tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post4396714148847569518..comments2024-03-28T14:04:01.556-07:00Comments on Midlife Cycling: The Man Who Made--And Broke-- SunTourJustine Valinottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-4167818797573741782014-10-05T16:53:11.466-07:002014-10-05T16:53:11.466-07:00Steve, I remember those plastic derailleurs all t...Steve, I remember those plastic derailleurs all too well. The shift levers were even worse.<br /><br />In the mid-70s, Simplex offered the Super LJ derailleur, which was constructed of alloy. It was actually very nice: much like a Campagnolo Nuovo Record.. Gradually, metal began to trickle down Simplex's derailleur lineup. That created a paradox: Simplex might have been the only component manufacturer in history whose components actually got heavier as one paid more for them.<br /><br />You're right about SunTour VGT derailleurs (or just about anything SunTour made until 1984 or thereabouts). Even European derailleurs that cost three or four times as much weren't as good. I think that, paradoxically, is the reason they came out with the Cyclone and, later, Superbe: the snobs didn't want to put a ten-dollar rear derailleur on otherwise all-Campy bikes.Justine Valinottihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10852069587181432102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908461644259659419.post-48914830746066605652014-10-04T17:14:24.123-07:002014-10-04T17:14:24.123-07:00Shoot, I never even heard about the magazine befor...Shoot, I never even heard about the magazine before the end of the last millennium. It was pretty much a nobrainer to pick a Suntour VGT at almost any LBS when comparing it with what came from Europe for anything less than triple the price. You may recall that Simplex was still foisting off plastic rear derailleurs that snapped if you looked at them crosswise.Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.com