Howard,
First and foremost, thank you for your acknowledgement in appreciation of my meager attempt at levity.
With full understanding of the fact that I am about to quote that which I have previously written (...as the immortal Tom Lehrer once humorously chortled, "Plagiarize. Let no one else's work evade your eyes. That's why the good lord made your eyes. So, don't shade your eyes. Just plagiarize, plagiarize, parasitize. Only remember, please, always to call it 'research'"), you may find the following text that I originally sent along "OFF LIST" to another CR List member a couple of months back to be worthy of consideration:
While the Huret brothers company had long offered a selection of fine specialized cycling equipment, the "bike boom" phenomenon of the early 1970's found many of their offerings (...specifically, their bent sheet steel Luxe, 700, Allvit, Super Allvit, and Svelto derailleurs as well as their corresponding shifters) being fitted to many a mid range and low end bicycle because these components were all reasonable performers which could be had OEM at a comparatively economical price. Here in the United States, this phenomenon was particularly evident when perusing the aisles of a full line Schwinn showroom where one would immediately notice that more often than not all but their most expensive offerings were equipped with some form of Huret equipment. And while this may have meant that Huret sold a whole lot of "units" in terms of merchandise, its humble associations left the typical buyer with the impression that this was a workmanlike brand not necessarily associated with the finest competition driven cycling traditions of Europe as so eminently embodied in the Campagnolo mystique. The 1972 introduction of their Jubilee front and rear derailleurs, as well as the matching Jubilee shifter mechanism, was the direct result of new development efforts specifically begot of those considerable monies derived from pedaling more pedestrian offerings to the masses and marked Huret's first foray into the realm of "high end" cycling equipment during that decade. Weighing in at maximum of only 133 grams for a rear derailleur and a paltry 80 grams for the front, these new Jubilee components were available in multiple configurations (...i.e. short cage and long cage versions) for use in either racing or touring applications, and performed very well in either realm. The "problem" with these new offerings was that almost all of the bicycle manufacturers recognized the fact that the Huret name itself was by that point in time considered to be a "value brand" in the eyes of the average consumer ... AND ... this Jubilee equipment did not fit well into those OEM price points required for bicycles typically fitted with other contemporary Huret products. The net result was that while the Jubilee line received great critical acclaim and was most favorably reviewed throughout the cycling media, its sales were left almost exclusively to that of the secondary market where it would have been an "upgrade" to that which was otherwise affixed to a given bicycle from new - the Motobecane Grand Jubile (...note the presence of only one "e" on the end as opposed to Huret's more conventional use of two), a model whose very name was defined by its equipment, being the most notable exception here. Interestingly, Huret sought to address this very situation with the debut of their Challenger series of front and rear derailleurs at the 1973 Pairs Salon de Bicyclette as intended for general distribution during the 1974 model year. The corresponding press release even went so far as to state that "...if the CHALLENGER is not exactly a revolutionary idea, it has incredible possibilities, because of its commercial potential in bridging the price gap between the JUBILEE and the ALLVIT. The CHALLENGER affords manufacturers with the opportunity of equipping all models in their range with derailleurs at a price and quality commensurate with the class of bicycle. For the Export market, the CHALLENGER allows the opportunity for manufacturers to equip their bicycles with a gear that now closes the hitherto gap in price and which affirms the overseas trade position of the French Bicycle Industry." Of course, the humble Challenger model itself would also serve as the basic platform upon which the subsequent and superlative Huret Success Titanium would be built - its introduction in the latter half of 1975 arguably representing the pinnacle in both design and performance as achieved by the Huret brothers prior to a majority interest of their company being purchased by the German conglomerate Fitchel & Sachs AG in 1980.
Robert "everyone thinks their a comedian" Broderick ..the "Frozen Flatlands" of South Dakota Sioux Falls, USA
-----Original Message----- From: Howard Darr [mailto:hdarr@embarqmail.com] Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 2:47 PM To: rsb000@hotmail.com; classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: "hip hip Huret"
Kinsman OH USA "hip hip Huret"
That is absolutely hysterical!!!!!
OTOH I do not understand the obsession with Huret derailleur's from the 70's. At the Schwinn shop I worked at back in the 70's the way we adjusted or repaired the Schwinn approved Huret's and any Simplex from a Raleigh was to install a Suntour. Ok, the jubilee rear was held in high esteem.
Howard Darr
Kinsman OH USa