Henry III

I'm currently in my second and final semester of Production Welding and Metal Fabrication program at my local technical college. So I thought this would be a nice little project to do over winter break to keep my Autocad fresh in my memory bank. My instructor is very open to the students working on side projects within reason. He know's I'm a bike nut with my wide assortment of cycling caps...I mean welding caps and was impressed with the frame I built this summer since I commuted a few times on it to school.

Anyways, I'm a fan of mountain climbing, stump pulling sized freewheels and love the classic look of Nuovo Record Rear derailleur. Though a NR derailleur and my kind of freewheels don't mesh together too well and I'm too cheap to buy a Rally derailleur. I asked Pastorbob here for his help if he could get me some measurements of the cages on his Rally derailleur after remembering he had one on his Super Sport. So one step better he said he would send me his derailleur to use for the measurements I needed. So for his kindness and willing to send me his immaculate derailleurs to some stranger online. I would make him two sets of cages for his help.

So in my penny pinching ways and the joy of having free materials and use of a waterjet at my school. Not to mention honing my Autocad skills I aquired last semester I took on a small project of my own. I received his package of the immaculate Rally and a spotless Gran Sport derailleur in the mail on Monday(1-9).


Waited for the two younger ones to lay down to take a nap and I was able to get it all drawn out about five hours. I'm still pretty wet behind the ears as we just covered Autocad at the end of our Blueprint reading course. It took me about five hours yesterday afternoon/evening but I feel good on the finished drawning. I even had time to do something a little special too.

So I grab my trusty custom burlap rice bag my wife made use for holding my measuring tools in school. yeah it may look like a normal Royal basmati rice sack but once you crack it open....classy.


Behold...Campy Rally cages and even a drillium version! I'm planning on cutting these out in both 3/8" Stainless and Aluminum material. I'm unsure about the aluminum as I'm not sure how good the threads will hold up on the pivot bolt. The original cages are aluminum but has a steel nut where the pivot bolt attaches to the cage. Well see.


Now I'm hoping to get these cut pretty soon. I still have to run these through another program to position where the cut will be on the cages. Funny thing is that I just sold my last vintage bike so I don't even have a bike to test these out on. Everything I have now is indexed and don't have a NR to test it out on. Though Pastorbob sent me his Gran Sport derailleur along with the Rally to install one of the new cages on as that's where one of the cages I'm giving him is heading anyways.

I'll update as progress continues and I'll probably ask a few members here if they could help me out on feedback on them.

Henry

Oh and for some people who didn't know and wonder why I'm doing this. This cage will install onto your NR rear derailleur and replace the short cages and allow you to use up to a 32T cog in the rear! This should be able to use on a few other derailleurs also I believe so people can chime in on what cages can be swapped around. Plus if you ever priced out a Rally derailleur or tried to find just the cages. This is where this project comes in.

Alan Edwards

Weeeeeeeeeeee what a ride, that is a project. Glad to hear school is going well. Can't get a lot done in my house with the pitter-patter of little feet, know how you feel. I have this subscribed.

Henry III

Since Autocad is only on my laptop I usually work on it laying down on the living room floor. So I become a 2nd couch anytime I'm on my computer when the children are up. Their like my chiropracters jumping around on my back. I'm surprised I'm not paralysed yet or puked from jumping on me while I'm on the floor. lol.

rhm

Been there! When she was very small my daughter's pointy little feet helped me diagnose a hernia... now that was fun.

pastorbobnlnh 

I am really psyched about Henry's project! I plan to convert the pictured Nuovo Gran Sport (above in box) for use on my Campy equipped '62 Schwinn Continental. It is no longer running the Nuovo Record. I'd like to try to get a nice big 36 tooth cog to work on this.



I'll compare it with the Campy Gran Turismo I received from Fender1 last year by swapping them back and forth. The converted Nuovo Gran Sport should be significantly lighter than the all steel Gran Turismo. But I guess "lightness" does not matter much on a Continental!

