Guide Pulley for Suntour VGT Luxe
09-02-21, 12:34 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Guide Pulley for Suntour VGT Luxe
I have a couple of Suntour VGT Luxe rear derailleurs. Very nice mechanisms, although they don't have quite enough throw for a modern 7/8/9 speed cassette. (I have one working well with an 8-of-9 Franken-cassette, and friction levers).
After cleaning my Suntour VGT, I noticed that the guide (top) pulley was really worn. (The guide and tension pulleys are identical.) This is a 10-tooth pulley with a 6mm inside diameter in the bushing, so most Shimano pulleys won't work, since they are designed for a 5mm axle. My immediate fix was to borrow the guide pulley from my other VGT, but that only postpones the problem of finding a replacement.
I have two questions:
_____________
[1] This belief is based on some old threads in these forums, and on this eBay listing for the 11t version, which includes this picture:
Shims in multiple sizes for Tacx jockey wheels
After cleaning my Suntour VGT, I noticed that the guide (top) pulley was really worn. (The guide and tension pulleys are identical.) This is a 10-tooth pulley with a 6mm inside diameter in the bushing, so most Shimano pulleys won't work, since they are designed for a 5mm axle. My immediate fix was to borrow the guide pulley from my other VGT, but that only postpones the problem of finding a replacement.
I have two questions:
- Is there any benefit to using a "floating" guide pulley, since I'm using friction shifting? Will a floating pulley help correct for shifts that are "just a little off", as it does with indexed shifting?
- If the answer to (1) is yes, is there a way to get a floating guide pulley for this derailleur?
_____________
[1] This belief is based on some old threads in these forums, and on this eBay listing for the 11t version, which includes this picture:
Shims in multiple sizes for Tacx jockey wheels
Last edited by SquireBlack; 09-02-21 at 11:13 AM.
09-02-21, 07:46 AM
#2
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For me it is pretty simple. Get the conversion kit from LoveCityCycles. After you get it, measure the bushing and go find the same size and you’ll be set for as many conversions as needed.
I used older Shimano index (Centeron pulley) RD with friction shifters for years. Never had an issue. Actually using friction, I was oblivious that the Centeron pulley even existed or why until years later.
John
I used older Shimano index (Centeron pulley) RD with friction shifters for years. Never had an issue. Actually using friction, I was oblivious that the Centeron pulley even existed or why until years later.
John
09-02-21, 08:20 AM
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Tacx is no longer making pulley's and any you find are old stock or fakes and going for ridiculous prices. I have run about 3 different non-floating pulley sets (Tacx and can't remember the other brand) on my 9 & 10 speed indexed bikes and noticed zero difference in shifting from the OEM Shimano pulleys. Of course that's only 3 examples so I can't guarantee it's the same for all bikes. I even switched the OEM lower pulley to the top position as it was all I had for spares and it shifted the same. For non-indexed shifting it should make even less difference. I agree the LoveCityCycles set is probably the best choice of the two above even though being a little on the pricey side but you'll know it works and not something that will need replacing any time soon and you're getting the bushings which look like they can be transferred over to some Shimano pulleys if you need another set in the future.
Last edited by Crankycrank; 09-02-21 at 08:25 AM.
09-02-21, 08:26 AM
#4
Licensed Bike Geek
I have a couple of Suntour VGT Luxe rear derailleurs. Very nice mechanisms, although they don't have quite enough throw for a modern 7/8/9 speed cassette. (I have one working well with an 8-of-9 Franken-cassette, and friction levers).
After cleaning my Suntour VGT, I noticed that the guide (top) pulley was really worn. (The guide and tension pulleys are identical.) This is a 10-tooth pulley with a 6mm inside diameter in the bushing, so most Shimano pulleys won't work, since they are designed for a 5mm axle. My immediate fix was to borrow the guide pulley from my other VGT, but that only postpones the problem of finding a replacement.
I have two questions:
_____________
[1] This belief is based on some old threads in these forums, and on this eBay listing for the 11t version, which includes this picture:
Shims in multiple sizes for Tacx jockey wheels
After cleaning my Suntour VGT, I noticed that the guide (top) pulley was really worn. (The guide and tension pulleys are identical.) This is a 10-tooth pulley with a 6mm inside diameter in the bushing, so most Shimano pulleys won't work, since they are designed for a 5mm axle. My immediate fix was to borrow the guide pulley from my other VGT, but that only postpones the problem of finding a replacement.
I have two questions:
- Is there any benefit to using a "floating" guide pulley, since I'm using friction shifting? Will a floating pulley help correct for shifts that are "just a little off", as it does with indexed shifting?
