Cycling Forums - View Single Post - Old Bike On Ebay With Seatstay Shiftlevers?

11-05-2003, 07:37 PM

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 16:48:55 +0000, Tom Keats wrote:

> In article <27bc6c79.0311051459.73ad7784@posting.google.com >,
> bicycle@charter.net (R.White) writes:
>
>> I'm assuming these early derailleurs compensated for chain length the
>> way derailleurs of today do. Moving the axle in the dropout seems like
>> an answer to a problem that was already taken care of, no?
>
> From the description provided by Zoot (about the bike with the
> seatstay-mounted levers), it sounds to me like the cogset moves
> inward-&-outward while the chain remains in the same chainline. But I'm
> just guessing, and surmising it was an overly-engineered attempt to avoid
> the extreme chainlines inherent with derailers. Especially if the bike has
> multiple chainwheels and/or widely- spaced cogwheels.

No. The chain moved from sprocket to sprocket after loosening the quick
release, by a mechanism somewhat like a modern front derailleur. There is
only one chainring.

There were other derailleur systems in existence before this appeared, but
racers did not trust them. They thought they would be too inefficient.
Since this, once you got the wheel back where it belonged, was more like
the fixed gear or single-speed freewheels that they were familiar with, it
had more acceptance among racers.

There is a great Campagnolo history on www.campyonly.com that has an
explanation of this as well as many other tidbits.

BTW, this bike would seem to be a real collector's item.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
_`\(,_ | complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our
(_)/ (_) | temple. The philosophy is kindness. --The Dalai Lama

11-05-2003, 07:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
David L. Johnson Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Old Bike On Ebay With Seatstay Shiftlevers? On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 16:48:55 +0000, Tom Keats wrote: > In article <27bc6c79.0311051459.73ad7784@posting.google.com >, > bicycle@charter.net (R.White) writes: > >> I'm assuming these early derailleurs compensated for chain length the >> way derailleurs of today do. Moving the axle in the dropout seems like >> an answer to a problem that was already taken care of, no? > > From the description provided by Zoot (about the bike with the > seatstay-mounted levers), it sounds to me like the cogset moves > inward-&-outward while the chain remains in the same chainline. But I'm > just guessing, and surmising it was an overly-engineered attempt to avoid > the extreme chainlines inherent with derailers. Especially if the bike has > multiple chainwheels and/or widely- spaced cogwheels. No. The chain moved from sprocket to sprocket after loosening the quick release, by a mechanism somewhat like a modern front derailleur. There is only one chainring. There were other derailleur systems in existence before this appeared, but racers did not trust them. They thought they would be too inefficient. Since this, once you got the wheel back where it belonged, was more like the fixed gear or single-speed freewheels that they were familiar with, it had more acceptance among racers. There is a great Campagnolo history on www.campyonly.com that has an explanation of this as well as many other tidbits. BTW, this bike would seem to be a real collector's item. -- David L. Johnson __o \| This is my religion. There is no need for temples; no need for _`\(,_ \| complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our (_)/ (_) \| temple. The philosophy is kindness. --The Dalai Lama