Re: [CR] Campag. Sport derailleur

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Cinelli)

In-Reply-To: <4B1FEFE0.9010606@aol.com>
References: <F6FE9EF4DF3F4E67BEB22915F8F2CE6A@Staff>
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:26:10 -0800
To: verktyg <verktyg@aol.com>, Bicycle Specialties <mike@bikespecialties.com>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Jan Heine" <heine94@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR] Campag. Sport derailleur


At 10:43 AM -0800 12/9/09, verktyg wrote:
>There's a very simple answer to the question about single pulley
>rear derailleurs. According to Frank Berto in his book "The Dancing
>Chain":
>"...there was a market prejudice against double pulleys, so
>Campagnolo, Simplex and Huret made products to meet the market
>demand." page 163.
>
>According to Frank Berto there was a long running dispute about dual
>pulleys (and pulleys in general by the hub gear crowd) causing
>increased friction and reducing efficiency.

Even though I am listed as a co-author on "The Dancing Chain," I think that Mike Barry is closer to the truth - the average person buying a Campagnolo Sport-equipped bike was not at all concerned about pulley friction. He or often she wanted an inexpensive, but still high-quality derailleur to provide three speeds. And if it had the by-then-already-famous name "Campagnolo" on it, all the better. In Germany, similar single-pulley derailleurs were found on "sporty" bikes that otherwise didn't differ much at all from the standard utility bikes. Perhaps the derailleurs also were cheaper than a 3-speed hub from Sturmey or Sachs?

I have never seen a photo of a professional racing on a Sport derailleur, indicating that those concerned about friction may have used the Simplex and Huret derailleurs with adjustable chain tension, rather than resort to the Sport.

In any case, the Campagnolo Gran Sport proved to the pros that pulley friction wasn't a huge concern. When the Gran Sport became popular in the 1950s, the concern about straight chain runs and pulley friction vanished from the professional peloton. By 1965, all derailleurs followed the Campagnolo model with two pulleys and the chain running in a figure-8 around them.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
2116 Western Ave.
Seattle WA 98121
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com