I guess some apologies are in order. It's very easy for tongue and cheek banter to get misconstrued on the web.
[MENTION=29368]rootboy[/MENTION] I've seen your conversion in several threads before and I was impressed with your ingenuity and the quality of workmanship. Wish something like that would have been around in the 70's when we upgraded a number of customer's TdFs to Campy derailleurs. Back then no one gave much thought to preserving the integrity of Simplex dropouts on French bikes.
Most TdF customers wanted to get rid of their "plastic" Simplex derailleurs. If they could afford them, they switched to Campy NR. If not, it was Suntour V rear derailleurs. We obliged them by doing a neatly done job modifying their Simplex rear dropouts.
That was before Simplex SLJ derailleurs were readily available. We started importing them in 1975 but they were a hard sell because the RDs sold for ~$60 and the complete set of derailleurs with levers went for ~$100. At that time Campy NR derailleurs retailed for $29 to $35. Suntour V RDs sold for $6 to $7... Campy FDs were always great!
[MENTION=27118]Grand Bois[/MENTION] I got my first all Campy bike in 1973. It was a 1971 Gitane Tour de France. I bought it from the first bike shop that I worked at for $150 during a clearance sale. I kept that bike in my bedroom and sometimes I'd sit and admire the beauty of the satin finish on the Campy components. They were pieces of art.
In 1975 I received 2 sets of Suntour Cyclone derailleurs from the first shipment to hit the US. I switched out my NR derailleurs and never went back to using Campy derailleurs until 2006 when I started riding and collecting road bikes again. I have about half a dozen Campy NR and SR equipped bikes in my collection.
During the 70's I was in a position to check out just about any performance component on the market. What bothered me (and still does) was the attitudes of many Campy aficionados who looked down their noses at any other brands. That carried over to non-Italian bikes too.
I'm getting long in the tooth and I'm trying to share my knowledge and experiences while I can still remember...
So apologies to all for any offenses.
verktyg
Chas.