To celebrate their 1962 move from steel to modern space-age plastic technology Simplex launched a range that perversely included this living fossil. The Prestige Cadet is a single pulley derailleur - for those stick-in-the-muds who still dreaded the extra ‘drag’ caused by a second pulley wheel.

One pulley gave less drag, less weight - but no capacity and, more importantly, a gear change so imprecise as to be worse than useless.

This version has the early  ‘thumb-wheel’ adjusters.

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1. •Brand: Simplex
   

2. •My category: Simplex - the Prestige story
   

3. •Country: France
   

4. •Date of introduction: 1962
   

5. •Date of this example: unknown
   

6. •Model no: unknown
   

7. •Weight: 158g including hanger plate
   

8. •Maximum cog: 22 teeth?
   

9. •Total capacity: 8 teeth?
   

10. •Pulley centre to centre: not applicable
    

11. •Index compatibility: friction
    

12. •Chain width: 3/32” and 1/8”?
    

13. •Logic: top normal
    

14. •Pivots: one sprung pivot
    

15. •Material: largely plastic, with a steel pulley cage
    

0349/L