Originally Posted by
HTupolev
The Cambio Corsa's quirks aren't a result of it existing before more "modern" engineering was around; literally decades before the Cambio Corsa was invented, you could buy a production cable-actuated dual-pulley rear derailleur (i.e. the Chemineau of 1912).
Racing drivetrain design in the 30s and 40s was just weird. A lot of choices were made on assumptions that today look very silly, like that a tensioner pulley would considerably reduce drivetrain efficiency. Some touring and randonneuring and whatnot bikes from that era have ergonomics that could still be considered reasonable today.
Hmmm.... some of those early 3-speeds (6 speed?) might be fun.
However, that still leaves the problem that while I've finally gone from one bike to several bikes, each bike fills a niche in my bike riding. And, a really old external sprocket 3-speed (or 3-speed IGH) bike probably wouldn't fit into those needs.