At 11:20 AM -0500 1/23/09, Edward Albert wrote:
>Almost every Alex Singer from the 1970s onward has that system.
>I don't know about all 70's Singers onward. I have a 72 chrome one that came
>through Cupertino's and has no such front derailleur braze on pieces. Never
>had. If it did one would see the remnants in the chrome.
>Edward Albert
>Chappaqua, New York, U.S.A.
I wrote "almost every" Alex Singer, not "all." With custom bikes, you never should say "all," because there always are exceptions. I even heard a story about a full-suspension Alex Singer built in the 1980s for a friend, or something like that!
Bikes built for Cupertino _usually_ were specified for Campagnolo components, and I don't think Campagnolo braze-on derailleurs were common in 1972.
Does your bike have horizontal Campagnolo dropouts, too? Ernest Csuka shook his head, but Campagnolo dropouts were the hallmark of a quality bike in U.S. perception (when you read 1970s buyers' guides, they tell you to look for Campagnolo dropouts to identify a "high-end" frame), so Singer used Campagnolo dropouts on most U.S.-bound bikes. (A few French riders requested the same... see the exceptions above.)
Phil brought up a good point - I've always wondered what the fuss about Huret Jubilee front derailleurs was, as mine works flawlessly with a pretty large (16-tooth) difference between chainrings. But of course, mine is brazed-on Singer-style.
Jan Heine
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