Don,
I suspect that Simplex changed model numbers after every 2 bottles of wine! :-)
I first read about the illusive all metal Simplex Super LJ derailleurs in Fred DeLong's 1974 "Delong's Guide to Bicycles and Bicycling".
Between 1975 and the early 80s we imported bikes and components from Andre Bertin/Milremo. In mid 1975 we got in several Bertin C37 bikes with Simplex SLJ derailleurs.
The Bertin Milremo catalog was not much more than a parts list in French with their own part numbers and no crossover to the manufacturer's part numbers. Communications was not very good with them so every order we would take a chance and buy some interesting looking items. We never knew what we we getting until the order arrived. They substituted items at will.
In 1976 (maybe 77) we received a number of different model Simplex rear derailleurs with dropped parallelograms like Shimano derailleurs. When we tried to reorder some of them, they weren't available.
Frank Berto's book "The Dancing Chain" has the best interpretation of Simplex numbering "logic" that I've seen.
I also suspect that some of the odd derailleurs that Simplex made during the late 70s and early 80s were the result of having excess parts i.e. the LJ rear derailleurs with metal top parallelogram links and Delrin bottoms and vise versa.
Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA
-----Original Message----- From: donald gillies Sent: Thu, Jul 30, 2009 9:21 am Subject: [CR] Q for Simplex Ologists ??
Robert Broderick's excellent catalogue collection has gotten me confused.
http://www.velo-pages.com/
In the 1972 catalogue supplement and the 1974 catalog, I see pictures of the all-metal SLJ 5000 model (like Campagnolo Nuovo Record), but both catalogue pages say, "PRESTIGE SUPER L.J. AR. 615". In some other french-language catalogues, I see "SLJ 5000". Did Simplex have 2 different serial numbers for their L.J. derailleurs? If so, when did the numbering change (sometime in 1975?)
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA