Hello All,
After going through Suntour VGTs and DuoPars, I've found that the Campagnolo Rally is the best for my touring and tandem applications.
Suntours were (are?) inexpensive and shifted well, but they lacked long term reliability. You just bought another for $17.00.
Eco DuoPars shifted the absolute best once you learned the technique and did the nescessary mods. For our tandem, I had to make the cable cinching hole larger to accept a larger diameter cable and I had to use a dremel to increase the travel for the chain to climb on a 34t cog on the tandem. The duopar would some times jam when a shift was made inwhich the chain had to travel over multiple cogs. You had to get off the tandem and untangle the mess. This was a bad scene on a climb. Once the DuoPar got some miles on it, the derailluer became sloppy and shifting suffered. Time to throw it in the parts bin. When the DuoPar was new, it shifted excellent, but required a light touch. When it got old... time to toss it.
The Campagnolo Rally (1st or 2nd gen. I think). Weighs alot and shifted clunky. But I found that when all pivot points were lubed on a regular basis and after miles had been put on the derailluer, it loosened up and shifted excellent. Its very rugged and reliable, I still have the first Rally that I purchased back in '78, its now doing service on the Jack Taylor triplet. I have heard about Rallys breaking below the derailleur mount, but have never witnessed it. Everything will break. There was a time when these things fell out of favor and they sold cheap, sadly those days are gone.
I used a Suntour Ultra 6/7 freewheel with Sedis Sport chain on the above derailleurs.
Regards, Dave Martinez Fremont Ca US of A about to work on a 60s ladies atala that Oscar Juners wife once owned.
Mitch Harris <mitch.harris@gmail.com> wrote: What do you all think is the best on-topic touring rear der? How about 1978 and before? Must be able to shift to a 32 tooth cog and handle chain length of a triple. Or are there good trouring ders that only shift onto a 30? One of my favorites is the SunTour Cyclone, but it only shifts to a 28 tooth cog so I don't think of it as a real touring der--despite the fact that it could easily be used with low gears with a small granny in front, indeed as many racing oriented ders have been.
Mitch Harris
Little Rock Canyon, Utah