- If the answer to (1) is yes, is there a way to get a floating guide pulley for this derailleur?
_____________
[1] This belief is based on some old threads in these forums, and on this eBay listing for the 11t version, which includes this picture:
Shims in multiple sizes for Tacx jockey wheels
If you’d like I’d be happy to mail you that bushing tree. PM me your mail address and I’ll drop them in the mail.
One caveat; you MUST get this info to me today before noon as I’m traveling starting this evening and will be gone for a few weeks, so I can’t get to the post office later in the day.
09-02-21, 11:11 AM
#5
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks!
Davet : thanks very much for the info and your kind offer. But the bushing tree wont help me unless I can find the Tacx pulleys, and if I can, I’ll get my own bushing tree.
Cranky Crank: good observation that, once I have the LoveCity bushings, I’ll be able to reuse them on multiple sets of Shimano pulleys.
Cranky Crank: good observation that, once I have the LoveCity bushings, I’ll be able to reuse them on multiple sets of Shimano pulleys.
09-02-21, 02:31 PM
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Davet : thanks very much for the info and your kind offer. But the bushing tree wont help me unless I can find the Tacx pulleys, and if I can, I’ll get my own bushing tree.
09-05-21, 06:46 PM
#7
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Thread Starter
I did find one place on the web that claimed to have the Tacx pulleys, and ordered one. I now believe that the site selling them was a scam. We shall see.
I also ordered one of the kits from LoveCityCycles. I'm hoping that the hand-made bushings in this kit will outlast several pulleys, and keep me going into my dotage.
I'll update when I receive one or both of these pulleys.
I also ordered one of the kits from LoveCityCycles. I'm hoping that the hand-made bushings in this kit will outlast several pulleys, and keep me going into my dotage.
I'll update when I receive one or both of these pulleys.
Last edited by SquireBlack; 11-21-21 at 11:11 PM. Reason: Corrected typo
09-05-21, 08:33 PM
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I have my doubts that the bushings are hand made other than cut to length.
Use a digital caliper to measure OD, ID, and length. Get something close in length and cut/grind/file them to the correct length. Set them aside until you need more for other Suntour RD’s.
John
Use a digital caliper to measure OD, ID, and length. Get something close in length and cut/grind/file them to the correct length. Set them aside until you need more for other Suntour RD’s.
John
09-07-21, 10:57 PM
#9
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Update on the Taiwanese Pulleys
After a week, I received a response to my eBay query on whether the Taiwanese pulleys (eBay item 363475495609) can be suppled with a reducing bushing with a 6mm ID:
New message from: chasertech Top Rated Seller(63,694 Purple Shooting Star)
Hello,
Thank you for message us about your question and sorry for the late reply. For 6mm spacer we have another listing that is for Classic bike 10T black. If that listing is not available then you can make the new listing and write your request to "include the 6mm spacer for the classic bike" in the check out note.
I could not find the other listing that they refer to — although I can find listings for 6mm shims in aqua blue, purple and silver pulleys, which don't quite meet the vintage bike aesthetic that I'm looking for. However, the vendor clearly does have 6mm bushings available, and seem willing to supply them on request. Because these pulleys have sealed bearings with (I presume) ball bearings in them, I think that these would be the best replacement option.
New message from: chasertech Top Rated Seller(63,694 Purple Shooting Star)
Hello,
Thank you for message us about your question and sorry for the late reply. For 6mm spacer we have another listing that is for Classic bike 10T black. If that listing is not available then you can make the new listing and write your request to "include the 6mm spacer for the classic bike" in the check out note.
09-07-21, 11:10 PM
#10
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Update on Love City Cycles Conversion Kit
I received my conversion kit from Love City Cycles today, and I'm disappointed. I just sent the following message to them on eBay (which is where I ordered the conversion kit):
Greetings! I received this conversion kit today — thanks for the fast delivery. Unfortunately, the bushings don't really fit in the pulleys. Where the bushings have been parted from a larger turning, they are "belled" so that the outside diameter is 8.18mm instead of 8mm. This means that the bushing doesn't fit in the pulley. Of course, since the pulley is soft plastic, I can force the bushing in, but then the pulley binds on the bushing.
The first photo below shows that the OD of the bushing is mostly 8mm. In the second photo, you can just make out the belling of the top end, and you can see that the maximum OD is 8.18mm. The third photo shows what happens when I insert the bushing into the pulley — it slides in most of the way, but the belled area at the end stops it sliding further than shown in the photo, where there is about 1mm of the bushing sticking out of the right-hand-side of the pulley.
