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Shimano “Deerhead” SuperPlate: Am I Screwed?

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Shimano “Deerhead” SuperPlate: Am I Screwed?

Old 01-30-19, 10:10 PM
  #1  
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Shimano “Deerhead” SuperPlate: Am I Screwed?

Hello hunters of steel and alloy, I recently bought an early Deore “Deerhead” rear derailleur for $20 at a local shop, and not long after that found the Deerhead front mech for even less money.

They both look so purty, in excellent cosmetic condition, and though I haven’t installed them yet, show no blatant signs of mechanical issues.

I was all jolly about these purchases, and have a project that is ripe for them, but then went on to read some BF / C&V threads with posts warning that the SuperPlate version of this derailleur was fatally flawed, and to be avoided. Sheesh, ok, thanks for the buzzkill.

So I guess my question is : are there any particular things I should look for that would tell me that my particular derailleur’s SuperPlate is in imminent danger of collapse, or explosion, or whatever it is they like to do? Should I immediately consign this derailleur to ebay, or the antique shop, or make jewelry out of it? Or rather should I pay no heed to the haters, and boldly sally forth unto the hills astride my super-plated deer?

Help me out folks. I need closure and clarity.
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Old 01-30-19, 10:19 PM
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Once the upper pulley wears out, they're useless as there are no replacements. The one I did have decided to disassemble itself on mile 42 of a 75 mile ride. Much like the similar Suntour Mountech rear derailleur, they don't tolerate being abused and neglected. Maintain them and keep them reasonably free of grit and mud, and they'll do OK, at best.
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Old 01-31-19, 04:19 AM
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How complicated is the upper pulley? I've been looking for one of these myself to play around with but I can't tell from the pictures if the upper pulley is in some kind of riveted assembly or if it is something simple enough I could possibly 3D print or make on a mini lathe.
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Old 01-31-19, 11:03 AM
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There’s literally (I don’t mean figuratively literally) millions of other derailleurs out there.

Life’s too short to play ****-**** games with gimmicky derailleurs that have proven to have explosive tendencies or shift crappy. Even at its best- a Deerhead derailleur is still a drop parallelogram unit. But it looks cool.

It mystefies me that people buy 1st generation Mountech RDs- one cursory look at the amount of bikes that would have originally come with Mountechs with replaced RDs and rear wheels....

Sure, there’s nifty and cool looking derailleurs- but crap like triple pivots, spring loaded pulleys... just stuff to go wrong. The only gimmicky derailleur I like is the triple pulley units. They shift great and wrap incredible amounts of chain.

If this is for an ATB or touring bike get a Suntour V GT-Luxe or a Cyclone GT or an XC or XC Pro or Comp if you want to go that late- if you want tit to be Shimano- get an M730-735 XT or MT-60-62 Deore... great, bulletproof stuff that shifts excellent and will probably outlast you and me.

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Old 01-31-19, 04:47 PM
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Thanks for weighing in, everyone. Sounds like I'm screwed... with the SuperPlate at least.
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Old 01-31-19, 07:39 PM
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I'm sorry- I just re-read my post- It shouldn't have come across quite that dooshy... I wrote it in a couple of parts, on my phone, waiting for things to happen.

Kind of remember where things were at the time of this derailleur- Campagnolo was on top, Suntour was the best thing going, but they were trying to copy Huret- and prove their innovativeness and Shimano was trying to stay in the game, but still handicapped by Suntour's patent that was about to expire- and waiting to drop the bomb. I don't know where SIS was at this point- but it had to be cooking- so the idea of following Suntour's "Tech" stuff and staying on top of all the technical wizardry makes sense- I don't know if the non-superplate version came out at the same time (or was a "lower" model of the RD)- But Suntour's Mountech RD came out with a 2nd generation with a regular top pulley- but with 3 pivots, an outrageously long cage AND a 13 tooth idler pulley- but that was after Mountechs blew up and took out dozens of wheels. (My 84 Stumpjumper has a 1993-ish rear wheel and rear derailleur from when the Mountech blew up).

Again- sorry to make this all Suntour-y- but the Mountech FRONT derailleur is one of the finest ever- it works fantastically, super adjustable, it's rugged, and it actually weighs less than an early 90s Superbe Pro FD weighs... I would guess the M700 XT Deerhead FD to be the same.

If'n it were me, and it's a nice, nice bike that you want ****** parts on- I'd get a 1987-1994-ish Deore XT rear derailleur. M730, M732, M735. I think they're among the very coolest looking derailleurs ever- and they're class A performers.

I guess the good news is if that super plate is in good shape- you can sell it.
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Old 01-31-19, 07:51 PM
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Well being more mechanic than rider, I happen to like playing with gimmicky things, so if you want your money back I'd be glad to take it off your hands. The current RD on my Shimano bike is odd enough (rapid-rise, cable-saver, mega-range, built-in rollamajig) but not quite C&V enough.

Last edited by Kuromori; 01-31-19 at 07:54 PM.
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Old 01-31-19, 11:21 PM
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Honestly, it's a shame that this RD is notorious for being delicate. I have a SP variant and it's provided me with some of the most smooth shifting I've ever experienced. I've put a total of 100km on it since recieving it from a previous mid 80s Miyata 1000 that likely had put ten times the amount. It still worked fine.

Due to the concern, I switched it for a a Suntour ARx RD on my 1000. It's more of a display RD since it's unique and sought after in some cases.

if yours is in good condition, keep it that way abd for display it's quirky.
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Old 02-01-19, 06:47 AM
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If the RD is still in good shape that is a good deal. As noted above they can be a crapshoot riding......but I have put hundreds of miles on a superplate (touring t700) through multiple roads (sandy, gravel, paved, etc). Stupid that way I guess. I remember another thread way back that the pulley can be removed and serviced, I would not take it apart myself. The bad rep may have also had to do with it being spec on many mtb bikes which are going to be ridden pretty hard.

One in good to vg condition might bring 50 or so on ebay, people still look for them for old builds. I would second the xt or lx long cages from late 80s/early90s are great RD for replacement.
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Old 02-01-19, 08:20 AM
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Functionally the later Deore DX, LX and XT are so much better
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Old 02-02-19, 10:34 AM
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I really appreciate all the feedback, everyone, you’ve given me a lot to think about, and very specific recommendations.

Originally Posted by Kuromori
Well being more mechanic than rider, I happen to like playing with gimmicky things, so if you want your money back I'd be glad to take it off your hands.
Kuromori, thank you very much for your offer. I will need to sleep on it a bit. This build has yet to crystallize fully in my mind, particularly in terms of drivetrain.
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