Thomas R. Adams, Jr. wrote:
>I've got a Shimano Crane GS and a vintage set of Dura Ace DT
>shifters, now I need to know what front derailer to use to complete
>the set. The front crank is going to be a TA cyclotouriste triple.
>Was there a Crane GS front? If not, what other Shimano vintage
>derailers would work? If not a Shimano, what would have been the
>"best" early 70's front derailer for this set up? I have a Shimano
>Titlist front shifter, but it's a bit rough cosmetically and I don't
>know if it will shift the triple chainrings.
My wife still has her early '70s Holdsworth, on which she was the second American woman to ever complete Paris-Brest-Paris back in '75. Since she caught the fixed-gear disease from me, she never rides it, preferring her similar vintage Bottecchia fixer. Thus, the Holdsworth still has most of its original parts, including a Crane GS, a wide-range TA double and...Campagnolo Nuovo Record front derailer. These were generally considered the best fronts at the time. It also has Campag down-tube shifters. This was not an unusual set up back in the day; Campagnolo 'cause it was the best, for those parts, plus hubs, headset, seatpost, pedals...except for the Crane GS, which was hot stuff for touring gearing at the time. This bike has Universal sidepulls.
The only anachronisms, are some Shimano aero brake levers that I installed in the '80s, a Sun Tour Ultra 6 freewheel and SPD pedals.
Sheldon "Harriet's Hubby" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
+----------------------------------------------+
| Check out my wife's tale of her experience |
| in the 1975 Paris-Brest-Paris at: |
| http://harrietfell.com/
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772, 617-244-1040, FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com