Originally Posted by
gravelinmygears
That’s what makes the decision difficult- he’s offering one of the selections for free. Cyclone GT, Rally or XT. I was tempted with the Rally since the rest of the drivetrain is campy but I’d like to have the best shifting rear D more than anything.
Originally Posted by
romperrr
Rally for panache
Cyclone for practicality AND looks, (plus the split cage is a nice feature to have while touring.)
XT if you're someone who eats pizza with a knife and fork
The choice is yours.
^^^this. I have on one bike or another almost all of the long cage rear derailleurs mentioned so far in this thread, and they all work pretty well.
The Suntour of that era obviously has the advantage of their patent on the mechanism, which had not yet expired so the others could copy it.
The Shimano 600EX (a precursor to the XT you mention), also works well.
The one that has never worked well for me (but gets raves from many other people), is that Huret Ecopar/Duopar, with all the little pivot points to wear out.
The older Shimano Crane with the long cage is a very solid performer, but somewhat expensive to buy on ebay nowadays.
I always look them up on Disraeli Gears, to get his impressions of performance.