Originally Posted by
dddd
It may look as good as new, but I have no idea if it is even half as good/strong as new. I have a NOS one that I also don't really know about for actual use, so likely will save it for a real collectible bike or sell it in box.
I've seen LOTS of Simplex front derailers crack over the last 10 years, seems that the Delrin has age limits, at least once they are installed.
We need a fly on the wall who was there when Juy and Co. perhaps first discussed how long that this material had to survive in service!
Surely they would laugh at those of us still using these old derailleurs!
David,
Peugeot was behind the whole thing!
In 1961 Lucien Juy introduced the Simplex Juy Export 61 rear derailleur which was superior in design to most others on the market for the next 10+ years
Simplex Juy Export 61 derailleur
Shortly afterwards Simplex started making variants of the design using DuPont Delrin plastic parts in cooperation with Peugeot.
The "match box" style front derailleur whether Simplex or Campy was another poor design that never worked very well!
I had a parallelogram Huret front derailleur on my 1964 Bridgestone randonneur bike and it worked without any problems.
The Jubilee front derailleurs with the aluminum clamps are delicate and fragile but the all steel Huret front derailleurs are sturdy, reliable and easy to shift. You can find them dirt cheap on eBay.
Original Alvit
Later Challenger model
Addendum: Several people have mentioned using an all metal Simplex front derailleur. Besides the "silk stocking on a rooster" notion, the OP may run into problems because the old Simplex FDs required a piece of cable housing between the BB cable stop and the derailleur arm.
The newer all metal Simplex FDs came both ways - with a front cable housing mount in the clamp hinge or an arm on the rear for use without the housing but with a wrap around or under the BB cable guide.
For use with cable housing
The early Hurets used the same method of running the shift cable through a housing... That's why I recommended a Huret.
BTW, Daniel Rebour warned Lucien Juy and the rest of the French bicycle industry that they were forever condemning themselves to the image of producing cheap, fussy products. His warnings fell on deaf ears!
Remember, these were the folks who created the Maginot line before WW2!
verktyg
Chas.