iTod

Howdy all.
I've been busy the last couple days trying to clean up a Suntour V-T Luxe rear derailleur. Came off of a mid- 70's Raleigh Record. It's the "new" model with the aluminum cage. It's cleaning up pretty well - lots of Simple Green and Dawn. I have a strong hunch I'm the first to clean it.
My main question regards the jockey wheels: I'm strongly inclined to apply grease to the bolt (where there's metal-to-metal contact) but should I be concerned with any of the metal-to-plastic surfaces? The Plastic, BTW, is in really good shape. Curious, as there was so much grime and shmutz on them as to think they were really well (ab)used.

Also, I've searched around and haven't really found an answer (i like) regarding this derailleur's actual capacity. I'd like to repurpose it and some wheels (MTB) in a 1x8 setup. Wish I could tell you the tooth count on that cassette, but all I can recall for certain is that it's a Sram, purchased new, and ridden maybe a mile.
I figure I've got nothing to lose by trying it, and I'll be sure to let you all know how that works out.

I think this little project will be pretty cool when it's complete, and I'll add pics when it's done.

TIA!

Grand Bois

Oil is the lubricant of choice for those oilite bushings.

iTod

Thanks!

Catnap 

i have a couple of these derailleurs at home, and they are my favorite choice for a reliable, high-capacity friction-shifted derailleur. I've dismantled and fully cleaned each of them. I wish the parallelogram was easier to dismantle, though.

Metacortex

You'll find that information here: https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...283902%29.html

iTod

Yikes! I didn't think the parallelogram was serviceable that way... I mean, I guess anything can be disassembled, but, wow...
I just did the best I could with what I have on hand. i got it reassembled, lubed, and mounted. Now I just gotta do some tire swapping, wheel swapping, chain jiggering, and some connoitering. Oh, and a shifter cable...
Sure will be nice when my 1 year old daughter can help!

As for the Disraeligears site, I have actually seen that - the google force is strong with me - but sometimes, what the maunufacturer states can be disproven in practice. But thanks for taking the time to post. I truly appreciate the help!

iTod

Update.Got the tires and wheels swapped around. Cassette is 11 to 32. Disraeli gears says maximum 30 tooth cog... Tomorrow I'll get a shifter cable & get my bar end shifter mounted and once I get that stuff going I'll update again. Wish me luck!

iTod

Please pardon the mess. 1 year old=constant mess!
Hopefully you're not all too tired of this thread...
New update: I can get the derailleur to (reluctantly) shift to the 32 tooth low gear, as well as the 11 tooth high gear! I love making stuff do what it wasn't exactly made to to do!

Here's the stuff:
Specialized Hardrock Ultra frame (freebie.)
Trek fork (Also freebie to replace freebie Specialized wrecked fork.)
Shimano 105 Cranks/39 tooth
MKS GRD-9 pedals with crappy clips. (I'd like to put some eggbeaters on it, but being a stay at home dad has severe financial limitations.)
Bontrager Clyde rims/Shimano Parallax hubs - rear is silent (Supposedly take-offs from a Police bike.)
Tektro levers/Tektro cr 720 brakes
Suntour V T-Luxe derailleur
Tioga CroMo MTB stem
Cheapie steel bars from a donor bike. Label reads: Kusuki Japan
Unknown seatpost
Wright's saddle (needs to be adjusted yet for angle.)
Campy (friction) bar end shifters. (I want to rig the left one up to operate a bell...)
Nifty OLD Eclipse back under saddle for tire levers, patch kit, Allen keys that came with my early 80's Bianchi
Oh, yeah - CST Cyclops tires - $10.00 USD CL find :-)

Quicky shakedown ride about 30 minutes ago. It's like a 2 wheeled tank, but feels pretty nimble. The frame is a bit on the large side for me to use as an MTB, but works nicely this way.
This bike will be fun on paved MUPs and gravel (I think - not 100% sure how those tires will do on gravel.)

I have a square taper Campy Centaur road crank with a Token BB to match. Is it wrong of me to want to put them on this pig?
Eventually, I'll likely get this frame & fork powder coated, but it can wait. I have other projects in the pipeline. :-)

Also, as an aside, how come I never noticed before how well a wine bottle fits in a water bottle holder?

RosyRambler

iPod, or I mean Tod , love what you've done with the place! Just kidding. My place looks worse and I just have a cat.

Your bike looks great! What year is the frame? The paint looks original and very cool..."Wow! Nice bike!" was my first thought when I saw the photo. I hope all the parts work for you.

What's that Schwinn you've got hanging up on the wall? Rear der. and crankset?

