Re: [CR]Early 60's Gearing

(Example: Framebuilders:Alberto Masi)

In-Reply-To: <037801c3d0b4$21791560$efddfea9@mooshome>
References: <BC18DA9C.270BF%hilary.stone@blueyonder.co.uk> <035801c3d0ad$fa34a6a0$efddfea9@mooshome>
Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 00:14:24 -0500
To: "jerrymoos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Early 60's Gearing


Jerry Moos wrote:
>Having recently acquired three early 60's/ late 50's bikes (a Hetchins, an
>Epgrave and a Rixie), I'm having to educate myself on the equipment of the
>era. The Rixie is a complete touring bike, and I'm thinking of outfitting
>the other two, which are framesets, as Audax machines. On my two newly
>built Audax bikes, a new Bates and a Caygill, I'm using Campy Rally, Galli
>long cage (the only one I have ever seen), Simplex SLJ triple FD's and
>Cyclotourist triples. But I don't think any of this stuff is correct for
>the early 60's.
>
>It's been stated that the Cyclotourist arms weren't introduced until the
>late 60's, but the rings are older. Would a Stronglight 49D with
>Cyclotourist triple rings be correct for 1960? What about an RD? The Campy
>Rally is definitely too new and I think the Huret Duopar and long cage
>Jubilee don't go back that far either. What about the Huret Luxe?

Nope, too new.
>Will the Allvit handle a triple? What RD's were
>used for triples in 1960? What
>about FD's?

Rear derailers have nothing to do with the _number_ of chainrings, though the range of sizes does relate. Talk of "triple" rear derailers is '90s marketing-speak. Long cage rear derailers were formerly, and more correctly called either "wide range" or "touring" derailers.

You might find a look at http://www.sheldonbrown.org/rochet/ enlightening.
>I also note a lot of early 60's/ late 50's frames have a shifter brazeon on
>the right only. Some of these were probably time trial machines, but I
>think others were doubles that used a rod type FD like the Simplex
>Competition.

That's correct, or no front derailer at all.
>What range of teeth would these rod-type FD's handle? I've
>gotten the impression they couldn't handle a very wide double, let alone a
>triple.

Generally that's correct. I usually recall this type used with half-step rigs, typically 46-49. The Rochet linked above is the only bike I've ever seen using a rod-type front mech with a triple (also the only bike I've ever seen with 3 in front/4 in back.)

That had 48-44-38 chainrings, not a huge range by modern standards, with 14-16-18-20 in back.

My 1957 OTB came with one of these on a Rosa 48/30 double, a rather unusual touring setup. This bike also came with an "alpine" type freewheel: 14-16-19-26. I don't recall the rear derailer it had when I bought it in the early '70s. That was a semi-custom bike built up from a frame by Charlie Hamburger.
>Does one have to remove the RH brazeon or add an LH brazeon to use
>a triple?

Nope. You can use a clamp on for the left. Indeed, in the early '70s French bikes used to commonly come with a right braze-on, and a special clamp-on for the left side, with a band that widened out and opened up to fit around the right braze-on.

When I was first getting into derailer bikes, around '59, most British derailer bikes came with the Benelux Mark 7 coil spring derailer. This model had the cage pivoted a bit above the middle, as with most modern derailers. There was also a "touring" version, the Mark 8, with the same basic mechanism, but a longer cage, which pivoted around the upper pulley.

I first saw Huréts and Simplices around 1960, and they quickly drove the Beneluces off the market.

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