When Simplex introduced this box-like rear deraileur at the Paris Show i n 1982, it was the first fully indexed deraileur in the world, that is if y ou don't inclue the Super Champion gears that had a lever with a quadrant w ith a number of holes in it.
The Selectamatic drew very large crowds to Simplex's stand, because this mech seemed to promise simple full-proof gear changing. The moto for the g ear was "The Derailleur that does not derail...the chain" .A second motto w as "A flick of the thumb and your'e right in gear".
The gear used almost the same lever that was to appear ten or so y ears later under both the Simplex and Mavic brands, in the ATB ranges of bo th these brands. The lever itself was a "V" shaped casting that, in the cas e of the mountain bike gear was indexed and as one lever moved away from th e finger or thumb the second one came into play.
In the case of the Selectamatic all the rider did was to push eeither of the levers which, when the gear had changed, always returned to its origin al position.
As I remember, the indexed gears were built into the rear mech itself, n ot into the lever..the mechanism leading to the need for the slightly bulky body..
Like many European cycle part inventions it was never well promoted and eventually fell out of productivity, only to reemerge under the Shimano bra nd as the "Rapidfire". In the latter case the "gearbox" was built into the lever thereby, probably enabling Shimano to avoid infringing patents.
Norris Lockley, Settle Uk
Norris Lockley
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