Hi Paul:
Yes, you've got the three versions in their correct chronological order.
I can tell you though, that the late "junky" one wasn't made due to any wailing of any tifosi - it was purely a financial decision when the supply of castings ran out. That's what happens when you let bean counters run things instead of the Engineers!* Also, some of V.3 were made with "Rally" outer arms, and then when those ran out, "Nuovo Record" ones were used. Waste not, want not!
FWIW, there is also that MTB-era long-cage der. that folks sometimes refer to as a Rally, but Campagnolo never referred to it as such.....
Regards,
Greg "got NOS Rally?" Parker Ann Arbor, Michigan
*In support of this hypothesis, note that at BMW, even their Director of
Human Resources is a degreed Engineer, and then observe the performance of their
products. 'Nuff said.... ;-)
> Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2004 10:19:45 -0500
> From: "Paul C. Brodek" <pcb@skyweb.net>
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR]Speaking of Campagnolo Rally derailleurs
>
> My understanding is (that there were) three basic Rally versions:
>
> V.1: Shimano-like design, without reinforcing "web" on the inside of
> the bend on upper body/knuckle. These cracked regularly enough to
> lead to version 2. Shifted great, but perhaps somewhat fragile.
>
> V.2: Same as V.1, but with reinforcing "web" to improve upper body
> strength. Great shifting, improved durability, but many Campy
> cognescenti wailed and moaned and rented their garments because the
> Rally looked too different and too Japanese. Which led to version
> 3...
>
> V.3: Discards the Shimano look in favor of classic NR design. There is
> apparent cheapening of materials as well. Trad looks, uninspired
> shifting.
>
> I'm not sure this is accurate, and would be happy to be corrected.
> Seems more logical that V3 was first out, then V1/V2 were improved
> later versions. But maybe that's just my logic.
>
> I use V.2 and V.3, and though the V.3 doesn't shift as quickly and
> smoothly as the V.2, it works OK. I have V.3 on a '72 Holdworth
> Professional because it looks more in-tune stylistically with the rest
> of the NR components. Historical accuracy be damned! :^}
>
> Note that the better-shifting Rally versions are not true slant
> parallelogram designs. They are Shimano clones, using an upper pivot
> spring and horizontally-moving body/cage to improve cog/guide-pulley
> clearance consistency. This does improve shifting compared to the
> classic vertically-moving cage design, but it uses an upper pivot
> spring and rearward der body movement to follow the contour of the
> freewheel.
>
> Slant-p, developed/patented by SunTour, slants the body at an approx.
> 60-deg angle to the cog face so that the cage moves inward and
> downward without need for an upper pivot spring. The cage follows the
> contour of the freewheel without the body having to pivot rearward to
> gain additional cog clearance. This maintains consistent distance
> between the cogs and guide pulley without the added complication and
> weight of an additional spring.
>
> Inspired engineering, clean/simple/minimalist design. Shimano
> incorporated slant-p as soon as patent protection expired. SunTour
> incorporated upper pivot springs as wide triples and wide freewheels
> added a lot more chain to wrap.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Paul Brodek
> Hillsdale, NJ
>
>
> On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 23:39:53 -0500, "Peter Jon White"
> <lists@PeterWhiteCycles.com> wrote:
>
> >That's the cheaper Rally. It's a truly awful derailleur. The other
> >distinguishing feature is that the pivot bolts take a 13mm box end =
> wrench,
> >rather than a 6mm allen like the good Rally. I don't remember which came
> >first. But I became aware of the good one before the bad one. I ordered =
> some
> >of the bad ones thinking it was just a slightly cheapened version of the
> >good one. Big mistake.
> >
> >Peter Jon White
> >
> >----- Original Message -----=20
> >From: "Linda Price" <lindaprice4@comcast.net>
> >To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> >Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2004 10:26 PM
> >Subject: [CR]Speaking of Campagnolo Rally derailleurs
> >
> >
> >Okay, here's another one I've got a question or two about. I have a
> >Campagnolo Rally derailleur - looks somewhat similar to an N. Record but
> >with a long cage. Every other Rally I've seen is more along the lines =
> of
> >the slant para. body (is that the right terminology - where the body of =
> the
> >derailleur is turned 90 degrees, like modern derailleurs) - this one =
> isn't.
> >Is this an earlier, rarer, less rare model ? Is it considered a decent =
> one
> >? I looked in the Archives but it wasn't clear to me always which model=
> of
> >Rally I was reading about.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >John "full of shifty questions" Price