Re: [CR]Re: history rewritten on Versus TV

(Example: Bike Shops)

In-Reply-To: <a062309b1c2c676adff72@[192.168.1.33]>
References: <938974.25667.qm@web55907.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Re: history rewritten on Versus TV
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:04:52 -0700
To: CR RENDEZVOUS <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


On Jul 20, 2007, at 7:40 AM, Jan Heine wrote:
> As an aside, all the above-mentioned derailleurs shifted better
> than the 1970s Campagnolo Super Record, and even that one wasn't so
> bad. (The SR used a geometry that was developed for the much
> smaller gear ranges of the 1950s, so by the 1970s, it had a hard
> time to cope with 52-42 and 13-tooth or even 12-tooth small cogs.)

Jan, I rode a Campagnolo Super Record (1st generation style) with a 52-42 chainrings and 13-21 freewheel all through the 70s and 80s and the shifting was fine. Most rode the same setup including most of the pros in Europe and back then I never heard any criticism of this racing derailleur having a hard time coping with the racing gears typical for those times. Can you elaborate on your statement above?

I think it would make for a great article in Bicycle Quarterly... the reasons behind the complete dominance of Campagnolo equipment in the sport of racing starting with Hugo Koblet winning the 1951 Tour de France using a Gran Sport derailleur. This derailleur, with small design and name changes over the years, dominated the sport of bike racing right up through the early 1990s.

Other opinions?

Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, CA USA
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)