kroozer 

This is my first experience with a push-rod front derailleur. The inner cage of my Criterium AV 223 rubs the chain a bit when in the lowest gear, so I want to adjust it inward a little more. But where are the adjusters? There is a single screw on the outer part of the body that I assume is for adjusting the cage travel, although I don't know if it's for the inner limit, outer limit, or both. Another little screw on the opposite side anchors the cable, and that's it.

gaucho777 

There's an outer limit screw, but the inner limit can be set by where you clamp the shift cable if necessary. Sometimes the rod can get gunked up, preventing the FD from bottoming out at the lower limit. If that's the case you can soak in solvent (or use an ultrasonic cleaner) and then apply some lube to the rod and work it back and forth a few times prior to installation/adjustment. I had a similar head-scratching moment when I recently restored a '75 Peugeot PR10-L.

Btw, rubbing a dab of vasoline will bring back the luster if the delrin has become gray and faded.

John E

One first sets the inner limit position by loosening the cage and moving it along the pushrod, then adjusts the outer limit screw. Same as Campag. Gran Sport.

3alarmer 

^^^this. If you look at it, you should see a set screw that holds the cage on the push rod. That's the key. Then set the outer limit.

verktyg 

Kidding aside... Huh?

There's more than just one adjustment to get those beasts working properly. (**********)

Shift the chain to the large ring. The chain cage should be 1mm to 3mm above the top of the large chain ring. Also the cage should be parallel to the outside edge of the chainring when viewed from above!




By loosening the 5mm set screw pictured below you can position the cage in or out on the push rod. Applying some penetrating oil to the screw can help in loosening it.

USE CAUTION AS THE SCREWS ARE NOT VERY STRONG AND EASY TO BREAK OFF WHEN TIGHTENING!!!


Correcting those positions shown in the top photo sometimes requires slightly loosening the 2 bolts on the front clamp and repositioning the derailleur. Shift to the small chain ring first so the cable is slack.

If you have to raise the derailleur, you'll probably have to loosen the cable clamp so the body will move freely up.



If you're lucky, you can nail it with just one or two adjustments. Trial and error. Been Nair Done Nat many hundreds of times.

USE CAUTION WHEN RE-TIGHTENING THE FRONT CLAMP SCREWS - 40 TO 50 YEAR DELRIN PLASTIC IS PRONE TO CRACKING !!! ARGH!

Lubricate the screws.



Simplex LJ23 push rod FD from the early 60's - Pre DELRIN era.


Campagnolo Gran Sport (****zatura Italiana) Match Box FD! As bad a Simplex only they were made of metal and shifted poorly for longer...



After working on Simplex FDs throughout the 70's, NEVER in my life would I have ever dreamed of taking time to show someone how to adjust one of them. That's what the top tool was for!

Take solace, I have them on a number of my old French bikes.

BTW, DELRIN plastic derailleurs were a collaboration in the early 60's between Lucian Juy founder of Simplex and... PEUGEOT! ARGH!

verktyg

markk900

Ah - You see the reason that one cracked is a) non Simplex mounting screws, and b) front part of the clamp is upside down. You'd never get a failure with the clamp rightside up

oneclick 

I think those are original, the clamp is counterbored to fit them.

T-Mar

They are much easier to adjust if you swear at them in French. However, it has to proper, Parsian French. I tried, "Tabernac!" but they just don't respond to Quebecois French. One responded very well to the threat, " C'est ca! Je vais installer un derailleur avant Shimano Thunderbird!"

markk900

You are likely right - I was really just trying to be funny but my limited experience with the Simplex fronts (probably had less than a dozen in my hands over the years) all had the hex head fixing bolt with the flat screwdriver slot cut in.....

BTW - just another observation on that particular photo - someone really went all in on the tightening anyway - it looks like the delrin has cut into the paint layer. Never had to tighten them THAT much.

ThermionicScott 

I'm not super-familiar with these FDs. Does the set-screw on the push rod allow you to rotate the FD cage, too? That would be a neat feature to adjust for chainring size.

verktyg 

Not really, there is a flat on the pushrod (1922) to keep cage from rotating. While adjusting the cage BITD, it could unintentionally get rotated while tightening. See parts breakdown in the 1974 Simplex catalogue.

markk900 Notice they came in 3 different diameters: 1", 1 1/8" (28.6mm) and 28mm. It's quite likely that a 28mm FD was forced onto a 1 1/8" seat tube. It happened. Also, Delrin gets brittle and shrinks a little over 40-50 years time especially when exposed to lubricants and UV light.

oneclick Simplex switched to the countersunk hex head screws in the late 70's, most likely in response to the CPSC phantasies...

