The reason Victory/Triomphe didn't catch on in the market was probably that the "market" was looking for indexed shifting by then, and other buzzwords.
When my friends and I bought our first racing bikes in 1989, my friends wanted not just indexing, but ball bearings in the brake articulations, extra cornering clearance of pedals and lots of other features introduced by Shimano, Suntour and Dia-Compe. We lusted after Cannondales, but couldn't afford them, and bought Reparto Corse Bianchi SL frames instead. (Ha, good thing, too!)
I bought a Victory gruppo on close-out, and was surprised at the quality of the components. If you look at them in isolation, rather than as inferior components from the great Campagnolo, they are very nice: Durable, well-finished and quite light. For example, the brakes are basically the same as the Nuovo/Super Record, but with a simpler (and lighter) quick release. The cranks are very light and offer the option of a 36-tooth chainring. My hubs were the same as the later Chorus, and good for many years of smooth rolling. Only the headset, which looked for all the world like a Nuovo Record, pitted quickly and was replaced by a Stronglight. The derailleurs looked more "1980s" than Super Record, but shifted the same. I found that out when I replaced mine with Super Record, which I thought were much cooler... but shifted exactly the same.
For collectors, the Victory parts may hold little interest, like a V6 Ford Mustang. But for riders, they are great.
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
2116 Western Ave.
Seattle WA 98121
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com