I have just purchased a bike with a derailleur that supposedly works both to shift the freewheel and chainrings. Has anybody ever heard of such a device? It is made by Lucchini and has a shifter rod attached to the seatstay (cambio corsa style) and is itself mounted on the chainstay with two braze-on mounts (cyclo-style.) I can't imagine how it could work, but I have been told that to shift on the freewheel you pedal forwards and to shift on the chainrings, you pedal backwards. The bike was built in 1947 and has remained in the builder's family since day one. Beyond the Lucchini gear, it also has a number of other very unique features and was perhaps used by the builder as a marketing tool and to show off.
I doubt that I will be able to get it over from Italy on time for le cirque this year, but maybe next year?
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