DISRAELI GEARS
Spain
Browse the derailleurs by brand:
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Triplex Sport 1970
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Triplex CS racing 1985?
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Triplex CS touring 1985?
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Triplex Extra 1985?
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Zeus Gran Sport (1st style) 1962?
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Zeus Criterium (1st style) 1969
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Zeus 2000 (2nd style) 1979?
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Zeus Supercronos 1984
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Zeus Alfa Junior 1970
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Zeus Alfa 72 Especial 1972?
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Zeus Alfa 1974?
See also: Spanish documents
The story of the Spanish derailleur is the story of two brands, and two social and economic factors.
The two brands are Zeus and Triplex, both based in Eibar in the Basque country in Northern Spain. Of the two Zeus was the first, the most influential and the most ambitious.
The first of the two social and economic factors was Spain’s isolation during the years of Franco’s fascist dictatorship (1936 to Franco’s death in 1975 and on to 1978 and the adoption of a new constitution). Although Spain was open to tourists, and Spanish industry could (and did) trade with the world, Spain remained an insular society, both shunning and shunned by the outside world. The history of Zeus somehow reflects this, the company’s focus on self reliance, building both bikes and components, its deep sense of being wronged in some way by history and/or the world’s devotion to Campagnolo - both reflect the inward looking nature of Franco’s Spain. But this slightly paranoid world view also seems to have provided the energy that drove Zeus - once Spain emerged from its isolation to become a more ‘normal’ European country the company rapidly disappeared. More...
