Jerry and All I probably assembled or sold 200 Follis bikes in the early 70s and recall no Suntour derailleurs. The 172 was a very popular model for us and I remember it being straight Simplex (and the first Simplex bar ends I ever saw-maybe the only Simplex bar ends I ever saw come as original equipment) My memory of the 172 was:
* main tubes Vitus * Simplex derailleurs and bar ends * mafac brakes * Mavic alloy rims with High flange QR * alloy bars and stem * Nervar Star alloy crankset * leather or vinyl covered saddle * colors were Red,Blue and Silver * original retail cost was $149 but it might have drifted up to $169 there at the end
This was on the West Coast and it might have been different in other places. Gitane used a mix of stuff because of shortages (it was always a thrill to open the box of a sold bike and find out the stuff you showed the customer on the display bike seemed to have changed in the box) Motobecane might have been the first French bike to actually spec Japanese stuff on many of their models (or more like Ben Lawee did)
BOB FREITAS
fog finally cooled us down in MILL
VALLEY,CA USA