BL stands for ‘Blue Line’ representing SunTour’s determination to inject some style and colour (blue) into the overly technical world of derailleurs. I have a vague memory that the BL was marketed with images of sun-kissed waves crashing onto romantically rocky shores, and all this six years before Shimano tried something similar with Sante. As a response to Shimano’s attempt to inject some surrealism into their 1978 600 groupset with its Arabesque patterns, the SunTour BL looked alluringly logical.

The derailleurs themselves were, however, slightly disappointing. Heavily derivative of the old V series, priced above the Vx and just below Cyclone, they were not particularly well finished and were curiously retro in their lack of allen bolts and their use of cable clamp fittings from the old V series. They were also heavier than the Vx.

Most disappointing about this particular example is that by 1984 (an ominous date) SunTour’s attempt to add colour to our lives had degenerated to this - a black version.

• Derailleur brands: SunTour
• Categories: SunTour - the V story
• Country: Japan
• Date of introduction: 1984?
• Date of this example: 1984 (two letter date code is AA)
• Model no.: 3300
• Weight: 222g
• Maximum cog: 34 teeth (Sutherland’s 6th edition)
• Total capacity: 34 teeth (Sutherland’s 6th edition)
• Pulley centre to centre: 65mm
• Index compatibility: friction
• Chain width: 3/32”
• Logic: top normal
• B pivot: unsprung
• P pivot: sprung
• Materials: aluminium