And keep that wine bottle out of reach of your little one...I know from experience those little buggers have verrry slippery little fingers.

iTod

Thanks, Rosy!
I believe the frame is from'96.
The Schwinn is a Passage - not one of the cool ones with cantilevers, but a later model. Full Shimano RX100, Exage brakes. The drivetrain works very well, not crazy about the brakes. I've got some old Weinmanns kixking around here. I think centerpulls would be awesome, for some strange reason. That frame & fork have unbelievable tire clearance, and would probably be ok for CX use... I keep meaning to post it up on the catch of the day, but I've had it for the better part of 2 years... Oh, yeah, it's double butted 4130 and rides very nicely. Taiwanese built, so there's likely a Giant version of the same bike as well.

Oh, yeah - the paint! the fork is a rattlecan-red-over-Trek-babypoopgreen/gold, and the frame looks pretty good from a distance. It could sure stand a powdercoating, but I'm really in no hurry. Kinda hate to throw a bunch of money at this... Especially with some of the other neat things in the queue.

Thanks for looking.

Chris Chicago

i have those cyclops tires on a late 80s sierra. they are a touch heavy I think, but certainly absorb all the rough stuff, and look pretty boss too.

Chris_in_Miami

Very cool build iTod! Those Cyclops tires wouldn't fit my Rockhopper with the same size frame, but it was a few years older than your Hardrock. They're heavy tires for sure, but probably no heavier than a cheap suspension, and they do give some cushion.

I like that paint scheme too, here it is on a Crossroads

iTod

Thanks!
I don't hate the paint scheme, but once the rattlecan job on the fork goes away, it will be truly hideous!
So it's destined to for the powdercoater's.Eventually. Still need to wrap the bars, but all I have on hand ATM is some Cinelli gel cork - way too expensive for this bike, especially since I still need to add cable & housing to the left side. I have a crazy idea to use the left hand shifter to actuate a bell. I just need a bell. And cable. LOL

iTod

Sorry to dredge this one back up, but an update.
I gave in to the craving to put a shiny new bb and Campy Centaur crank on it today. It looks awesome. But it no longer shifts into the big cog. I even tried resizing the chain. My only guess is that the new chainline killed the mojo that the old one had. So now I need to decide between new derailleur or new cassette+spacer. I really like the way the old suntour looks on this bike... I have a newer suntour xcm on my old MB-6, it would work, but not look nearly as cool. And looking cool is really what it's all about, right? Or is it the hokey pokey. I'm so confused...
I think an old Campy derailleur would look snazzy, but likely have the same issues. And way too poor for that. I have a couple of Shimano derailleurs that could be pressed into service, but I just don't like Shimano that much.
I'm open to suggestions, ideas, critcisms, etc.
I'll try to edit this post after my little one goes to sleep with a pic of the new setup.

Metacortex

A Suntour V GT Luxe should handle your 32T big cog with no problem (it's rated for up to 34T).

iTod

Mine is a V-TLuxe. I may well have said otherwise in my original post; i'll have to double check. Or maybe someone has a V GT Luxe
to trade?

Sixty Fiver

You need the GT version to handle the capacity and even the old set up looked like the dérailleur was getting pushed to it's limits... there are bunch of good choices out there as besides the V Luxe there is always my favourite Vx and Vx GT as well as the Cyclone and Cyclone GT.

I would lean toward the Vx as it is a little more robust than the Cyclone (which is still a solid part).

iTod

Thanks.
E-Pay doesn't have much in my price range ATM, what with Mother's day upon us... I might have to try to scavenge an LBS here to see what may be lurking in the rummage bins.

LAriverRat

I picked up a long cage V GT Luxe a couple of years ago. I am looking to use it on my touring build. You might try to use a hanger on yours.

MrEss

I've noticed that SunTour derailleurs are very expensive on eBay and very cheap anywhere else. I suspect that they just don't move much on eBay, so nobody even bothers to list them except the 'shoot-the-moon' type sellers.

The best bet is to hope a coop or the crustiest old LBS has something tossed into a bucket with other grimy used derailleurs. That's where I've gotten all of mine from... they need the Simple Green treatment but are great after cleanup.

You can swap in new alloy pulleys w/cartridge bearings, but it requires a little bit of modification to work best. If the SunTour ones are in good shape, no need to worry.

wrk101

To score a deal on Suntour bits on ebay, you need to be very patient. I bought a set of Vx derailleurs and levers, for 99 cents on ebay (plus $5 shipping). I bought a set of gen one Cyclone, with levers, for $20 shipped on ebay. But I am very patient.