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Derailleur needed for tandem - Year?
The owner of this tandem has asked me for help. He wants to know what year it is, and he needs a replacement derailleur. Other than this problem, it looks in good shape with original paint, seats and grips. It's an Imperial Mk IV probably from the late 1950s or early 60s, but the owner cannot locate a serial number. Any help is appreciated.
CCM introduced their tandems for the 1964 model year. The Imperial Mark IV tandems were offered with a coaster brake or a Sturmey Archer 4 speed rear hub, if my memory is correct. The tandem with the coaster brake came in "Electric Blue" and the Sturmey Archer model came in "Mountie Red". This bicycle is probably a 1964 model.
The hubs and Cyclo Benelux rear derailleur on this tandem were most likely modifications carried out by a previuos owner. I am not sure if the owner is looking for a replacement Cyclo Benelux derailleur, or any older derailleur. The Cyclo Benelux was not that reliable and I seem to recall putting the one that I had into the rear wheel a coupe of times because I had to overshift to get it to go on the largest sprocket. If the owner wants a Cyclo Benelux, he should watch on Ebay UK and make sure that he gets one with the right amount of travel for his 4-speed cluster ( the travel could not be adjusted on this type of derailleur ). Similar derailleurs were made by Simplex and Huret. The Cyclo Benelux was replaced in the Cyclo line around 1960 or 1960 by the Cyclo "Super 60" derailleur, a Campagnolo Gran Sport copy.
If any derailleyr will do, much more reliable models were available as parallelogram types from Campagnolo, Simplex, Huret, Shimano, and Sun Tour, as well as others.
Good Luck!
John Williamson
With all due respect to John, Benelux was not a model name but a brand name applied to all the derailleurs developed by British Cyclo after they separated from the French parent company in 1949. The 1960s parallelogram models such as the Super 60 (see picture) and Sport P2 were marketed and badged as Benelux brand derailleurs, not Cyclo. There were several different models of the basic Benelux pull chain derailleur..
While the Benelux pull chain derailleurs were offered in discrete 3, 4 or 5 speed versions, it should also be noted that they were offered in discrete 1/8" and 3/32" chain versions. The subject tandem appears to use 1/8" cogs and chain, so installing a replacement derailleur designed for 3/32" chain may provide unsatisfactory, noisy operation due to the slightly narrower pulleys and cage width.
Benelux offered 2,3,4, or 5 speed versions. The 2 speed version was used with the double sprocket Sturmey-Archer conversion. Aside from the 2-speed version, derailleur travel had only 2variations. One variation was for 3 speed 1/8" operation or 4-speed 3/32" operation. The other variation was for 4-speed 1/8" operation, or 5-speed 2/32" operation. The sprockets on the derailleur were changed for 1/8" or 3/32" use.
I am not a Cyclo expert, but Cyclo was originally a French company, and the first Cyclo derailleur was available by the mid 1920's in France. This was an early model of what became knwn as the Cyclo Sandard in the UK. Through he 1930's on up to the 1960's, the French and English Cyclo factories offered some products that were similar, and some that were not. The French tended to produce derailleurs for 3/32" chain operation, while the English opted for 1/8" chain operation in most cases. Cyclo factories in both countries offered a wide range of products.
CCM used the British Cyclo Standard on some models, starting in late 1950. The Cyclo Benelux was used on Flyer models, starting with the Flyer 51, and continuing on with the 1954 model "Prolite Flyer". According to the late Lorne Atkinson, owner of Ace Cycle in Vancouver and a supplier of 1950's CCM Prolite Flyers, no Prolite Flyers were available from CCM after 1959.
A derailleur almost identical to the derailleur shown on this tandem was offered by Cyclo in France and was stamped only as a Cyclo. The problems associated with all derailleurs of this type forced them off the market when superiour parallelogram types appeared.
John Williamson
i have a new old stock cyclo deraileur marked 5 speed 5/32 4 speed 1/8 chain sizes for sale for $100.00 these deraileurs are hard to set up and to shift unless you wanted to keep it orginal i would use a more modern one william rudolph 1--902-477-9734
Here is an earlier model advertisement
I have the same tandem and it is a early 60s.
I have used the frame, fork, crank sets and chain guard only and have upgraded
every other part so it is now far from stock.
For gears, it now has a Nexus 8 speed internal hub.