I recently bought what were touted as a pair of NOS derailleur pulleys for
NR or SR derailleurs. One seemed to me to have some grease in it's recesses
and each pulley had the tiny start of a crack. Cracks are seen in an awful
lot of older pulleys. I am negotiating with the seller on a partial refund.
I am wondering a couple of things...can they crack from age alone? In other
words could unused ones be cracked? I have never heard of such a pulley
failing...do they fail at the cracks? Do the cracks impair their
functioning? I try to put uncracked ones in my bikes being detailed out or
restored...is this anything but a bit of vanity?
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi USA