[CR]Now: Vittoria 1932 derailleur Was: Pic of the Day - Egli 1933

(Example: Humor)

In-Reply-To: <ABD079F38D58E54FBCC327A1D1BBD863026E2FFA@kaci-mail-10.na.bvcorp.net>
References:
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:41:40 -0700
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Now: Vittoria 1932 derailleur Was: Pic of the Day - Egli 1933

Doland and Aldo, while it might look like a Vittoria "chain tensioner," what you're looking at is actually a Vittoria derailleur (Patent 1932). It worked by loosening the tension on the chain, whereupon you backpedalled and guided the chain to another sprocket with your fingers! The forward part of each tooth on the Vittoria freewheel (a three speed and sometimes all alloy) was curved back (picture a shark fin) so as to help with the shifting operation. I've heard that some racers carried a small stick to use in place of their fingers. In 1935 Vittoria offered the Margherita with a knob at the top of the tensioner arm operating two curved shifting forks mounted on the top of the chain stay. The shifting forks were called "steel fingers" for good reason.

Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California

Doland Cheung wrote:
> Does the chain tensioner have a purpose? Obviously, to keep the chain
> in tension, but why would this be needed? So you can run a larger
> range
> of cogs in back without exceeding the adjustability limits of the
> dropouts?
>
> Doland Cheung
> SoCal
>
> Subject: [CR]Pic of the Day - Egli 1933
>
> Seventy-Three Years Ago - Paul Egli Wins the World Amateur Road
> Championship:
>
> http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/aldoross/pd/Egli.JPG.html
> g2_imageViewsIndex=1
>
> Swiss amateur Paul Egli on his way to winning the 1933 World Road
> Championship for Amateurs. I left this image really large because of
> the nice details. Note the Vittoria chain tensioner (before the
> introduction of their shifting mech). From "Match l'Intran" No.
> 362, 16
> August 1933.
>
> Aldo Ross
> Middletown, Ohio

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