.
- The inner parallelogram plate is an aluminium forging.
- The inner pulley cage plate is aluminium and has a spoke deflector.
- Derailleur brands: Campagnolo
- Categories: Campagnolo - mountain bike madness
- Country: Italy
- Date of introduction: 1993
- Date of this example: unknown
- Model no.: RD-11OR
- Weight: 256g
- Maximum cog: 30 teeth (Campagnolo)
- Total capacity: 30 teeth (Campagnolo)
- Pulley centre to centre: 53mm
- Index compatibility: 8 speed
- Chain width: 3/32
- Logic: top normal
- B pivot: sprung
- P pivot: sprung
- Materials: aluminium