embankmentlb

What is the largest cog?

Bad Lag

I am at the C&V Forum, am I not?

If so, I am ASHAMED of you, ALL of you!

Campagnolo Nuovo Record is the ONLY answer (front and rear).

I have a Cyclone sitting in a box. I have a Deore XT, also sitting in a box.

I use the Nuovo Record every ride. It shifts a Regina Oro chain across a 5 speed freewheel.

embankmentlb

The only correct answer!

79pmooney

I love the Cyclones (and the later ones do 130 no problem) but I've been using a Campy Mirage with a fairly long cage with 53-42-24 X 12-28 (or closer clusters) and it shifts so well and is smooth doing it over the not so silent Campy 9-speed cassette. (Friction - Superbe top mount DT shifters.)

SwimmerMike 

I can't believe I'm the first to bring up the most iconic and well loved rear derailleur of all time..... the Gran Turismo

northbend 

Record or Chorus 10v
RD by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Bianchigirll 

I think this one. Never owned one but it is probably the best rear derailleur of the late ‘80s

Chombi1 

Uhmm... It 8s interesting though, the only derailleur that ghost shifted on me, for all the years I've ridden was my bought from new, patent 83 NR RD. I summarily put back the Suntour Cyclone MkII RD that I was replacing with the NR RD and the ghost shifting problem went away, totally.

Chombi1 

Uhmm... It 8s interesting though, the only derailleur that ghost shifted on me, for all the years I've ridden was my bought from new, patent 83 NR RD. I summarily put back the Suntour Cyclone MkII RD that I was replacing with the NR RD and the ghost shifting problem went away, totally.

Chombi1 

Frankly. I think the Superbe Pro can really be just fonsidered as a heavier version of the Cyclone MkII.

iab

This thread is like the geezer 41.

nick_a

I would also love to know this. Is that a 32? What's up front, 50/34?

Drillium Dude 

In a way, I've already made the choice in real time. All my riders (with the notable exception of my designated-off-roadie, the Casati, which has an NR) are equipped with these:



The 8-speed bike is of course a different animal, worthy of its own thread (and apparently its own sub, too!), but not in the same conversation.

DD

bikingshearer 

Rear Friction: Can't arrow it down to one. Most long-cage Suntour offerings and post-1984 Shimano long cage RDs will work for me. I'd like to give the Duopar a try (titanium preferred, but Eco would do for a test period).

Rear indexed: Campy 10sp medium or long cage Chorus or Record, please. I suppose if you put a gun to my head, I'd go with the 10sp Chorus silver long-cage, because I have one, so I know it exists. it works well, it's pretty, and it does not look out of place on a vintage lugged steel frame.

FD: Campy 10sp triples work pretty darn well for any application I've tried.

Rear, boat anchor division: Campy Gran Tourismo, like the one @SwimmerMike pictured above in post 30. It is on the list with the B-36 and the Edsel as so ugly you kind of have to love it.


B-36



Edsel

mstateglfr 

Shimano 6401 Tricolor RD.

It's the first really nice one I had, I like the look, and it works well for friction and indexed up to 9s.
Oh, and it can handle a 50/34 with 11-30 drivetrain combo.

...just need one where the paint isnt scratched up.

Soody

cyccommute 

Since being limited to a single derailer suggests being limited to a single bike and, being limited to a single bike means that it would have to be a mountain bike, I’d pick the SRAM XO rear derailer and SRAM X9 front derailer with XO paddle shifters. Robust, shifts well, and, more importantly, it’s not Shimano! Nothing wrong with Shimano other than they own most of the market and that’s never good for the market in general.

The X9 front, by the way, is superior to any front derailer Shimano makes. Shimano’s front derailers are usually bad and the more expensive ones doubly so. They just get too clever with the more expensive ones. The worst of the lot has to be the XTR E-type with carbon fiber plate. The plate is too flexible and bends during shifting. The derailer overshifts and then undershifts when it flexes back so the gears are never right. It’s about as useless as mammary glands on a boar hog (as my Daddy used to say, although somewhat more earthily).

The other disaster of a front derailer is the XT (and XTR) front that had moving front plates. Just way too complicated.

Dfrost 

Rear: Sachs New Success - Medium cage works nicely with the triples demanded by the terrain and my old legs. I’ve got a bunch of ‘em “just in case” but have never needed to replace anything. (Hope that doesn’t screw up my karma!)

Front: Campagnolo Racing T from the 8-speed years. Shifts great and no trimming needed, at least not on any of my applications.

PugRider

Seconded. I have all the parts for a nice 11-speed 105 upgrade to my modern Fuji road bike, but its current drivetrain, including this Altus derailleur, just works so frickin' perfectly I just can't do it. Had worked on many bikes with these derailleurs and they always seemed decent; the Fuji's was up for replacement and Grant Petersen was raving about them at the time, so I stuck one on. Really, try one of these. They are the real deal, and cheap, to boot!

esasjl

The trouble here is picking one! My bikes all have at least 34t large sprockets so long cages are a requirement, but my list would include:
Campagnolo Comp Triple (the same derailleur seems to have a number of names and finishes).
Shimano XTR M-952/3 (these can be modified with 14/12 jockey wheels for more wrap).
SunTour XC Sport 7000.
SunTour Cyclone GT (Mk. 1 and 2)
Sachs Quarz.
SRAM ESP 9.0SL

Favourite FD is easier, Campagnolo Victory or Triomphe triple. So is the shifter, Simplex Retrofriction.

tiger1964 

Campagnolo Record is my vote too, but the one I am certain would last longer than I will.

Bianchigirll 

Actually if I had seen this post first I would have followed Lisa Vitto’s example and labeled it a ******** question! Everyone knows you need at least 5 bikes plus your N+1 so you need 4 or 5 favorite derailleurs!

On. More serious note you might be right. IMHO any of the Cyclones, Sprints or SuperBee from that era are great, if I could find them I’d even buy a few NOS alpha 5000s. GPX too which looks a lot like a 600 tricolor

My first impulse was to say the 1st Gen Chorus, you know with the adjustable parallelogram but if I can only have one I thought I should pic something that can handle index if I wanted to go back to it.

bwilli88 

It is a 12-36 9 speed cassette. Best half step cassette made.
It is a 48x45 half step shifted by a Dura-Ace FD.

ToniH. 

Thats actually really classy looking!

scarlson 

I agree with all the sentiment surrounding the Cyclone M2. My only problems with it are the super heavy return spring, which doesn't play well with retrofriction levers, large chain gap because it was designed for freewheels which had bigger smallest cogs, and the inability to do more than 8 speeds without modification. I've successfully modified mine to do 9, but it shifts somewhat badly on the small cogs because of its large chain gap, and generally has a hard time of it all.

I think that is one benefit of the Superbe Pro over the Cyclone M2: better set up for smaller cogs and a wider swing for more cogs. It does come at the expense of a couple tens of grams. I really like friction shifting modern cassettes, though, so it probably makes sense for me. For a freewheel, the Cyclone M2 is perfect - but you're probably gaining all the weight you saved on the derailleur, by using a freewheel.