The Crane works very well.
The SunTour barcons were probably out by 1973.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
> I'm doing the final push for getting the '73 Hetchins Spyder back on the
> road after a full tear-down. Most of my previous efforts have been
> fairly predictable "factory" bikes like Paramounts, so choices were
> easy: put on what the factory spec sheet said.
>
> This was not a production bike, built for a specific person. So, I feel
> more freedom to change things around, as long as I respect the bike's
> mojo by using pretty nearly contemporary parts. Since it came with a
> rack (with matching serial No!), I hung a TA crankset with 1/2 step +
> granny on it (and a cartridge bearing Stronglight bb). The original
> Suntour GT rear is a wondrous thing, but not very classy. The original
> reverse-shifting Suntour front will go bye-bye: doesn't mate up well
> with the under bb cable guide, since it needs housed cable.
> Installation looked kludgy. And I rode with it for a week w/o coming to
> like the reverse shifting, so any excuse in a storm.
>
> So, what to put on, and how inappropriate would these options be:
>
> 1) Shifters. Has braze-on Campy bosses, so the DT Shimanos & SunTours I
> have won't fit. Darn (I have some NOS D/A dt shifters, clamp-on, just
> sitting there and they won't go on). So, will Simplex Retros fit (not
> that I have a pair)? How far back do Suntour Barcons go? I actually
> have a pair of the Shimano barcons, too, but don't know how far back
> they go, either. CR site and Dancing Chain were not conclusive. Yeah,
> yeah, I was there, then, but my brain isn't, now.
>
> 2) Crane/DuraAce are age-appropriate, but Berto/Dancing Chain says they
> don't work as well as Suntour. Votes?
>
> 3) Berto/Dancing chain says Cyclones date back to 75. Would using them
> be immoral? :-)
>
> Right now, the options seem to be (rear // front // shifters):
>
> 1) Shimano Crane // D-A // campy DT or Shimano barcon or Suntour barcon
> => looks like it was thought out, might work.
> 2) Suntour GT // Campy record // campy DT => will work well.
> 3) Suntour Cyclone // Suntour Cyclone // Suntour Barcon. => pretty,
> fairly light, should work well.
>
> Ah, the terrible tension between historical accuracy re 73 or 74 frame,
> vs. getting cleaner shifts and a classier look. Or, can I have it all?
>
> Your thoughts?
>
> Harvey Sachs,
> McLean VA
> NO: I will not install my Campgranolo Gran Trashmo gear crusher on a
> real bike. Never, not even for demolition derby. Yeah, it is
> historically accurate. Too heavy to hang on the wall. :-)