Advice for upgrading RD
03-26-10 | 05:01 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 60
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Bikes: '89 Cannondale SR300; '64-'66 Allegro Special; '83 Centurion LeMans RS; '74 Raleigh Grand Prix
Advice for upgrading RD
I'm currently riding a '74 Raleigh Grand Prix for my commuter, not too interested in restoring it or turning it into a show bike but I am interested in losing the terribly sticky & slow Simplex that was put on the bike when it was made. Not that I'm looking to upgrade to a Campy, but what are some quick & durable rear derailleurs that would be good for a daily commuter?
03-26-10 | 05:15 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Lancaster County, PA
Bikes: '39 Hobbs, '58 Marastoni, '73 Italian custom, '75 Wizard, '76 Wilier, '78 Tom Kellogg, '79 Colnago Super, '79 Sachs, '81 Masi Prestige, '82 Cuevas, '83 Picchio Special, '84 Murray-Serotta, '85 Trek 170, '89 Bianchi, '90 Bill Holland, '94 Grandis
I would look at Suntour. A lot of folks at that time would have swapped out the original rear derailleur for a Suntour VGT or VGT-Luxe. They may be prone to developing pivot slop, but even so, they're so economical that you can pretty easily substitute another. And they shift as well as anything available at the time. Huret Duopar-eco might be another option.
03-26-10 | 06:48 PM
#3
Thrifty Bill
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Mans of NC & SW UT Desert
Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more
+1 Pick up one of the many decent Suntour derailleurs out there. They are routinely on ebay for around $10 or so The VGT is a nice choice, as are the AR, the ARX, BL, Cyclone.
03-26-10 | 06:50 PM
#4
Bianchi Goddess
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
if your looking for new modern derailleur you best bet is a midlevel Shimano ATB. unless you want to troll through ebay for the afore mentioned Suntour ones.
PS I moved this out to the general C&V forum for you
PS I moved this out to the general C&V forum for you
__________________
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
03-27-10 | 08:49 AM
#8
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go for the ARX they are cheap and they are built like tanks. The grand prix is a heavy bike so a performance oriented derailleur won't help that much.
The old Deore mountain bike derailleurs also work great but you'll probably need a hanger.
The old Deore mountain bike derailleurs also work great but you'll probably need a hanger.
03-29-10 | 03:04 AM
#9
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 60
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Bikes: '89 Cannondale SR300; '64-'66 Allegro Special; '83 Centurion LeMans RS; '74 Raleigh Grand Prix
I'm actually considering shooting for a Suntour Cyclone. From what I understand they are typically meant for 6-7 instead of 5, but I'm assuming that it won't be a big deal.
