Kilroy1988 

Hello folks!

After snagging a set of first generation SLJ derailleurs on Ebay a while back, I patiently waited nearly a month to find a set of first generation retrofriction shifters to match. Courtesy Ebay France, they arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I just found time to put the whole set up together on my 1970 Raleigh Super Course and take it out for a test ride yesterday evening. The bike came with Simplex delrin (plastic) derailleurs and friction shifters, which I simply did not feel like riding based on issues of durability and performance. I put replacement pulleys on the rear derailleur but otherwise everything is simply cleaned up, as it all seemed to be in good working order.

Getting out on the road for just a few miles, I was at first frustrated by how tight the shifting felt on the SLJ, as it seemed to find the next gear on the 5-speed freewheel very quickly with little room for play. It seemed hopeless to find a position where I could get each gear to sit quietly, but after a little bit I was able to rather quickly find the sweet spots for most ratios, with just a tiny nudge on the shifter in one direction or another. When it was quiet it was serene! The front derailleur works like a charm...

Now to the questions!

I stepped off the bike a couple of times to examine things before I started moving swiftly, and realized that the rear derailleur body seems slightly loose to the touch - a rather dainty feeling - but while riding and looking down I could not observe any motion. Is this typical for these derailleurs? I'm used to much more robust older Campy or newer Suntour equipment, and don't recall ever feeling able to flex a derailleur around while it had tension.

The pulleys are also positioned so that the lower one is angled slightly towards the bicycle, keeping tension to the inside but not always allowing the chain to stay perfectly aligned between the two pulleys. Is this normal?

Thanks!

-Gregory

(p.s. I accidentally flipped the front and rear cable housing, so the rear pulled tight under chain tension. I switched them back immediately after the ride and the world makes more sense. The issue is apparent in the photos or I would have tried to hide my mistake!)

Mr. 66

juvela

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Congratulations and thanks for posting!

First gen SLJ be a fave of mine as well.

It came on the Raleigh RRA I purchased new in 1974.

At launch, it cost a bit more than the comparable Campag set.

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bertinjim 

Kilroy1988-

A couple of things re: rear derailleur. 1. A little more loop to the cable housing run; 2. The cable fixing bolt should show to the front, not be in the back as shown. The gruppo looks great with the SC.

Kilroy1988 

Thanks. I addessed the first issue with my postscript. I accidentally reversed the cables for front and rear derailleur and corrected it after the ride.

I'll flip the cable bolt tonight, easy enough!

As far as the play in the rear derailleur body and the angle of the pulleys go, I think it comes down to the rivets in the body being somewhat loose. Part of the keyed piece that holds the cable bolt in on the opposite side seems to be missing, but I think that's not the whole story. Perhaps I just have a rather tired derailleur? That's too bad, as it wasn't really inexpensive...

I might ride it for a while and then look for a replacement. I don't think I can peen these rivets tighter, though I might try.

-Gregory

-Gregory

bertinjim 

Kilroy1988-

My Simplex has the rotating post with a groove, a chromed washer that pinches the cable and the bolt that anchors everything in place. Are you missing the washer? You can just barely see it peeking out from under the bolt head to the right in the photo. Shot below is my LJ. You might also try putting the chain on the big cog/big ring. The pulley cage should then being at a 45 degree angle. FWIW, there is no lateral play when the derailleur body is torqued from side to side or twisted.

tiger1964 

Do these post-delrin Simplexes (Simple?), in non-claw installations, attach via a proprietary method or do they bolt up to Campy dropouts, or???

Perhaps this is the aero installation.

bertinjim 

tiger1964-
(Very nice cars those 260 ci Mark 1s) Yes, they will bolt up to Campy dropouts. That is a Campy dropout you see in the photo. The alloy ones bolt through from the back rather than having a nut attached to protruding threads from the pivot bolt.

juvela

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In the image of the complete machine it appears crank arm registration may be off by two degrees or so. If wedgebolts are fitted symmetrically, both with head leading in the rotation in this case, then there is likely a difference in the size of their respective cuts. You can withdraw them and file a bit on the one with the lighter cut so that it better matches the other. If you are making use of preowned pins it is a good idea to file the mark made by the earlier installation.

