Our Shimano catalogs indicate the 300EX groupset in the early 90's was marketed primarily as a sport/fitness seven-speed drivetrain with 126 mm (locknut-to-locknut) spacing. These specs indicate this front derailleur was considered narrow chain compatible, as defined for this period (as the seven speed drivetrain with a 126 mm freehub typically required a narrower chain). Please do keep in mind, however, when we speak of narrower chains from this era, this is relative to the wider chains historically used on regular spaced six speed drivetrains with 126 mm spacing and/or regular spaced five speed drivetrains with 120 mm spacing. Today's nine and ten speed compatible chains are even narrower then those that were typically used on these seven speed drivetrains.

Having said the above, we also compared this model FD-A300 front derailleur to a predecessor Shimano 105 model FD-1050 (the latter of which was marketed in the late 80's primarily with a six speed drivetrain...so effectively compatible with a wider chain). We compared these two units...and specifically the derailleur cages (or chain guides), because we wanted to assess any differences in their width and/or design. After making such comparisions and taking some caliper measurements, it's actually fairly difficult to make any significant distinctions between the two cages...and the inside width of each cage appears similar. As a result, the derailleur cage (or chain guide) on this model FD-A300 should be wide enough to handle most of the wider chains found on vintage road bikes. The widest of these chains (8.0 mm or wider) may still present some chain rub problems, but we see very few of these extremely wide chains in today's market...so this will probably not be an issue when considering one of these front derailleurs for a vintage drivetrain.

In terms of condition, all of these front derailleurs are new and unused...and in fairly good condition. They were bulk packed in plastic bags, so they are not perfect by any stretch, but they still show fairly well considering their vintage. We also want to emphasize these are a lower level offering from Shimano that should be limited to road bikes designed for sport/fitness level activities. We have better quality front derailleurs with similar (wide) cage characteristics available in the store...should you need a front derailleur that will perform in a competitive environment (where drivetrain components are subject to much more duress). Listing Update...We only have one of these units left in stock and I have updated the pictures to reflect this last one that will ship. To this end, I can confirm this offering shows fairly well overall, with some shopwear (scuffs and scratches on the front of the cage).

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Note to international customers regarding shipping...
We apologize to those that feel some of our international shipping charges are too high. We only charge actual shipping rates, but once an order exceeds a certain amount, we hesitate to use the least expensive US Postal Services First Class International service. We feel this way, because this service is not trackable or insurable...so more risk of loss. We prefer the US Postal Services Priority Mail International service for more expensive orders, because this service is trackable at USPS.com and insurable...so less risk of loss. Unfortunately, this service is more expensive, especially for smaller/lighter packages, relative to the First Class International service. We are sorry about these higher shipping costs, but hopefully our notes help to explain why this is the case.