Raymond Henry's "Du Velocipede au Derailleur Moderne" has a Simplex catalog repro from September 1975 showing the top-of-the-line Super LJ derailleur with the old shifters, not retro-friction. One would think that they must have been introduced later. At some point, VBQ will do a timeline, but it requires digging through all the old magazines and pulling it all together. Especially for the 1960s, there was a plethora of designs.
The rumor of Retrofrictions still for sale in France can be dispelled. Even two years ago, nobody in France knew of any source to get them.
Finally, I do have one copy of the above-mentioned book (Henry, Du
Velocipede...) left from the VBQ order a year ago. It's the perfect
companion to the Dancing Chain, with full-color photos and much more
detail on the French derailleur history. $ 59 including shipping.
French language, but worth it for the photos.
--
Jan Heine, Seattle
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.mindspring.com/
>I think the Retrofrictions were out in 1974 or earlier. The reason
>I say that is that I first saw them on Thevenet's bike at the 1974
>World Championships in Montreal, where Merckx outsprinted Poulidor
>to take the title. At that event, spectators could wander around
>among the mechanics and machines before the race, and I was close
>enough to have touched Thevenet's Peugeot. Of course, those could
>have been prototypes available only to select pros. There were
>reports just a couple of years ago that Retrofrictions were still
>being made for sale in France to the randonneur/touring market, but
>I don't think that was ever confirmed.
>
>Regards,
>
>Jerry Moos
>Houston, TX