Sheldon Brown worte, about the Shimano Lark and Eagle lower end derailleurs:
"You may call them "low end" but they shifted WAY better than anything else you could buy at the time, for any price." <snip>
The Lark was rather heavy, due to its all-steel construction, but its shifting performance was years ahead of everybody else. The Eagle was the same derailer with an extra heavy-duty hanger and a built in bash guard. The HurEt Alvit was wimpy by comparison
Sometime around 1970, I had a Dawes Double Blue for touring and bike camping; rode it in NH around Chuck Harris's (no relation, I assume) place and the famous hostel across the road. That was set up with a 28/48 front (using a freewheel cog for the 28, cottered cranks!) and a medium range (14-24) in back. The Shimano Lark handled it just great. In the era of Simplex Plastique and Huret Allovitt, these things were eye-openers. I've been looking for one, for nostalgia, for years, and just found one in the derelict parts collection of an old shop.
harvey "scrounge" sachs
McLean VA