The Rally is actually from my red '71 Paramount, not the red Super Sport.

himespau 

That's such a cool project.

ctmullins 

Super sweet! Any reason these wouldn't also mount onto, oh, say, a Triomphe or Victory RD? Or even (gasp) a 980?

-holiday76

whoa a decent BF thread! Can't wait to see the pics / hear the story as this moves along. I've thought about doing the same thing. I'm sure you're aware there were a few companies back in "the day" that made their own arms for campy nr mechs? I can't remember names.

I have rally arms on a nr and it works fine. I'm shifting 34t with mine.

cudak888 

Between Rootboy's brilliant lathe work and your CNC projects, this could get very interesting.

Those guys looking to have that parallelogram stop plate made for the MAVIC 801 RD should start bugging Henry III - this would be a much better way to produce them.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results here.

Take care,

-Kurt

Henry III

If anyone would be interested in being my guinea pig let me know. Otherwise I'll try to pick up a cheap NR derailleur at the swap is weekend in Madison.

cudak888 

As in supplying an RD, or testing? I've got a few NR-equipped bikes I can test it on, and I also have an original first-gen Rally RD that I can test for accuracy to the original.

-Kurt

rootboy 

Yes indeed! Very cool project Henry III. My NR bolt project was all hit n' miss ham-fisted amateur operator stuff which I managed to get through, a learning process, but this CAD design stuff is on the edge. Good stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing how these come out. BTW, I'm naive on the details but, does the NR have the capacity, jockey wheel to cogs, to go 36? I don't know, just asking.
Neat project.

rootboy 

Oh, and, that Basmati bag is way cool too.

Henry III

I'm asking for someone to try it out for me since I don't have a NR derailleur let alone even a wheelset under 8 speeds anymore. lol. I'll get one of each cut out...a stainless nondrilled, stainless drilled, aluminum undrilled and then a drilled version also. I have to pick up two taps for pulley and the pivot bolts.

mkeller234

Hmmm.... I could volunteer. I wouldn't mind getting low gears on my Raleigh Pro to make it actually rideable.

noglider 

I have an NR I can offer. I'd get it back, right?

cudak888 

I'll volunteer to try it on the NR and Rally if you do not have anyone assigned yet. Your call.

-Kurt

Henry III

Okay, Kurt and Matt K. will be my guinea pigs to test out my cages. Thanks Alan for the offer on sending me a NR RD to use but we're expecting to get our first snow storm tomorrow so I won't be riding any of my non friendly snow bikes for awhile now let alone that I don't have any other parts to build up a friction setup right now.

Henry

realestvin7

Subscribing for the coolness.

mkeller234

Yeah! Thanks, I am psyched!

cudak888 

Likewise - seeing that I own a first-generation Rally, I'll also have the opportunity to compare performance of Henry III's pulley cages to the originals from which they are copied.

-Kurt

Drillium Dude 

Oh, boy - this is gonna be neat (and not just because there will be a drillium version)!

I swear, C&V is getting to be a full-blown cottage industry what with this, Rootboy's tire savers, tools and machined bolts, Otis' drillium...

+1 subscribing for the coolness factor. Go get 'em, Henry!

DD

Henry III

If all goes well I'll have a late night infomercial with Ron Popeil selling these for 49.99 and you get a free set of steak knifes. lol. Once you swap these in place of your short cages you'll be able to set it and forget it!

rothenfield1

You folks amaze. This is the kind of thread that brought me back to the forum.

pastorbobnlnh 

Kurt, do you know if there are any differences between the 1st Gen Rally cage and the cage on the 2nd Gen Rally? You need to make a few RD videos of these Rallys and a converted NR in action. Need to borrow mine after Henry has completed his amazing work?

Also, have you had any experience with removing the cage on the Nuovo Gran Sport? They are different from the NR. Their cage is rather flimsy and easily bent. I do have a spare Nuovo Record RD I can use if the Gran Sport does not like Henry's long cage.