The catalogue lists a triple version AV 323 that I don't recall ever seeing - or never paid any attention too.

verktyg

bikingshearer 

Close, but the real answer is: (1) loosen and remove the bolt that holds the derailleur to the seat tube; (2) remove the Simplex FD; (3) install Suntour FD; and (4) ride away with a well-functioning FD and a smile on your face. And you don't have to learn French swear words beyond merde.

My limited experience is that push rod FDs work tolerably okay if the chainwheel teeth difference is three or less. Performance goes downhill pretty rapidly as the difference increases. 52/49 or 49/46 - not great, but serviceable. 53/42 - just don't. 52/39 - you're kidding, right? But seriously, these things were not designed with the kind of differences in chainwheel size that we are used to.

3alarmer 

...the cage is similar, but not identical, to the older ones on the Simplex "suicide" rod front shifter. On those, you can regrind the flat a little bit, to change the angle of the cage. So on this one, because it was not shifting well me when I used a newer cage from a busted cable operated pushrod front derailleur, to replace a rusted one on a suicide shifter, I did that with reasonable results. You can only do it once or twice before you run out of rod to grind off.


Before

After

markk900

While we are on Simplex cages, can anyone tell me whether these two cages are simply refinements of each other or did they come from two completely different lines? I am fairly certain the top one (with the simple Simplex logo) came off a Chiorda I had in the early 70s; it was attached to a Criterium (chrome screws and clamp) body and the shaft had no flat; the bottom one looks like every Prestige cage I have ever seen….

repechage

I have had the plastic body crack on a Metric tubed 28.0 mm bike where the bike was just on the hook in storage.

Simplex brand has been reborn, the launch product is a single speed freewheel ?!

verktyg 

Several years back I took out my mostly original 1967 Peugeot PX-10 for a spin. Something felt weird after a few feet. I looked down and saw the old Simplex FD derailleur broke off and fell into the chainrings.


No problem, I had a bunch of them in a drawer including a NOS one. When I tightened the olde new one, the Delrin plastic body cracked! All of the rest that I had were defective too!

Simplex cemetery:



I bought one on eBay that was supposed to be "like new"... The seller didn't have a clue and argued with me over a refund. We sold hundreds of Simplex equipped bikes during the 70's, I worked on a lot of them...

A closer look on the eBay FD revealed a lot of fine cracks. If you see this, it's toast. Also the crack on the inside of the clamp on the next photo. Save your time, don't bother trying to use it, it's soon to be toast too.




I ended up getting a NOS FD on eBay for $$$ I would have ever dreamed of spending on a Simplex push rod FD!

Shortly afterward a friend gave me another NOS one. I got my $$$ back from the 1st seller and the PX-10 was working fine again in it's original kit. (Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear)

The cages wore through from chain rub on those Simplex FDs more so than on other brands. That's why they were frequently replaced. Check out the wears from running on both chain rings. Why anyone would ride a bike with that much chain rub going on is beyond me? Just plain unconscious!



markk900 The cage with the Simplex logo in a circle pictured in your post is from a very old shifter or FD. Notice it's flat on the back side. Later cages had formed shape support stamped in for rigidity.

These are 2 that I had in my stash. I've never seen that logo in any Simplex literature going all the way back to the 50's.



What I suspect is that they are from Italian Simplex FDs. Simplex produced derailleurs in Italy for that market and were found on a lot of "entry level" models during the Bike Boom Fad.

Here's an Italian Torpado from that era. Simplex derailleurs worked better than the a buon mercato (cheap and ugly) Campy Valentino derailleurs. (but still sow's ears)



The Italians used better quality aluminum levers than the pas cher (cheap) French Delrin plastic ones that broke all of the time. They looked like the levers that Simplex used with their Criterium derailleurs except they had screws instead of wingnuts for tightening.

Plastique merde Prestige levers.



Italian aluminum levers with screws.



The reason I've gone into detail about this Italian Simplex stuff is because the Italian clamps used industry standard 5mm x .8mm screws verses the bâtard 5mm x 1mm screws used on the French stuff. If you find one of these clamps you can easily convert it to use with Simplex Retrofriction levers.

I put together this Flickr album 10 years ago with all of the how-to details.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/282672...th/5923038669/

That's it! I'm done! Never again will I broach the subject of Simplex push rod FDs

verktyg

markk900

verktyg : thanks - you have confirmed what I suspected: I know the levers on my early 70s Chiorda were as you showed; I suspected the FD was from that bike (it has a black plastic cap on the body instead of the usual red or chrome). Will delve into your history link soon! Thanks for your sharing of your deep knowledge…

sovende

Since these derailleurs can easily be 50 years old, gunk can restrict the full travel of the push rod. Complete disassembly might be best but a good solvent soak as mentioned will prolly be good enough. Remove the outer limit screw and blow some solvent into the mechanism using the sprayer straw.
Yes, the Vaseline rub definitely restores the luster to the Delrin body of these derailleurs!