I think the Retrofrictions were out in 1974 or earlier. The reason I say that is that I first saw them on Thevenet's bike at the 1974 World Championships in Montreal, where Merckx outsprinted Poulidor to take the title. At that event, spectators could wander around among the mechanics and machines before the race, and I was close enough to have touched Thevenet's Peugeot. Of course, those could have been prototypes available only to select pros. There were reports just a couple of years ago that Retrofrictions were still being made for sale in France to the randonneur/touring market, but I don't think that was ever confirmed.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
John Thompson <JohnThompson@new.rr.com> wrote:
Michael Wilkinson wrote:
> When did the Huret Jubilee come on the scene?
IIRC, they were introduced early to mid 70's.
> Also, what about Simplex Retrofriction shifters? How long
> were they available?
Those were late 70's and were produced up until the late 80's at least,
when indexed shifting became all the rage.
> And along the same lines, would this combination be a
> good match?
I would think so. I use a set of Simplex retrofriction levers with my Huret Ti Success and it works great. I have another set on my tandem.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA