There’s an plain fascination to bicycle know-how. 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, might be tinkered with by people with mechanical skill. Simplicity has been the hallmark of the bicycle, with every little thing seen and workings that anybody can perceive and a brand new picture e-book narrows down a selected part, the rear derailleur, to grow to be 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 special cog on the opposite facet. However racing was not the place the know-how 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 fulfill the wants of cyclists with some unique gear programs and the primary derailleurs began appearing earlier than World Struggle I, with the emergence of actually sensible derailleurs already by the Twenties. These have been notably 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 “powerful man” status 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 journey up mountains on their derailleur-equipped bicycles to attend and cheer on the skilled racers grinding up on their mounted gears.

Huret Svelto

There’s an account of how Tullio Campagnolo got here up with the thought for the quick-release mechanism when unable to show a frozen wingnut throughout a race with the intention to flip his wheel, however in actual fact the quick-release was half and parcel of his system for shifting, which required shifting the rear wheel to maintain the chain from being too slack. This “Paris-Roubaix” system of 1949 required dexterity to function at some danger to fingers and was supplanted by what many take into account the primary actually trendy derailleur, the Campagnolo Gran Sport, which was produced from 1951 to 1963, and set the usual for every little thing to observe, each from that Vicenza agency and the host of imitators and improvers to come back.

Campagnolo Tremendous File

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

Ofmega Mistral

There are numerous acquainted mates right here from the previous because the e-book 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 right now, akin 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 e-book, moreover the standard of the pictures, is protection of models that are right now obscure, if not forgotten. These embody 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 price range 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 programs but in addition the high-end XTR off-road variations.

Shimano DuraAce 7700 V2

However any aficionado of bicycle gearing programs 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 and marketing whereas producing among the most interesting 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 bought it as a mid-range transmission slightly than the high-end stage its development and look warranted when launched in in 1986.

Suntour Very good Professional

With every picture masking an space eight inches sq., the pictures are significantly bigger than life measurement, so it is a chance to admire the derailleurs in high-quality element. The e-book, which supplies a pleasant overview of 4 many years of growth, is clearly a labour of affection as Mr. Jones has leveraged his appreciable talent as a photographer together with his love of motorcycle know-how. “The Dérailleur Mission” contains the French accent aigou in its title, which is a pleasant contact in a e-book from Boulder, Colorado.

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

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

Like PEZ? Why not subscribe to our weekly publication to obtain updates and reminders on what’s cool in highway biking?