With a clever cable route, a relatively low price, exceedingly light weight and with a great shift, the SunTour Cyclone GT was a miracle. To this day the Shimano XTR is heavier than this Cyclone GT - proof of the simple purity of the single-sprung pivot slant parallelogram design.

The second style of SunTour Cyclone had a slightly redesigned rear knuckle and a captive short hanger bolt (with a distinctive serrated edge).

Typically for touring Cyclones, this example is well used. The SunTour Cyclone GT was not just for decoration or a talking point - it was the gear of choice for many a cycle tourist setting out from Britain to Istanbul or wherever. For the cognoscenti it was what you fitted on your hand-built Mercian or Bob Jackson - only blow-hards opted for Campagnolo. I loved it.

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1. •Brand: SunTour
   

2. •My category: SunTour - the Cyclone story
   

3. •Country: Japan
   

4. •Date of introduction: 1976?
   

5. •Date of this example: 1977 (two letter date code is TD)
   

6. •Model no: 5905
   

7. •Weight: 190g
   

8. •Maximum cog: 32 teeth (hanger 29mm or less) or 34 teeth (hanger 32mm or more) (Source: SunTour)
   

9. •Total capacity: 36 teeth (Source: SunTour)
   

10. •Pulley centre to centre: 67mm
    

11. •Index compatibility: friction
    

12. •Chain width: 3/32”
    

13. •Logic: top normal
    

14. •Pivots: two pivots, front sprung and rear unsprung
    

15. •Material: aluminium
    

0163/E