Re: [CR]Derailleur question

(Example: Framebuilders)

From: "jerrymoos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
To: <Boy651@aol.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <148.226e8971.2d657d3a@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Derailleur question
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 21:33:20 -0600


George, are you trying to reignite the long-standing argument, or is this a genuine question? You're right, there is a strong Campy bias here but, as all the long-time list members know, I don't share that view. My view is that all the better Simplex derailleurs, that is all those with a proper forged jockey cage, like Criterium and Super LJ, shifted much better than any Campy derailleur of that era. This was because Simplex had a spring loaded upper pivot, which Campy (and Huret) lacked. Campy NR/SR was very durable, and small parts were available, so Campy would outlast the part-plastic Simplex Criterium. Probably not the all-alloy Simplex Super LJ though, which was about equally as durable as a Campy NR. I personally think the Simplex SLJ ties with the top SunTours for the best non-indexed rear derailleurs ever made. Huret was always a little idiosyncratic. Their better derailleurs shifted worse than Simplex, and maybe about the same as Campy, but were heavier and not as good looking as Campy. One exception was the famous Huret Jubilee, one of the lightest production derailleurs ever made and stunning looking, but fragile campared to Campy. Shifted about as well as Campy NR if you didn't damage the Jubilee in a crash which Campy would have survived unscathed. Huret also made the expensive part-Ti Duopar, a rather complex design widely used on touring triples. Very nice touring derailleur, but I'd rate the Campy Rally, a rare good non-racing product from Campy, as equally good.

The other top derailleurs of the era were SunTour - models V, Vx, V-Luxe, Cyclone and Superbe. These used the SunTour patented slant parallelogram design. They lacked the Simplex spring loaded upper pivot, but probably shifted even better than Simplex. Virtually all modern derailleurs combine the Simplex spring loaded upper pivot with the SunTour slant parallelogram. Campy copied the Simplex upper pivot with C-Record in 1986 and the slant parallelogram a few years later.

Now all the Campy loyalists on the list will tell you why I'm full of BS and how Campy always shifted better than anything else.

Regards,

Jerry Moos
Houston, TX


----- Original Message -----
From: Boy651@aol.com
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 8:45 PM
Subject: [CR]Derailleur question



> Hey
> How do Huret, Simplex and Campy stack up against one another for 60's/70's
> derailleurs?
> I suspect a strong bias for campy however I'm and curious about SImplex and
> Huret.
> Thanks,
> George Elanjian
> los angeles, CA