Re: [CR] Pics of Rally generation rear derailleurs

(Example: Production Builders:Teledyne)

Date: Thu, 7 May 2009 16:35:16 -0500
From: "John Thompson" <johndthompson@gmail.com>
Organization: The Crimson Permanent Assurance
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <874417.73146.qm@web82205.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <874417.73146.qm@web82205.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Pics of Rally generation rear derailleurs


Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> As per my earlier email I agree that the Rally was not a Slant
> Parallelogram. But there is confusion in the terminology. I've
> always understood "Drop Parallelogram" to mean the classic single
> cable parallelogram RD, epitomized by the Campy Record and Nuovo
> Record. I've long called the Rally and the Shimano Crane "Horizonal
> Parallelogram" for lack of a better term, but I don't know if there
> was a more official term. I'll page back through The Dancing Chain to
> see if they give this design a name. If Shimano licensed the
> Horozonal Parallelogram, or whatever it should be called, from
> Simplex, I'm not sure what Simplex patent that was, because all the
> Simplex RD's of that design I have seen were much later than the
> Crane. Maybe someone else knows of an earlier Simplex example and
> perhaps has a link to some photos?

You may well be right that the Simplex dropped/horizontal parallelogram came from Shimano and not vice-versa. The two sprung pivot bolts seen on both Simplex and Shimano derailleurs on the other hand seemed to originate with Simplex, so perhaps there was some cross-licensing involved here.
> The only Non-SunTour classic RD I have seen that I would call a Slant
> Parallelogram was the original Lambert RD, which clearly has the
> slant action, although otherwise it looks more like a Huret Svelto or
> SunTour Skitter, which was a copy of the Svelto, but NOT a slant
> parallelogram. I've heard some reliable reports that SunTour DID sue
> Lambert over this RD, or at least threatened a suit unless they
> desisted.

Yes, I recall that as well. The fact that the Lambert derailleur didn't perform particularly well may also have contributed.

Another member emailed me with information that he had bought one of the "last generation" Rallys new, and the box did in fact designate it as a Rally, not one of the MTB derailleurs, so I stand corrected on that point as well.

--

-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA