Padraig
Active Member
- Location
- St. Helens, Merseyside
In one of my boxes of odds and ends, I came across a Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur. It's obviously a step up from the Campag Nuovo Valentino I was intending to use on my Dawes Galaxy when I build it up. Incidentally, I know the range of teeth the Gran Sport can handle is not adequate for a touring block, but the freewheel I'm going to use is a close-ratio one, which the Gran Sport will be able to cope with. I'm not building the Dawes up as a tourer, which it was, but as a sort of vintage road bike with fairly relaxed geometry. Attaching the Gran Sport is not a problem, because the attachment claw from the Valentino can be transferred, and has the same older-type Campagnolo compound thread from before they went all metric. The Gran Sport seems in good condition, except for the pulleys, or whatever you calll them. They're well worn, as you might expect given the age of the mech. I anticipate that replacing them with a pair of new genuine Campagnolo ones will cost an arm and a leg. Having only two of each, and finding them highly useful for riding a bike, I'm looking for a cheaper option. Is there any reason why I can't buy a cheaper pair of pulleys of a different make, assuming the central hole is the same? Has anybody done this, and can they recommend some suitable ones? Something else which has always puzzled me. Why does it matter how many teeth are on derailleur pulley wheels, as long as they're the correct pitch, which they're bound to be? I seem to remember derailleurs years ago with pulleys which were completely round. Any advice and observations gratefully received.
