| Outer Plate Markings | Suntour XC SPORT | Inner Plate Markings | Mieda Ind. Japan. VIA |
| Material | Aluminum Alloy | Design Category | Drop Parallelogram |
| Attachment Bolt Size | 5mm Allen Key | Cable Attachment Bolt Size | 4mm Allen Key |
| Shifting Systems | SunTour AccuShift
Friction | Cable Adjuster | Yes |
| Cage Length | Long | Max Cog Size | 39 |
| Max Chain Wrap | | | |
| Component Groups |
| Primary Group Name | Brand | Quick Info | Browse Group Components |
| XC Sport 7000 | SunTour | 1987 - 1988, Mountain Bike | View 7 Components |
SunTour (Maeda)
SunTour derailleurs have a two-letter date code. On rear derailleurs the code is stamped on the back side of the inner parallel arm. On front derailleurs it is stamped on the back side of the inner cage.
The first letter represents the year. Larry Osborn and I believe O (Oh) is 1972, V is 1979 and A is 1984. As with Shimano, the second letter is the month code, where A is January and L is December.
SunTour Year Code
|
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
|
1971 |
1972 |
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
1983 |
| |
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
|
|
|
|
|
1984 |
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
|
|
|
|
SunTour Month Code
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
The earliest Suntour derailleur I have found with a code is marked OF. A rear derailleur marked OD (corresponding to April of 72) was reported by Leighton Walter. I have a bike that dates from between 1970 to 1972 that has the original SunTour derailleurs. These derailleurs do not have date codes on them, so I believe the coding started sometime between 1970 and April of 1972.
(source: vintage-trek.com)
