Yeah, they shifted badly, but they made up for it by being as ugly as sin.

Of course, there was the Gran Turismo, which had all the features of the Valentino and weighed more than an early WWII tank. On the bright side, they were effective anchors for any sailboat you'd be likely to find on a decent-sized lake . . . .

It's okay, it is Classic and Vintage plastic.

This has to to be one of the funniest resurrected C&V threads. Note that Grand Bois responded often back in January 2006--- but at the time he was Dirtdrop. Eventually he had his name legally changed by BF. This is the first instance where I've seen his old and new name mixed in the same thread.

Oh, and this thread deserves pictures! Long live plastic!

They have lasted 35-40 years. I'd say thats a well made derailleur. I have heard all the horror stories about Simplex derailleurs but other than a snapped lever, never had a problem with them. Again its a 40 year old part, what kind of longevity can one really expect?

Who looks at dates?

Only on 3-speed hubs.

Only the ones I take out to dinner. The fruits are so wrinkled they're not worth looking at.

I still have no desire to ever own a UO8, but I've changed my mind about MAFACs.

I guess I'm the guilty one for reviving this thread - the post before mine was five years old - didn't notice.

The metal-reinforced later-model Simplexes worked as well as the earlier models but, because of their dual-pivot design, were still a little more difficult to keep in proper alignment. I was a bike shop employee in the 60's and 70's and I hated to see Simplex-equipped bikes come in for adjustment.

Regarding the entry-level French bicycles of the time, their frames were surprisingly lively - the frames of the entry-level Peugeots and Gitanes were much more reactive than anything else on the market in their price range at that time. IMHO, the best products the French ever manufactured, including automobiles. And that is coming from a person who once put 12,000 miles on a Schwinn stovepipe Varsity in one year before the right chainstay broke.

Speaking of Schwinns, I once bought a Schwinn S/S Tourer (used) in the late 60's (Super Sport frame, TA cranks, Huret Allvit derailleurs, Normandie hubs) - that may have been Schwinn's first exploration outside the single-piece crank outside of the Campy-equipped Reynolds-531-framed Paramounts. By the time the bike and I parted company (divorce) there was no moving part that was original. Campy headset and hubs, (I build my own wheels). Regina Oro 13-31 rear gears, Constrictor Asp 36/36 clincher rims on Campy high-flange hubs, 60-56-52 chainwheels on the front, Campy NR shifters (and the rear handled the the necessary takeup without modification).

Damn, that was over 40 years ago, and I miss that bike to this day.....

No need to apologize. Truth is timeless.

Here's a thought. Pick up a set of MAFACs while they are still attached to a complete UO8 frame, then just don't detach them. You may come to agree with johnph77. For minimal investment you'll get a nice-riding, versatile bike. The only down side is that you have to suffer the barbs of C&V people who look down their noses at them. But you'll know better and thus can feel superior.

It's really ironic. Both my early 70's Gitane and Raleigh Grand Prix have em on the bike and still going strong. What did those Simplex engineers know?

It is a classic and vintage thread for sure...

Your experience does not represent the norm... the reputation for Simplex derailleurs being what they are is well earned.

Have you been using those derailleurs for 40 years ?

Do admit that I like them when they work, am not so fond of them when the jockey wheels crack and pull the derailleur into the spokes and the number of bikes I have seen with replacements to their original Simplex is an indication that many failures came early.

Lucien Juy's perverse affection for plastic killed Simplex which was once one of the most successful component makers on earth when they came to their senses it was too late as Shimano and Suntour had taken over dominant positions in the market.

They kinda figured it out by the time they came up with recognized good ones like the SX610s. All they needed to do was a sheet steel and Delrin sandwich at the derailleur arms, but by that time "Delrin" was a four letter word amongst component users and designers and the death bell had had already started to toll for most French component makers like Simplex.

Chombi

No thanks. I still have no desire to own one. My Jeunet 620 and Peugeot PA10 fill the French gaspipe niche nicely.

I've long suspected some cross-licensing arrangement between Shimano and Simplex. The early Shimano derailleurs (Eagle, Lark) are very similar in design to the Simplex units with a standard parallelogram and springs on both the upper and lower pivots. About the same time Shimano started using a dropped parallelogram on its Crane and Titlist units, Simplex also came out with dropped parallelogram units as well.

But by the time SunTour's patent on the slant parallelogram expired, Simplex was on its last legs. Shimano incorporated the slant parallelogram with its own dual-spring and dropped parallelogram design with the 7400 series derailleurs in 1985. Virtually all modern derailleurs share these features now.

Yeah, they worked well when new, but yuck. And those plastic shifters were crappy, too.

And the front derailleur? It didn't pinch the cable, it gouged it! And pushrods aren't as good as parallelograms or whatever they're called.

I'd certainly like to find an S/S Tourer. There's a beat-up S/S Tourer on ebay by the people in Wisconsin, bbcbikes, and they feel is worth $1150 shipped. I don't think if it were just unboxed mint, it could ever command such a price.

Don't worry about resurrecting the thread. Sometimes this can be a great deal of fun.

I certainly don't mind the resurrection, I learned about the doom of a french component company. Neat.
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Witch brand and modell can i used for replace the simplex sxa-32 (front)

You should be able to use most anything...
VeloBase.com - Component: Simplex SX A32

The biggest longevity limiter was exposure to UV from sunlight. The second was probably exposure to photochemical oxidant (smog). We had ample amounts of both in Los Angeles.

When I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership and my wife needed a new bike in 1974, I ordered a bare leftover 1970 UO-8 frame through the shop and installed the original SunTour V-GT rear derailleur and wheelset from my Nishiki, along with a Shimano Titlist front derailleur and Schwinn TwinStik stem shifters, to go with the UO-18 style upright bars she favored. Many years later, after she had switched over to mountain bikes, I recast it as my trusty commuter/beater. I claim to have the best of both worlds, with a European frame and Japanese derailleurs. (The front brake is a Mafac Racer, the rear is a Weinmann Vainqueur 999 clone by DiaCompe.)

I disagree with the UO-8 bashers -- these frames are not bad at all, particularly when compared to mass-produced Japanese frames of the early 1970s.

Wow.....a 10 year old thread, resurrected from the dead!

Resurrected twice! Once in 2011 and again now. Should see it again in 2021....

Back from the dead, just like Simplex derailleurs. And they aren't plastic, they are Delrin!