Originally Posted by
auchencrow
Thanks for the informative post Sixty. It is good to point out that there is a lot of value to be had in some of these old derailleurs.
When it comes to low-rent kit, I've been favorably impressed by several Suntour offerings including their Seven/GT. (Derailleurs that weigh a ton but get the job done.
One step up, Suntour's Alpha series and Bluelines are also terrific derailleurs that can be had for far less than the (now) generally recognized and well respected Cyclones and Vx's.
When it comes to Huret, I think most people who have ever owned an Allvit tend to abhor any Huret derailleur, but they don't know what they're missing. The Challenger is buttery smooth, and while the more archaic Svelto isn't quite as slick, it is (IMHO) the most beautiful derailleur ever made - even including Huret's own Jubile.
I also like the Shimano Light Action (heavy, ugly but sure-shifters) and the circa 1978 Shimano Altus-LT 'noiseless' derailleurs. I haven't found any other Shimano derailleurs that I liked, and that even includes their top-of-the-line 600 and Crane.
Finally, I don't think the much-maligned Simplex (rear) derailleurs are bad at all. (Except for their jockey wheels which break if you breathe on them - but can be replaced with durable Suntour items)
IMO, they shift pretty darn well, and I've not encountered any breakage issues in the body.
(I cannot say the same for the FRONT Prestige derailleurs, which are an unmitigated disaster.)
"Weighs a ton, but gets the job done..."
The Simplex Prestige shifts very well, few derailleurs are lighter, and agree that once you replace the jockey wheels you will have a derailleur that is 100 times more reliable.
It seems that most of the extra low end derailleurs we have at the co-op are the Shimano Tourney SIS as the number of Honors has dwindled... these Tourneys are cheap as chips but they do index very reliably and it is amazing to think that this is a variation of the Skylark which debuted in the mid sixties and is probably one of the most successful designs ever. It spawned the Lark and Eagle and hosts of imitators and the original Skylark is a very nice piece of kit.
Shimano does low end really well... although they make some of the sweetest racing kit their empire and bread and butter is based on the consumer market.
The Suntour Seven is an Honor that has a little extra lateral travel to handle a seven speed block, the first generation Honor I have just handles 6.