New-Old-Stock Suntour Cyclone Mark-II Rear Derailleur...Short Cage

Description

New-Old-Stock (NOS) Suntour Cyclone Mark-II Rear Derailleur...Short Cage
Thank you for your interest in this item and please visit our store for other offerings. We have very reasonable shipping terms and combine orders to save money (for customers) on shipping costs. We also maintain customer friendly return/refund/exchange policies.
Product Description:
This offering is for a new-old-stock (NOS) Suntour Cyclone Mark-II rear derailleur (short pulley-cage model RD-3500) from the early to mid 80's. This is one of the oldest and rarest of the Suntour rear derailleurs we have available. Suntour made the Superbe Pro rear derailleur at the same time this unit was in current production, so this offering is not top-end Suntour, but it's very close and we were surprised to have the opportunity to purchase a few more of them (although we probably overpaid to get them). With respect to the shifting capacities and other notable specifications, we have included the following...
Index shifting compatibility:
Not applicable (unit pre-dates the advent of index shifting technology)
Friction shifting compatibility:
Several options (most 5/6/7 speed freewheels/cassettes)
Front capacity:
Double chainring w/15T (max) difference
Rear capacity:
maximum...26T
Total capacity:
28T (combined front chainring and rear sprocket difference...also known as chain wrap)
Weight:
160 grams (catalog weight and confirmed via our digital postal scale...easily the lightest vintage rear derailleur we have ever come across)
Other notes:
The pulley cage length, is the technical specification having the most direct impact on rear derailleur capacity limits. This particular model has a relatively short cage length...measuring 54 mm from the center of the jockey/guide (top) pulley to the center of the tension (bottom) pulley. The primary benefit to a shorter pulley cage is less weight (although, in all honesty we are only talking about grams here, so probably not a noticeable savings for most of us). The downside, as most already know, to a shorter pulley cage is lower capacity limits, which limits these derailleurs to double crankset road bikes with a relatively narrow gear range on the freewheel/cassette.
I probably should not say much more about these derailleur units, as my personal biases will begin to show through (if they have not already). Let me just say this to summarize...this is approximately a 30 year old rear derailleur and I'd argue it was well ahead of it's time when brought to market.
As for condition, the few we have in stock are clearly new and unused (and retail boxed), but they show some light shopwear-type marks (scuffs and scratches) that do not always show up very well in the pictures. Their appearance is still nice overall, but they are not in perfect cosmetic condition.
Listing Update...we sold out of our Suntour Mark-II rear derailleurs in the blue boxes, but were able to source a few more of them in the more traditional white colored boxes (w/red and orange Suntour branding).  Unfortunately, this more recent buy was more expensive per unit, but I still wanted a few more of these derailleurs (because they have become an extremely difficult find for us).
Note regarding Suntour specifications (drivetrain capacity limits)...
We realize catalog specifications concerning drivetrain capacities tend to be conservative. As a result, they may generally be exceeded with slightly taller rear sprockets and total gear differences that exceed recommended limits...as long as proper shifting techniques are practiced to achieve preferred gear combinations. Manufacturer specifications generally consider worst case gear combinations when listing maximum drivetrain capacities, so as long as these combinations are avoided, riders are generally able to exceed catalog specified capacity limits. We realize most individuals scanning this listing are already well aware of proper shifting techniques that achieve preferred gear combinations, so we'll limit the discussion to the most basic of premises...and that is to maintain a chainline that is as straight as possible when making gear selections. For example, there should never be a need for a gear combination that includes the smallest chainring in the front and the smallest sprocket in the rear...or alternatively...the largest chainring on the front and the largest sprocket in the rear. These are the most extreme gear combinations that put undue stress on a drivetrain. As a result, avoiding these extreme gear combinations (as well as other gear combinations that approach these extreme examples), should allow each rider to squeeze a little more capacity out of a drivetrain.
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Note to international customers regarding shipping...
We apologize to those that feel some of our international shipping charges are too high. We only charge actual shipping rates, but once an order exceeds a certain amount, we hesitate to use the least expensive US Postal Services First Class International service. We feel this way, because this service is not trackable or insurable...so more risk of loss. We prefer the US Postal Services Priority Mail International service for more expensive orders, because this service is trackable at USPS.com and insurable...so less risk of loss. Unfortunately, this service is more expensive, especially for smaller/lighter packages, relative to the First Class International service. We are sorry about these higher shipping costs, but hopefully our notes help to explain why this is the case.
Note to international customers regarding customs...
We also apologize to those that feel their country import taxes, duties and brokerage fees are excessive. As a small US business, we are required by customs' laws to declare each order as a retail sale. Additionally, the declared order value must be equal to total store purchases and/or winning auction bids (less any shipping costs, as these are not considered in the declared value). As a result, each customer will be responsible for paying his/her own country taxes, duties and brokerage fees, which will be collected upon delivery. Again, we apologize for these additional costs, but we cannot afford the penalties and fines that come with breaking customs' laws...so we have to strictly abide by them.