Is anyone here experienced with setting up a 1930's / 1940's era Simplex Tour de France Derailleur?

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ridelover9941

Well-Known Member
Location
United States
I just bought a 1930's (OR) 1940's era Simplex Tour de France derailleur from ebay last night and I am just wondering if anyone here has set one up before. I hear they're a pain to setup because of the push rod/plunger design. Mine is arriving in a few weeks (coming from a foreign country :=) and wanted to see if anyone can help me set it up. Thanks a bunch!
 
OP
OP
R

ridelover9941

Well-Known Member
Location
United States
I just checked my order of my tour de france derailleur and it says its from the 40's, just to verify it.
 
OP
OP
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ridelover9941

Well-Known Member
Location
United States
I'm keeping it in my parts bin because I think it's a cool derailleur. I've been wanting my own for a very, very, very long time. But, it's all up to me what I'm going to do.
 

woodbutcher

Veteran
Location
S W France
Sorry, I wasn't being entirely serious.
I guessed as much......or it would have been completely out of character for you:angel:
 

BoldonLad

Not part of the Elite
Location
South Tyneside
Without giving my age away, I may have had such a beast on my first bicycle with “real” gears. All from memory, going back quite a while (late 1950’s). Difficult to describe, but, I don’t have any photographs. There was a rigid hanger, extending down from the rear stay, the “cage with cogs” which directed the chain was suspended on a sort of tubular spring mechanism. The changing was achieved by the cable, compressing the spring and moving the cage out, to a smaller cog, or, releasing the tension on the cable, the spring “relaxed” pushing the cage toward the wheel and onto a larger cog. There were clearly no “index” positions, you had to learn gear positions by experience. The only adjustment I recall was in the length/tension of the cable.
 
OP
OP
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ridelover9941

Well-Known Member
Location
United States
Without giving my age away, I may have had such a beast on my first bicycle with “real” gears. All from memory, going back quite a while (late 1950’s). Difficult to describe, but, I don’t have any photographs. There was a rigid hanger, extending down from the rear stay, the “cage with cogs” which directed the chain was suspended on a sort of tubular spring mechanism. The changing was achieved by the cable, compressing the spring and moving the cage out, to a smaller cog, or, releasing the tension on the cable, the spring “relaxed” pushing the cage toward the wheel and onto a larger cog. There were clearly no “index” positions, you had to learn gear positions by experience. The only adjustment I recall was in the length/tension of the cable.

Yeah I read on a site blog related to restoring vintage bikes that there's a spring you can move back and forth to set the derailleur to the proper "spot'', so to speak.
 

GuyBoden

Guru
Location
Warrington
simplex2004-filtered.jpg
 

midlife

Guru
Way back in the 70's we still had Cyclo Benelux kit coming in and as long as everything is moving and not bent it would work.......even stuck into a Sturmey Archer hub lol

Hopefully yours is in working order :smile:
 
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