Classic & Vintage - Suntour derailleur, which to use?

Today I scored another Raleigh Super Course, this one an 83 model sporting a pretty black and champagne paint job and Suntour ARX components (with DiaCompe brakes). My question is this; I have a set of Suntour Cylcone (non-index) components off an 85 Cannondale, and also a set of indexed Accushift Cyclone 7000 components from an 88 Schwinn Premis. Is there a large difference in quality and/or feel, or should I just stick with what the bike currently has? I may change over the brakes to the white DiaCompe set from the Premis, just because they look neat ;) . Would the indexed components be worth swapping over? All of these parts came off 12-speed bikes.

Oh, and one more thing. The ARX rear derailleur seems to be of the long-cage variety, while the others are normal, or short. What's the difference, besides the obvious?

TIA, as usual.

Forum regulars know that I consider indexing pointless. I keep my only indexed transmission, the SunTour Accushift on my mountain bike, in friction mode. Because of the slant planograph design, just about any SunTour rear derailleur with a cage size appropriate to your freewheel size will work well in your application.

I had the perfect setup. Suntour Superbe Tech Mountain bike rear derailleur with Shimano XT deerhead thumbies on a early Cannondale touring bike. I have yet to experience such crisp accurate shifting.

I have an ARX on my Litage --not because I'm cheap (well, that too) but because I love Suntour rear derailers. I've got another ARX on my vintage Fuji touring bike and a VGT on my recently acquired Raleigh Grand Prix.

Instead of messing with stuff, I think I'll just leave it the way it is. The ARX stuff shifts smoothly, and postively, from what I can tell. So I don't think I'd bother changing it over. Juts wanted some opinions. Thanks for the help.

Here's my opinion, and let me preface it by saying that I've only "indexed" for the last 2 or 3 years, prior to that It was friction always way back to the mid 1970's. I say if you have some indexed SunTour that your not using, mount it, and scrap the ARX. If set up properly, it will rock, and your nostalgic friction ideas can be relegated to ebay or your spare parts drawer. Make sure you have the correct SunTour shifters, Winner freewheel in 6 or 7 speed, and generally have a well cared for drivetrain with a clean new chain, and good cables and also a stiff accushift housing for the rear derailleur. I converted my Puch to index last fall: Suntour Superbe Pro 6/7 speed indexing down tube levers, SunTour NOS "X-1" rear derailleur and NOS SunTour Winner 7 speed 12-30 freewheel with a KMC "Z" chain. After some riding and tuning, I would say that I've got it dialed in quite well...much better than friction. To me its a safety issue. If you are a serious cyclist and not just a bikepath weekend warrior, then you ride the same roads as cars and you ride in all weather conditions. Being on a steep hill in the rain with an unfriendly dump-truck driver breathing down your neck is not a time that you want to be missing a shift with your antiquated friction levers and derailleurs. Now I know the proponents will now argue - but its so natural - its almost TELEPATHIC once you get used to it . I've been there too, its nice to believe in something so zealously that you minimize and deny all the warning signs, that blown shift on SouthGate hill, that hunting and grinding, those (numerous) times that the friction lever didn't hold your low gear... I've got a parts drawer filled with every kind of friction shift lever out in the garage, Your Mavic retrofrictions, Campys, etc... but from now on I'm going INDEX. :o

I have tried my SunTour Accushift system in both modes and found no benefit to the indexing, since I cannot remember the last time I missed a shift. To me, the only safety issue with vintage derailleurs, and it is a significant one for some of the people some of the time, is having to take one hand off the bars to work a downtube lever, but this is irrelevant if one is riding a mountain bike or a road bike with barcons.

I'm not an expert on vintage Suntour, but my brother swears by Suntour Sprint - and he puts ALOT of miles on his machine. Superbe pro and Cyclone are his second choices. All friction of course.

I rode with a Suntour V-Luxe for over 30 years. Precise, smooth shifting. It even worked with indexed levers.