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| Category: | Rear Derailleurs |
| Name: | SunTour alpha-5000 |
| Brand: | SunTour |
| Primary Group: | Alpha 5000 |
| Model: | RD-5000-GT |
| Years: | 1987 - ? |
| Country: | Japan |
| Weight: | 290 grams (Spec) |
| Added By: | Tommy on 10/31/12 |
| Updated By: | peterbman on 05/05/18 |
Additional Photos - click for full size |
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| Outer Plate Markings | GT | Inner Plate Markings | |
| Material | Aluminum Alloy; Steel | Design Category | Direct Pull |
| Attachment Bolt Size | | Cable Attachment Bolt Size | |
| Shifting Systems | SunTour AccuShift
Friction | Cable Adjuster | Yes |
| Cage Length | Medium | Max Cog Size | 32 |
| Max Chain Wrap | | | |
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
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N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
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1971 |
1972 |
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
1983 |
| |
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A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
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1984 |
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
1989 |
1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
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SunTour Month Code
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
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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)
