Thanks for the responses. I am building up a custom light touring style bike and really like the look of the simplex. I will be using simplex retro friction downtube shifters, a simplex front derailler, and a some stronglight impact double cranks. I am either going to use a shimano ultegra rear derailler with a 9 speed rear cassette or the simplex with an 8 speed deore xt cassette. The question is how the simplex compares in quality to something like the ultegra short cage. There's no question that it looks better, but will I end up with a broken derailler somewhere in Wisconsin if I use the simplex? On a second note (perhaps this belongs in the mechanics thread) will I be able to run the ultegra rear derailler with the retro friction shifters, which look absolutely fantastic? And what about longevity?