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Chombi1 

The SLJ5500 RDs were not known for being "dainty" or fragile. On the contrary, they were quite robust, especially if compared to its French contemporaries like the Huret Jubilee.
I suspect you might be 4ight that the RD might be getting pretty tired from many miles of use.
It should still work OK, as long as you watch those rivets on it and keep it adjusted well. It will just be a little bit lazy and imprecise when you shift....(kinda like a Campy NR RD)
I have at least three of these RDs and they always performed very well on my bikes.....
If it ever does wear out to the point of uselessness, you can always upgrade to the SLJ6600, which shifts twice as well than the 5500....

juvela

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? for the forum's mavens Heronic -

Gregory reports that subject machine is 1970 model and came fitted with Juy Prestige gear ensemble.

The U.S. market manufacturer's catalogue for that year has it coming through with a Huret Luxe gear ensemble.

This was also specification for the 1971 model year.

The 1968 and 1969 model year catalogues list the Prestige gear set.

Is it possible that both Prestige and Luxe were supplied on 1970 model SC?

[no wish to challenge anyone's information - just wishing to understand]

1970 U.S. market catalogue page -



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JohnDThompson 

The Simplex derailleurs differ from most others in that the mounting bolt inserts from the back of the dropout rather than the front, but they do work fine on Campagnolo and other dropouts. The hex socket on the upper pivot is for setting spring tension, not for tightening the mounting bolt. You can cause great damage if you try to use it to tighten the mounting bolt.

Kilroy1988 

@Chombi1 Thus far the shifting feels crisp enough, and besides the issue with the angle of the pulleys being slightly askew due to the play in the derailleur body, I can't imagine any ill-effects except in the case of total failure. It still feels perfectly solid as far as everything holding together goes. I can't see anything that could be done to alleviate the play in the body short of disassembling it and trying to put brand new rivets/pins throughout, and if the wear is actually to the body pieces then that might also prove futile.

I'm going to leave it as is.

@bertinjim I have the washer that holds the cable in place, yes. I don't see how that could affect the fact that I can jiggle the body of the derailleur around some, but maybe I missed your point or we're talking about different aspects.

@juvela At least a couple of the components on this Super Course were labeled 1969, but the US catalog specs suggests that the 25.5" frame size was not available until the 1970 model year. That's why I've dated it thusly. I have not bothered to figure it out based on the frame number, because I don't think there's an accurate enough chart available online to narrow that down to a specific year. The fellows on the Carlton of Worksop Facebook page usually suggest that frame serial numbers from that factory can only be narrowed down to about a 3 year interval at best.

I'll just keep on riding and if something breaks or does not perform to my standards, I'll just replace or fix it!

Cheers!

-Gregory

Chombi1 

Just keep in mind an RD catastrophic failure, which a failure of the derailleur arm pivot rivets could very well be, usually means it gets eaten up by your rear wheel while you are riding, along with possibly breaking or bending your RD hanger in a really bad way.....and can also, of course, cause you to crash.
Many have been surprised to find out too that this can happen at the lowest riding speeds with the same amount of damage.

Narhay

Try a longer, new modern lined low compression cable housing and a new cable.

Otherwise make sure your dropouts are aligned. The soft steel on these stamped dropouts is easily bent out of shape.

Kilroy1988 

Oh, I plan to keep an eye on the derailleur for sure! I can only torque the body about 2mm from side to side, and it still feels very solid as far as holding together goes. I was half way joking with my previous quote, because if I ever actually thought the derailleur was in such a state that it might fall apart, I would stop riding it immediately!

@Narhay The cables are brand new and greased, though I used the original housing (and as I mentioned, I had my housings backwards - the longer one is back on the rear). The drop out alignment seems perfectly true as far as my eye can tell - the bike came to me hardly ever ridden in pristine condition.