PEZ Bookshelf: The Dérailleur Challenge

There’s an plain fascination to bicycle expertise. Contemplating the advances in precision machining within the nineteenth Century, the emergence of the “trendy” security bicycle was unusually sluggish however its enchancment has been very gradual. The displays the human scale of the machine which, not like, say, a locomotive, may very well be tinkered with by people with mechanical capacity. Simplicity has been the hallmark of the bicycle, with all the things seen and workings that anybody can perceive and a brand new picture ebook narrows down a selected element, the rear derailleur, to turn into an art work.

Bicycle transmissions utilizing chain drive started with a single gear which, within the early days of racing, was doubled by the easy expedient of flipping across the wheel to make use of a distinct cog on the opposite aspect. However racing was not the place the expertise of variable gearing was to be discovered within the early days. There have been numerous makes an attempt on the flip of the twentieth Century to satisfy the wants of cyclists with some unique gear techniques and the primary derailleurs started to appear earlier than World Struggle I, with the emergence of actually sensible derailleurs already by the Nineteen Twenties. These had been significantly appreciated by cycletourists however racing was far behind. The Tour de France organizers didn’t even like freewheels, preferring that the race not lose its “robust man” popularity by riders being allowed to coast however variable gearing did sneak in till organizers banned it till 1937. For years earlier than this cycletourists would experience up mountains on their derailleur-equipped bicycles to attend and cheer on the skilled racers grinding up on their fastened gears.

Huret Svelto

There’s an account of how Tullio Campagnolo got here up with the concept for the quick-release mechanism when unable to show a frozen wingnut throughout a race so as to flip his wheel, however actually the quick-release was half and parcel of his system for shifting, which required transferring the rear wheel to maintain the chain from being too slack. This “Paris-Roubaix” system of 1949 required dexterity to function at some threat to fingers and was supplanted by what many contemplate the primary actually trendy derailleur, the Campagnolo Gran Sport, which was produced from 1951 to 1963, and set the usual for all the things to comply with, each from that Vicenza agency and the host of imitators and improvers to return.

Campagnolo Tremendous File

1963 is the primary entry in skilled photographer Robert Jones’ beautiful little ebook, “The Dérailleur Challenge,” and options the Huret Svelto, an financial system parallelogram all-steel unit. Every of the rear 24 derailleurs featured within the ebook is pictured on the correct web page is gorgeous element,with a brief entry on the correct aspect offering a short description.

Ofmega Mistral

There are numerous acquainted buddies right here from the previous because the ebook goes from that Huret Svelto to a Campagnolo Tremendous File eightieth Anniversary mannequin of 2013. There are ground-breaking models from producers nonetheless with us at the moment, corresponding to Shimano and Campagnolo in addition to SRAM, which will get a single entry, this being for its 2001 twentieth Anniversary version XO. The novelty of this fairly specialised ebook, in addition to the standard of the images, is protection of models that are at the moment obscure, if not forgotten. These embrace productions just like the Campagnolo clones from Zeus and Rino but in addition derailleurs from Ofmega and Mavic and even a CNC-machined mountain bike unit from Paul’s within the mid-Nineties.

Campagnolo File eightieth

The apparent decisions are all right here: from Campagnolo we see the Nuovo File, Tremendous File, Croce d’Aune and C-File, in addition to the finances Valentino and Rally derailleurs—and even the forgotten Tremendous File OR mountain bike one. Shimano’s Dura-Ace is right here, within the 7400 and 7700 highway techniques but in addition the high-end XTR off-road variations.

Shimano DuraAce 7700 V2

However any aficionado of bicycle gearing techniques with an appreciation for historical past will look fondly on elements from Suntour, the Japanese innovator that made itself noncompetitive by failing to grasp advertising whereas producing among the best components of the period. The wonderful Cyclone is right here, together with the really attractive Superbe Professional for highway bikes, in addition to the XC mountain bike model. Superbe Professional nonetheless instructions excessive costs within the collector market, matching iconic Campagnolo however when new the corporate offered it as a mid-range transmission quite than the high-end stage its building and look warranted when launched in in 1986.

Suntour Very good Professional

With every picture overlaying an space eight inches sq., the pictures are significantly bigger than life dimension, so it is a chance to admire the derailleurs in tremendous element. The ebook, which supplies a pleasant overview of 4 many years of growth, is clearly a labour of affection as Mr. Jones has leveraged his appreciable ability as a photographer along with his love of motorcycle expertise. “The Dérailleur Challenge” contains the French accent aigou in its title, which is a pleasant contact in a ebook from Boulder, Colorado.

For these entranced by the readability and element of the pictures, Mr. Jones additionally has them accessible as artwork prints, with not solely the rear derailleurs proven within the ebook but in addition some stunning cranksets and even Campagnolo toe clips!

“The Dérailleur Challenge,” with textual content and images by Robert D. Jones
55 pp., illustrated, softbound, 8”x8”
Robert D. Jones Pictures, Boulder, Colorado, 2023
ISBN 979-8-9893385-0-4
US$39.99