> Let me be clear here: Using the Simplex derailleurs from my old bike > is not to save a few bucks on new derailleurs. It's because they > worked flawlessly for many years. I see no reason to change -- plus > they're a lot prettier than Shimano. All I'm trying to figure out is > what would be a reasonable front/rear combo that would work with this > derailleur.
Simplex are infintely better looking than their modern equiavlent. And they do work quite well. The problem is the design hearkens to a day when most chainstays were 120 or 126 mm apart, not today's 130 or even 135. This allowed older cranksets to have a much tighter q factor (something I and many other riders prefer) than the new ones. Compare a TA Cyclotouriste crank with even the relatively tight by modern standards Sugino triple Riv sells. The Sugino has significantly more space between the chain rings. This means when determining whether the Simplex front der will work, you need to consider not only the gear range, but the lateral range. TA famously made a very wide range of chain rings for the Cyclotouriste. I had a bike that had a 50 to 24 crank and 14 to 32 freewheel. The very same Simplex ders that worked so well on the older bike could not work with a modern 48 to 26 triple crank and 13 to 28 cassette. You can still get nice Cyclotouristes on eBay. I think Velo Orange still has some of a special anniversary run TA made last year. You will need to use a wider bottom bracket on the Saluki than on your old French bike, which may still rule out the Simplex. If you want a new crank and do not mind a double, the White Ind. VBC crank has a very tight Q that may fit the Simplex as well. On Jan 11, 11:15 am, John Ferguson <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks for all the advice. > > Let me be clear here: Using the Simplex derailleurs from my old bike > is not to save a few bucks on new derailleurs. It's because they > worked flawlessly for many years. I see no reason to change -- plus > they're a lot prettier than Shimano. All I'm trying to figure out is > what would be a reasonable front/rear combo that would work with this > derailleur. I know the "capacity" is 26. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
