I've had no trouble shifting a 28 T freewheel with a SLJ rear, even with a 52-38 Stonglight in front. The SLJ had a spring-loaded upper pivot that the Campy lacked, so it wrapped the extra chain better, and in my humble opinion, was superior to Campy in every way.
As to the retrofriction shifters, you can often pick up the later cutout Mavic/Simplex ones for $50 or so, but these are the old style with the classic Simplex logo, which are rarer, so the price here probably isn't too out of line.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
> A few questions and a request-
>
> What are the generally accepted cog size limits on a Simplex rear short
> cage SLJ derailleur, circa. list time period limits? Are they more
> accepting of 28 tooth cogs than the Nuovo/ Super offerings of the time?
> Also, what are the shifting limits of a similar Simplex SLJ front triple
>
> derailleur? Any guidance here would be helpful.
>
> Also, does anyone have a set of clamp-on Simplex retrofriction shifters
> that they would willing to part with for a reasonable price? New is
> preferred, or down to something leaning to the excellent side of good
> condition is fine. I just don't want to pay this much for something like
>
> this:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/
>
> How reasonable is that price for the earlier retrofriction? Really, is
> that reasonable? Perhaps, as I've been sometimes told, I'm just plain
> unreasonable.
>
> Thanks to all-
>
> Vince Connelly
> Baltimore, Maryland