Bulbuzoe

Hello guys,

So my rear derailleur broke some time ago on my old Kuwahara Newport in chromo, and now I decided to finally repair it as the snow melted in the streets. However I was wondering, is it worth it to pick a good rear derailleur? What does it changes actually on my ride to have a good derailleur rather then just a random one?

Also, which model of rear derailleur do you suggest me for a 12 speed old road bike, that is affordable and good enough?

Thanks!
Nik

Chombi

If you want the best value from a C&V derrailleur, you cannot go wrong with a Suntour VX or VXGT rear derailleur. Pretty much as close as you can get to a Cyclone in terms of shifting performance, but with more ruggedness for even more reliability,

Chombi

Grand Bois

It's only twelve years old, not forty. I imagine that indexing is involved.

noglider 

readin an writing good iz for dum peeple so i'm not gonna worry about that no more

Bulbuzoe

I actually couldn't find much information about it's origins but from the info I had I think it's from the 80's or so. Speeds aren't indexed it works with down tubes shifters. However does the age of the bike changes something about what derailleur I should pick?

Forgot to mention, I don't mind if the derailleur isn't from original or C&V as long as it does the job

Ex Pres 

If it's not indexed go with the first suggestion of a Suntour V series

Chombi

Instict told me...."12 speeds" + "old" = non-indexed 80's system.....
I stay with my Suntour recommendation then....

Chombi

rootboy 

I agree. Hard to go wrong with a Suntour.

The Golden Boy 

I recall reading about the relative simplicity in the function of a rear derailleur-

To that end, most any cheap RD will do the job- specifically in friction. Anything you source for style or cache or anything is about you and what you want your bike to be.

I want my bikes to have a "business" type of elegance to them. I think the Suntour XC Pro and 735 series Deore XT stuff is the coolest.

AZORCH

+1. You're going to get a lot of recommendations for this, I would think. Tough to go wrong.

Bulbuzoe

Thanks for the infos everyone!
Alright I guess I'll go for a Suntour, VX or VXGT if possible. I am looking on eBay thought I have no reference what it is supposed to be worth. Which site would you recommand me for that RD? By preference one that is cheap for Canada thought it's not primordial since shipping ain't so expensive for that.

Sixty Fiver

Let me second or third the Vx or Vx GT... great bits of kit.

noglider 

If you want to learn more about rear derailleurs, you might enjoy the Disraeli Gears web site.

mkeller234

Honestly, I'd look to see if anyone here has one. I suppose you can't post in the sales forum, but you can post in the trade thread. As far as shipping, there are a bunch of forum members from Canada, maybe you can arrange something with one of them?

mkeller234

I can spend hours on that site!

noglider 

I know, me too. The writing style is better than the information.

Sixty Fiver

I actually have a bunch of them here in various conditions from NOS to solid but a little scruffy.

Would love to help a Kuwahara riding brother out.

Bulbuzoe

That is actually a great idea! I didn't even thought about asking to the forum, I guess that would be the best

That would be awesome, I'm sending you a private message regarding this.

Bulbuzoe

Hi Keith,

I see you have been up on the forum so I was just wondering if you received my PM and my e-mail I sent you yesterday? I am not sure if they reached you. My email is nikolatutic7 at hotmail.com

Thanks again!

cs1

Agreed, I really like XT. You just can't find any that isn't scratched up.

spacemanz

Ha, I found that site accidentally, a year or 2 ago, while researching Cream, LOL. That damn Clapton fella's always stirring things up.

Bulbuzoe

Hey, I found a Shimano Altus in good condition in my stuff, would that be a legit RD to use? Or would it be worth to go for the Suntour anyways?
The bike has to be doing ok for my 22km or 40km daily commute, so I don't if the RD actually even impact on the feel of the ride.

RubberLegs

An Altus should be fine, as long as it matches up with your RD Hanger, it is MTB model, so it may have a longer cage than your old one...which means it may make your chain a bit tight, so check it. Big ring to Big cog is BADDDDDD if the chain is too short.

dddd

Some of the early Altus derailers were all-silver and some of these I believe even had an adjusting barrel and slant-panto mechanism to work with indexing. Some of these are decent-looking imo.

I didn't like the shifting quality of the 600 Arabesque derailer on my 1980 Bianchi, so switched it to a 7700 Dura-Ace, which profoundly improved the friction shifting on that bike with a 13-26t freewheel. The modern (slanted) mech tracked the freewheel profile better and also allowed the old 600 shift lever to move further as if with more leverage, further improving the shifting accuracy. The all-polished look of the 7700 (9-speed) derailer isn't bad at all on an old bike, as shown here on a 1965 Varsity:

Bulbuzoe

Yes mine is all silver though I am not sure what's the adjusting barrel and slant-panto mechanism so I can't tell for sure if it's the model you're talking about.