I've been using a ti duopar for 18, 19 years on my Richard Sachs Tourer and for a while on a '84 Santana Tandem, both with old Campy friction bar end shifters. Its a delicate derailleur that can't be rushed or crunched, but shifts wide freewheels with elan. It doesn't hunt for gears, just goes in, and easily shifts an entire freewheel 13-32 smoothly. Larry Black once told me that he destroyed one shifting it into the spokes of a tandem. The third parallelogram allows the jockey wheels to hug the freewheel and make for really positive shifts. Its reputation when I first heard about them was it shifted wide range freewheels as well as racing derailleurs shifted corn cobs.
The only problem I've ever had with them is an unusual one. I've got a Campy NR crank drilled for a 74 bolt circle with an avocet 28 chainring. The spider is open enough with that combination that I've trapped the chain between chainring and spider, of course on a hill. If you're cranking with impunity, this yanks the derailleur and fairly easily bends the lower titanium parallelogram. Of course the parallelogram can be bent back, but now I shift to the bottom of the freewheel before dropping the chain into the granny now to avoid it.
I've liked this derailleur so much I jumped at the chance to buy out a closing shop of its duopars. I now have three ti and one steel. At least one of the ti's are a parts derailleur though. And to my knowledge, I think there were only two versions, steel and ti.
Dan Artley Parkton, Maryland
Anyway, what's the story with the Huret Duopar? I know there were three versions, alloy and titanium, all alloy, and alloy and steel. What are peoples opinions on these versions shifting, merits, and quality? Also what's the current market for these things these days?
enjoy,
Brandon"mmonkeyman"Ives
Trying to wrangle a parrot and type
at the same time in Santa Barbara, CA.