mtnbke

I've got a 1986 Cannondale ST800 touring bike that was spec'd with Suntour Superbe Pro components. I bought the bike for the frame but the kit on the bike is making me rethink stripping the Superbe Pro components off and building my dream bike (with Mavic SSC stuff). I rode the bike and can't believe how beautifully it shifts (TA Specialites Alize rings, Winner 6 speed freewheel, SRAM 890 chain).

The more I read about Superbe Pro components the more I'm realizing how lucky I am to have come into this bike. I was shocked to discover just how expensive this stuff was back in the day. The retail prices on Superbe Pro were nuts even if you don't think about it in terms of real (adjusted) dollars.

At any rate I'm finding out a bunch of information about Superbe Pro components but no one seems to have ever heard of the Superbe Pro GT long cage touring derailleur. In looking at the '86 Cannondale catalog the rear derailleur is supposed to be a "Superbe GT" and in looking at the pic of the ST800 I have the exact same rear derailleur but mine just says Suntour "Superbe Pro". Does anyone have any information on this Suntour Superbe Pro GT touring derailleur that has a long cage?

I'd like to know the capacity and the largest cog. Someone said that this was one of the only derailleurs that could handle a 34t cog. Can anyone corroborate this?

I'm running some pretty wide gears and want to make sure I don't exceed the capacity of this incredible vintage dereailleur.

In fact even with only a 48t big ring when I went to size the chain (big ring big cog plus full link method) the brand new chain was about a link (half a full link) too short so I just installed the full length new chain.

I've never run into a situation where a bike component didn't show up in Velobase or where there wasn't a single other image or web page about a component before. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. Was Suntour Superbe Pro released after Shimano became Shimanoculture and that's why you don't find anything about this stuff, and especially about the Superbe Pro GT touring long cage?

I sold off the nearly NOS Superbe Pro pedals on eBay to help defer the cost of the bike, as I ride on Bebop clipless pedals anyway. However the other Superbe Pro components I think I'm going to keep if the rear derailleur will work in terms of capacity and largest cog.

What is the difference, shifting wise, between the Suntour Accushift 6 speed Bar-Cons and the Suntour Superbe Pro downtube shifters (I'd mount 'em on Kelly Take-Offs near the brake levers)?

Did Cannondale ever spec different components on bikes than what was in the catalog? I'm trying to figure out if the original owner upgraded to a Brooks from what the catalog says shoulb be an Ideal leather saddle, and the bike also had an American Classic seatpost instead of the Superbe Pro one, though I'd rather have the Superbe Pro post.

Will Superbe Pro brake levers work with the Dia-Compe cantilever brakes (think Mafac tandem cantilevers)? The Dia-Compe RGC200 levers have some road rash and I'd rather have a nearly complete group.

jacksbike

Superbe Pro was really nice stuff-worked well and the finish was gorgeous. I may be completely wrong on this, but I am thinking that the GT looked either like a Cyclone MK ii, upgraded, or does it have the rear derailleur cable wire running straight across the body and attaching to an allen head bolt at the back end of the derailleur ? If neither, I am quite sure it will take up to a 34 tooth rear sprocket.

mtnbke

The derailleur definitely says Superbe Pro. I've been told by other people that the GT is a different component line than the Superbe Pro kind of like Dura Ace and 105, however my Superbe Pro derailleur has a long cage and the Cannondale catalog called it a GT, however it says Superbe Pro on the derailleur.

Can you clarify if GT was just a long cage version of the Superbe Pro, or if Cannondale might have had a special spec derailleur made up for them.

Thanks.

T-Mar

Neither my 1984 or 1987 catalogues show a GT version of the Superbe Pro in the lineup. However, in 1983 SunTour brought out their high end Superbe Tech derailleurs. There were lots of warranty issues with these and SunTour quickly pulled them from the market. Superbe Tech had a GTL version, so I'm wondering if the SunTour Pro GT was an interim replacement, to meet existing commitments for a high end touring derailleur, pending the release of their AccuShift derailleurs in 1987.

I don't know what the limits are, but yours looks like it's maxed out for total capacity. My Superbe Pro has a shorter dimension for the top pivot to the bottom pivot, than other SunTour derailleurs of the period, which are rated for a 34T cog. SunTour gained extra room for a larger cog on the Superbe Pro body by moving the cage pivot from between the pulleys to the axis of the jockey pulley. However, I doubt they redesigned the body to change the dimension between the pivots, so it's probably only good for 30T or 32T large cog. To be sure, you'll just have to carefully experiment, on a workstand.

cuda2k

mtnbike - I'd love to get a photo of the derailleur (or a couple photos even!) so that I can get it added to VeloBase.com. Sounds like a unique and rare piece that would be a great addition. That and just the description and lack of current internet information has my curiosity perked. I have an early Superbe / Cyclone group sitting in a box here at home waiting for a new project frame. I had mounted it on my Gazelle A-Frame for a brief time, but I suspect that my assembly of the BB wasn't adjusted correctly or something as I discovered something amiss down there. In the problem solving process the bike ended up with a Nuovo Record kit hanging on it.