what's old is new again...

[AngryScientist]

what's old is new again. breathing life into old stuff. acquired this nice suntour mid cage RD. came to me filthy with lots of dirty miles on it. cleaned up pretty nicely, and just installed new jockey wheels. went from 10t to 11t, which i assume will not be an issue anywhere.

whatcha got in your reduce, re-use, recycle program??

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IAryNTr8jgc/VxgyqBTtLAI/AAAAAAAACaw/UKdHJ5ue0CMEy0VqbC9WWVVSdLjCyHIagCLcB/s840/IMG_138822x.JPG

[pbarry]

Very cool! Don't remember that one at all.

[Tickdoc]

I had superbe pro once and it was sublime, even non- indexed.

Good on you for the reuse and I wish they had hung in there.

[cachagua]

I'm currently rehabilitating a lot of old Suntour. Complete XC-Pro group (okay, no seatpost) that's probably going onto my monstercross, another random batch featuring Sprint 9000 derailleurs I'm converting to more robust/wider-range cages, and a set of new GPX derailleurs that will sit nicely alongside the Superbe brakes on my Colorado when it gets back from paint. All 3 of these setups will get shifters mounted to the brake levers, either conventional downtube shifters mounted upside-down, or 2nd-generation "butterfly" shifters with 8-speed indexing guts replacing the stock 7-speed assemblies, as someone else has described doing to make 11-speed Shimano downtube levers.

Which model of derailleur is that one? I'm thinking of replacing the cage on my GPX rear (again, for more gear range), and I've tried a couple of similar units as donors but discovered that the pivot shafts are all different from each other -- diameter, length, they're all over the map. Maybe we can catalogue all the designs Suntour released, or would that be too pointlessly academic?

I'm a pathological tinkerer. I've always got something I'm messing around with. Need to figure out how to post photos here.

[AngryScientist]

Which model of derailleur is that one?

this one is an xc expert.

once i got all the grime off it it, replaced the jockey wheels and lubed it up a bit, it's smooth as butter. not a weight weenie piece, but built well. i suspect it will have a long life ahead of it. i'm working on the FD tonight.

[cachagua]

i suspect it will have a long life ahead of it.

Yep, bet it will. I really believe the longevity of Suntour's parts contributed to their demise -- you could use up, and pay to replace, half a dozen Shimano groups in the time it took to wear out your XC-Pro. Simple arithmetic.

I'll hunt for an XC-Expert and see if its spindle will fit in my GPX.

[paredown]

My reuse project is stalled...I picked up a Masi 3V that had a hard life (including a big old dent in the TT). I tried rolling out the dent, and either it was already cracked or trying to get it back cracked it, so it languishes.

I've had quotes for a TT replacement--but I need to build it up to see if the size is OK, before putting money into it....

[cachagua]

You can size it, at least reasonably closely, just by measurement, can't you?

Now, whether you'll like the way it rides -- that you have to build it for. Or was that what you meant.

Seems like you could build it just long enough for a few test rides, and not damage it further?

Of course, I'm one to talk -- I've got bikes ready to build that I'm not building, bikes all ready to ride that I'm not riding... and, I'm shopping for more bikes to build. No, better you should ignore my advice.