Hello Folks ,
I just wanted to say , Thank You . And I wanted to say that the C. R. List really is a fine thing .
Thanks for the responses about Gian Robert ( derailer , derailleur , cambio , rear gear , rear mech. . . . ) .
All responses were "on-list" . So they are all "on-the-record" , and available through the C. R. List Archives .
The information was great ! Thanks ! I was fairly sure Gian Robert was from Italia , but not completely certain . Looking through that old Ron Kitching's Everything Cycling Handbook , there were no front changers listed . But now that several folks have mentioned it , oh yes! , I do remember seeing pictures of those ! And yes , most Gian Robert parts do look rather crude . And yes , they were featured on less expensive bicycles .
But , there were some with much nicer finish !
And Hey !! One of the biggest surprises I've had from reading the C. R. List is discovering there are serious fans of the old Shimano Lark and Shimano Eagle derailleurs !! Personally , I never gave those a chance . My prejudice was based on the way they looked , and the cheap bicycles they were found on . Now I read that they were good sturdy dependable trustworthy work-horses , in the world of derailleurs !! What a bigot I was !!!!!!
And personally , after replacing the very flexible shift-levers , I always found the partially-black-plastic-Delrin-Delryn rear derailleurs from Simplex to work pretty darn well . And after many commuter miles of use , and even some multi-day touring , I never-ever broke one .
So , enthusiasm for inexpensive parts seems reasonable to me . But still , I agree that there was MUCH hyperbole in that auction description !!
:^)
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas