etherhuffer 

Suntour had a freak design in 85, a triple cog rear instead of a long cage. It was an attempt to minimize chain slap. Anyone ever use one of these creatures. Ugly as sin by the way.

The Golden Boy 

I've got a triple PIVOT LeTech. It's cool in a "big" sort of way. I think it would have been the top of the line touring derailleur of its time, I think the XC was the top of the line the next year after they figured out that the 3rd pivot was unnecessary.

balindamood

I thought it was an attempt to get more chain wrap (capacity) with a shorter cage rather than minimizing chain slap. Suntour made these across several different models over 2-3 years (Cyclone, Le Pree, XC, ARX are the ones I have seen). They do not seem to perform any different than their 2-wheeled brethren.

otg 

I had a Nishiki Riviera touring bike with the LePree 3 pulley on it. It worked perfectly and I thought it looked pretty cool.

bane

For reference: SunTour XC derailleur (3 pulley system)

jonwvara 

I love the way Michael Sweatman describes certain Suntour derailleurs (XC, AG, etc.) as "rock crushers."

Sixty Fiver

The 3 pulley design works really well in that it maintains chain tension, reduces slap, and offers excellent ground clearance.

Sadly, it was not well received by consumers who were as image conscious then as they are now... I have a few of these in nice condition and would not have any reservations using them and on a bike like my folding touring bike or others that need improved clearance they'd be a great choice.

Worked really well on the 3 by 1 drive on my Pug when other long cage derailleurs did not work nearly as well and never had a chain issue.

The Golden Boy 

Yes- brutish.

Didn't he also make a "scaring children" or "point and laugh" comment about the 3 pulley derailleurs?

AZORCH

This has always been my understanding as well. I've a couple three-wheel LePree derailleurs, as well as a two-wheel version. All function flawlessly, and I cannot detect any difference between the two versions. Are they "ugly as sin?" You say potato, I say po-tah-to… they're not especially elegant, but I don't know that they're objectionably so.

fietsbob

revived for the small wheel Minivelo-folding bike makers will be good ,

next Taipei Trade show, somebody place a big order there and It will happen again..

Italuminium

that's just perfect.

jonwvara 

Yes, and I think there was also something about it how would set stray dogs to howling.

sailorbenjamin

Didn't Kurt have a video of this over at TheHeadbadge.com ?

etherhuffer 

Thanks guys, pretty fun item. Not for everyone, that is for sure. I also am looking for a Suntour XC high normal front (or Le Pree) long cage. Just got sniped on eBay for a nice one.

dddd

This makes sense to me, keeping chain tension more constant that a long cage can.

That's an interesting way to build a stronger wheel, using 3X1, without having to go to some crazy offset design. Pretty cool.

I took a very brief ride on one of these fat beasts on Saturday, was running about 7 lbs in the tires iir. Tires gripped like a cat on carpet and the bike I rode was only 32lbs.

Sixty Fiver

The early Pugsley was commonly offered as a singlespeed and the 3 by 1 option was popular, the wheel already has some crazy offset and reversed lacing to fit in the offset frame.

The 3 by 1 offered a gear range that was pretty much good for any kind of terrain and had a gear to get you where you needed to go.

The 3 pulley works like a long cage when you are in low gear (engaging all the pulleys) and takes up all the chain slack and when you run in a higher gear it only engages two pulleys and behaves like a short cage to keep chain tensions perfect with almost no chain slap.

LeicaLad 

I've long been intrigued by these derailleurs. Clever design that should have made the grade.

Anyway, I obtained a nice unused 3-pulley cage, thinking it would be an easy retro-fit / swap with a comparative model double.

Nope.



I've got several possible bodies, but none have the receptive bolt arrangement. I was particularly hoping that a nice Cyclone short cage could be my donor.

Still trying to figure this one out.

badger_biker 

I just had my son pick this up for me off of CL. I already have the exact same frame I was building up but the price, overall great OEM condition, and the unusual 3 pulley XC made this one a "must get". Anxious to pick it up this weekend. Pics are from the ad so not that great.
Anyone ever try to use one of these with indexing? My plan for the build is a Midge drop bar conversion and 9 speed STI.

th3realmckay

I just bought an 85 Schwinn Cimarron($65!) and noticed when I got it home that the previous owner had swapped the original shimano deer head for one of these. I wonder if it's worth my time/wallet to swap back to the original deore rear derailleur.

JohnDThompson 

No. The SunTour will perform just as well, if not better than the Shimano Deore (aka "deer head") unit.

th3realmckay

I thought so. I'm going to get rid of some rust on the frame and have it powder coated. In the meantime, considered hunting down the original rear derailleur. Seems like this suntour piece is pretty rare after a few hours of homework, so if it does what it's supposed to, no sense in switching it. I DID contact the seller about whether or not they may have the deore laying around in a parts bin.