{"id":3739,"date":"2022-03-02T14:30:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T14:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/?p=3739"},"modified":"2023-07-25T10:45:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T10:45:26","slug":"shimano-600-ex-arabesque-de-mooiste-van-shimano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/shimano-600-ex-arabesque-de-mooiste-van-shimano\/","title":{"rendered":"Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque: the most beautiful group of Shimano?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On many road bikes from the 70s and 80s you see the Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque group, a beautifully decorated group with plant motifs and I must admit for me it is without doubt the most beautiful group from Shimano and perhaps the most beautiful of all groups I know.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-04-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3745\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-04-984x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"984\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-04-984x1024.jpg 984w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-04-480x499.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 984px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Shimano 600 Ex group was released by Shimano in 1975, a few years after their best quality group Dura Ace and was to ensure Shimano's international breakthrough in Europe, which was then still dominated by Campagnolo. The components were no longer made of duralumin but of aluminum, which made them very light<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-03-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-3749\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-03-1024x707.jpg\" alt=\"Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque\" width=\"1024\" height=\"707\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-03-1024x707.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-03-980x677.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-03-480x332.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Shimano 600 Ex was bewust gekozen niet van dezelfde kwaliteit van de Dura Ace groep die voor het professionele wielrennen was ontwikkeld, maar had een ideale prijs-kwaliteit verhouding en werd aangeprezen zowel voor racefietsen als voor Touring fietsen. In die tijd was de laatste categorie bijna even populair als de gewone racefietsen.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Production of Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque from 1978<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A few years later, in 1978, the Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque group was launched, which perfectly matched the numerous handmade frames in Europe. The beautiful ornaments were engraved into the shifters, front and rear derailleur and crankset while the brakes remained the same. Only the finish was adjusted and in addition to the traditional one, an anodized form was now also available.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3747\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-brakes-02-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3747\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3747\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-brakes-02-1024x496.jpg\" alt=\"shimano 600 arabesque anodised\" width=\"1024\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-brakes-02-1024x496.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-brakes-02-980x474.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-brakes-02-480x232.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3747\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The anodized version of Shimano 600Ex<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_3742\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-01-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3742\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3742\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-01-1024x782.jpg\" alt=\"Shimano 600Ex Arabesque\" width=\"1024\" height=\"782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-01-1024x782.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-01-980x748.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-01-480x366.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3742\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Shimano 600Ex Arabesque group as presented in a 1978 catalog<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Also in terms of technology, changes were made such as the hatch-plate mechanism that allowed the rear derailleur to be easily removed without breaking the chain and a cassette with a longer reach than the Dura Ace in combination with a long cage. Ideal for the adventurer.<\/p>\n<p>The headset of the 600 Ex series is also different from the traditional one, with the result that you need a special key, which is to the annoyance of those who want to tinker with their bicycle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3746\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-headset-02-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3746\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-headset-02-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Shimano 600 Arabesque headset\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-headset-02-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-headset-02-980x552.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-Arabesque-headset-02-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The special headset of the Shimano 600 group<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque group remained in production until the mid-1980s when it was replaced by the more modern Italian-flagged Shimano 600, also known as the Shimano 600 tricolore.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3743\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-1980-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3743\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-1980-1024x791.jpg\" alt=\"Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque 1980\" width=\"1024\" height=\"791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-1980-1024x791.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-1980-980x758.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-Ex-Arabesque-1980-480x371.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Shimano 600Ex Arabesque group as presented in a 1980 catalog<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-ex-Arabesque.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-ex-Arabesque.jpg\" alt=\"shimano 600 Ex Arabesque\" width=\"656\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-ex-Arabesque.jpg 656w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Shimano-600-ex-Arabesque-480x702.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 656px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Imitations by other brands<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Because the Shimano Arabesque group was so popular, Shimano's competitors also introduced an imitation of it. Below you can see the versions of SunRace. There was a normal and a black version. For now these are the only 2 I've come across, wondering if any other imitations exist.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4897\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10-1280x960.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10-980x735.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Venturelli-Corso-10-480x360.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) and (max-width: 1280px) 1280px, (min-width: 1281px) 2048px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Imitatie-Arabesque.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Imitatie-Arabesque.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4917\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Imitatie-Arabesque.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Imitatie-Arabesque-980x474.jpg 980w, https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Imitatie-Arabesque-480x232.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1000px, 100vw\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most beautiful groups ever made is without a doubt the Shimano 600 Ex Arabesque group with its beautifully engraved plant motifs in the components.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[72,1006,799],"tags":[155,863,151,153,864,798],"class_list":["post-3739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-shimano","category-vintage-fietscomponenten","tag-shimano","tag-shimano-600-ex-arabesque","tag-shimano-arabesque","tag-shimano-dura-ace","tag-shimano-groepen","tag-vintage-fietsonderdelen"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3739"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4918,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3739\/revisions\/4918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vintagefiets.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}