This catalogue reminded me of how much I liked Weinmann brakes and just how ambivalent I felt about Simplex gears.

Weinmann centre-pulls, in particular, were one of those iconic products that, almost invisibly, did the job and just kept on doing it. I struggle to remember a single instance of a centre-pull that had a manufacturing defect or that misbehaved in any irritating way.

In contrast, mid-1970s Simplex derailleurs, particularly when paired with Maillard or Atom freewheels, were a constant disappointment. Disappointingly tacky, disappointingly imprecise and impressively incomprehensible.

• Publisher: Delaware Mercantile Co.
• Country: USA
• Date: 1975?
• Derailleur brands: Simplex
• Derailleurs: Simplex Super L.J. (615), Simplex Maxi-Prestige (642), Simplex Criterium (637), Simplex Prestige (637)