If I had a lathe, I could turn down the bushings so that they are constant diameter. Of course, if I had a lathe, I would have made some bushings myself, and not purchased your kit.
Incidentally, the pulleys that I received are Sunrace; your eBay listing says that they are Shimano. I don't really think that it matters, but perhaps you should update you eBay listing so that it is accurate. Your eBay listing also says that the bushings are stainless steel. Mine look like they are mild steel, because they are black and highly magnetic, but I can't be certain that they are not stainless. Can you confirm the material?
I would like to return these for a refund. Alternatively, you could send me some accurately made stainless bushings. How do you want to handle this?
Correct diameter for most of the length of the bushing...
but oversize at the end of the bushing.
Bushing slides into pulley but binds when we get to the oversized end portion.
Having seen the bushings, I'm inclined to agree with 70sSanO that these bushings don't seem to be hand made — I think that they have been cut from a longer piece of stock tube with a tubing cutter, which would explain the belled end. Not that this would matter to me, if they fit.
We will see what response I receive.
Greetings! I received this conversion kit today — thanks for the fast delivery. Unfortunately, the bushings don't really fit in the pulleys. Where the bushings have been parted from a larger turning, they are "belled" so that the outside diameter is 8.18mm instead of 8mm. This means that the bushing doesn't fit in the pulley. Of course, since the pulley is soft plastic, I can force the bushing in, but then the pulley binds on the bushing.
The first photo below shows that the OD of the bushing is mostly 8mm. In the second photo, you can just make out the belling of the top end, and you can see that the maximum OD is 8.18mm. The third photo shows what happens when I insert the bushing into the pulley — it slides in most of the way, but the belled area at the end stops it sliding further than shown in the photo, where there is about 1mm of the bushing sticking out of the right-hand-side of the pulley.
If I had a lathe, I could turn down the bushings so that they are constant diameter. Of course, if I had a lathe, I would have made some bushings myself, and not purchased your kit.
Incidentally, the pulleys that I received are Sunrace; your eBay listing says that they are Shimano. I don't really think that it matters, but perhaps you should update you eBay listing so that it is accurate. Your eBay listing also says that the bushings are stainless steel. Mine look like they are mild steel, because they are black and highly magnetic, but I can't be certain that they are not stainless. Can you confirm the material?
I would like to return these for a refund. Alternatively, you could send me some accurately made stainless bushings. How do you want to handle this?
Correct diameter for most of the length of the bushing...
but oversize at the end of the bushing.
Bushing slides into pulley but binds when we get to the oversized end portion.
We will see what response I receive.
11-21-21, 10:11 PM
#11
Junior Member
Thread Starter
It's been a while, but it's time I closed this thread with the results of what I've learned.
I finally got around to sourcing some 6mm stainless steel washers, and this afternoon disassembled the derailleur and replaced the "borrowed" jockey wheels with the new ones. The bearings + bushings + spacers end up being a tad wide, but compressed when I tightened the axle nuts, presumably because the nylon bushings deformed a little. The ABEC bearings are probably not the highest quality, but for this application, they are more than adequate.
The only issue I had with installing the replacement jockey wheels was getting the spacer washers and the jockey wheels aligned on the axle, while squeezing all three pieces into the derailleur cage. Not really difficult, but a bit fiddly.
- The Tacx pulleys that I found on the Internet were indeed a scam. Nothing in that order ever arrived. Paypal found in my favour, but hasn't actually refunded my money.
- I returned the LoveCityCycles conversion kit, because it didn't work. I got a refund promptly, but no explanation as to why the kit wasn't as advertised.
- The Taiwanese ball-bearing jockey wheels are available with 6mm bushings — I was told that I just had to ask for them when I placed the order. The order arrived quite quickly. The jockey wheels are nicely machined and anodized black, so they don't look out of place on a period derailleur. The 6mm bushings are plastic or nylon; one half presses in to each side of the bearing. The result is about 8mm wide, so it needs a couple of spacer washers to fill the cage on the SunTour. They supply a bunch of 5mm spacer washers, but of course these are of no help.
I finally got around to sourcing some 6mm stainless steel washers, and this afternoon disassembled the derailleur and replaced the "borrowed" jockey wheels with the new ones. The bearings + bushings + spacers end up being a tad wide, but compressed when I tightened the axle nuts, presumably because the nylon bushings deformed a little. The ABEC bearings are probably not the highest quality, but for this application, they are more than adequate.
The only issue I had with installing the replacement jockey wheels was getting the spacer washers and the jockey wheels aligned on the axle, while squeezing all three pieces into the derailleur cage. Not really difficult, but a bit fiddly.
