[CR]Campagnolo Rally

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 10:58:51 -0700
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Jan Heine" <heine93@earthlink.net>
Subject: [CR]Campagnolo Rally

The enigmatic Campagnolo Rally again. Working on a VBQ article, I am trying to figure out when this derailleur was made. I looked through the archives, but can't find the answer to my questions...

1. When was the first generation Campy Rally (two spring-loaded pivots, "CAMPAGNOLO" cast into upper body) first introduced?

2. When was the third and final generation Rally introduced (looks like a Nuovo Record/Gran Sport with long cage).

Here is the data so far:

I. Chuck Schmidt's excellent Campagnolo timeline mentions a Rally derailleur in 1974, and a "Gran Sport Rally" derailleur in 1982. One might assume a 1974 date for the first generation Rally. Is the Gran Sport Rally the 3rd version?

II. Frank Berto's "The Dancing Chain" mentions the 1974 Rally on page 208, indicating it was "similar to the Shimano Titlist. It had two spring-loaded pivots." This seems to corroborate Chuck's information. (Of course, both might have drawn on the same source, the 1974 Campagnolo catalogue - is it possible the derailleur was available before, but didn't make it into catalogue until 1974? The timeline does not show catalogues for 1972 and 1973...)

III. Possibly contradicting this, Frank Berto's "The Dancing Chain" mentions the "Rally 3550" derailleur introduced in 1974, "using the cage and the parallelogram of the old Rally and the upper body of the Nuovo Gran Sport," indicating that this already was the third version! (p. 248)

The same page has a photo of "Campagnolo's rear derailleurs as of 1982," clearly showing the third generation Rally (looks like a Nuovo Record/Gran Sport with long cage).

IV. According to John Bernhart's article in the Vintage Bicycle Racing Newsletter 11 (August 1995), the 1973 Schwinn catalogue shows the Gran Turismo for the Schwinn Paramount touring bikes. Bernhart goes on to say that this terrible derailleur was replaced in 1973 by a Shimano Crane GS - indicating that the Rally was not yet available. The 1977 Schwinn catalogue does show the Rally.

So here is what we know:

1. Campy Rally does not appear to have been available in 1973, when Schwinn used Gran Turismo and Shimano derailleurs. 2. Campy Rally (presumably first version) was available in 1974 (at least shown in catalogue). 3. Campy Rally 3rd version was available by 1982.

From the above, I would conclude that Berto's second mention is an error, and that the timeline for the Campagnolo Rally is as follows:

- 1974: 1st generation Rally introduced.

- sometime between 1974 and 1982: 2nd generation

- sometime between 1974 and 1982: 3rd generation

Does anybody have further info? Those Schwinn catalogues might be useful, as one can assume they showed the latest stuff (plus/minus a year - remember that these catalogues are made the year before the bikes go on sale, when many of the components are not yet available. If the change is minor, bolting a "previous model" onto the bike is easier than trying to get a prototype out of Campagnolo for photography.) -- Jan Heine, Seattle Editor/Publisher Vintage Bicycle Quarterly c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles 140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C Seattle WA 98122 http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com