Bicycle Mechanics - Swap out rear derailer or not?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Swap out rear derailer or not?

dj_flx
12-11-06, 08:07 PM
Between a Shimano Crane and an Exage rear derailer, is either any better than the other?

I got an Exage for free and it has metal jockey wheels and a b-adjust on it, but I don't know if it would be any real improvement over the Crane on my road bike (chrome Benotto).

I could always just desecrate the Crane and transplant the jockey wheels I suppose...

(It's too crappy out for the roadie, I'm looking for things to tinker with.)

Sheldon Brown
12-11-06, 08:19 PM
Between a Shimano Crane and an Exage rear derailer, is either any better than the other?

I got an Exage for free and it has metal jockey wheels and a b-adjust on it, but I don't know if it would be any real improvement over the Crane on my road bike (chrome Benotto).

I could always just desecrate the Crane and transplant the jockey wheels I suppose...

(It's too crappy out for the roadie, I'm looking for things to tinker with.)
The Crane was hot stuff in its day, but the Exage is a newer, better design.

I'd go with the Exage.

Sheldon "Derailers Are Cheap" Brown

+---------------------------------+
| Is ambivalence a bad thing? |
| Well, yes and no. |
| -- Garrison Keillor |
+---------------------------------+
dj_flx
12-13-06, 03:09 AM
The Crane was hot stuff in its day, but the Exage is a newer, better design.


Excellent! Just what I wanted to know! Thanks!

Retro Grouch
12-13-06, 04:21 AM
(It's too crappy out for the roadie, I'm looking for things to tinker with.)

There's your answer. Tinker away always. Even when you screw something up you always gain some knowledge that will pay off sometime in the future. Tinker around enough and you'll be answering questions for other people.
mlts22
12-13-06, 04:07 PM
The amount of knowledge someone has is proportional to the amount of bike parts trashed during tinkering.
Graham C
06-20-09, 01:14 AM
I've just inherited an old Falcon ladies bike in excellent condition. Only practical problem is that the Crane 5 speed derailleur still has the original stem mounted friction change which my wife finds difficult to use in intermediate gears. Has anyone come across a suitable index shifter or have any other thoughts for a a sensible gear upgrade?
hernick
06-20-09, 08:13 AM
Welcome to the Night of the Living Thread - everybody give a warm welcome to our new Thread Necromancer Graham C who brought back from the dead a Sheldon Thread for us!

Well, certainly you could upgrade to Exage!

There are options here. There's plenty of perfectly good 7-speed index shifters out there, including stem shifters, MTB bar shifters (SL-TX30) and road drop shifters (SL-A050) - all available for $10-15. It's possible that by respacing your frame and rear hub to 126mm, and changing your RD to something more modern (might not be essential, but that Exage sure is better than your Crane!) you would be able to shift indexed over a 7-speed freewheel.