Classic & Vintage - Suntour Cyclone Mk II FD or Mountech?

Which front derailleur would you use on the following setup?

Sugino XD triple 46/36/26
SRAM 5.0 8 speed cassette 11-28
Suntour Cyclone Mk II GT RD
Suntour ratcheting barcons

I'd prefer the MkII on aesthetics and to match the RD. In a previous post on the Mk II capacity, a BF member confirmed success with it on a 48/38/28 triple crank.

However, it's my understanding that the Mountech is designed for a smaller big ring and a "touring or mountain crossover" setup. Am I right?

The Cyclone should work fine; besides, the Mountech had 'issues'.
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He is just asking about the front.. mountech might be slightly more suitable for a triple but the MKII is lighter and definately nicer. I vote MKII

Which front derailleur would you use on the following setup?

Sugino XD triple 46/36/26
SRAM 5.0 8 speed cassette 11-28
Suntour Cyclone Mk II GT RD
Suntour ratcheting barcons

I'd prefer the MkII on aesthetics and to match the RD. In a previous post on the Mk II capacity, a BF member confirmed success with it on a 48/38/28 triple crank.

However, it's my understanding that the Mountech is designed for a smaller big ring and a "touring or mountain crossover" setup. Am I right?

I'm one to first try "matching" front and rear ders, however, smoothness of the shift is more important to me. I'd mount the MkII first, and if it's performance met my high expectations for Suntour shift quality, I'd stick with it. If not, then I would start experimenting. I just mounted a Superbe Tech rear der on a 28T Pro compe gold freewheel, and the 3000 alpha front der, that came with the bike (87 Cannondale), works like a champ, so I didn't try anything else.

I'm one to first try "matching" front and rear ders, however, smoothness of the shift is more important to me. I'd mount the MkII first, and if it's performance met my high expectations for Suntour shift quality, I'd stick with it. If not, then I would start experimenting. I just mounted a Superbe Tech rear der on a 28T Pro compe gold freewheel, and the 3000 alpha front der, that came with the bike (87 Cannondale), works like a champ, so I didn't try anything else.

Thanks. Smooth performance is my primary interest. The Mountech is actually quite similar visually to the Cyclone, but the cage does not have the same polish. The Mountech's cage is also much deeper and longer. It looks like the modern triple FDs, with a slightly longer cage, which leads me to believe it might be superior for my application. As far as weight, they both feel roughly the same.

My 84 Specialized touring bike with 26-38-48 crank has a Mountech front derailleur, still works flawlessly. It was the rear Mountech derailleur that had the "issues", replaced mine with a Shimano Deore & aluminum pulleys. Don

For the archival record: I've gone with the Cyclone MK II triple FD because of cable interference issues with the Mountech. I'm able to mount the Cyclone a few millimeters lower than the Mountech, so it performs better on my 46/36/26 triple setup.

So far, I'm happy with the performance. Some upshifts are rough, but I think it's more of an operator issue than a hardware issue.

Do you have the cyclone rd/fd's on hand from other bikes, or are you guys getting them from somewhere? I might be interested in a set if anyone knows where to get them. Not trying to change the topic of the thread, it's semi related :)

Do you have the cyclone rd/fd's on hand from other bikes, or are you guys getting them from somewhere? I might be interested in a set if anyone knows where to get them. Not trying to change the topic of the thread, it's semi related :)

I got it NOS on ebay for something like $15 shipped. Watch ebay, NOS versions come up quite often.

Another double front derailleur for a triple is the Shimano Arabesque. I run one on my Motobecane Grand Jubile with a Stronglight 30-36-46 triple. The initial adjustment was a bit touchy. I had to set it very low & close to the big ring to get good shifting up & down. Have also used a SunTour Seven FD successfully with a Sugino triple on a bike I flipped. You never know until you try. Don