DISRAELI GEARS
For 1963 the Cyclo Gear Company decided to bring out an economy parallelogram derailleur, to sell in volume to bicycle manufacturers in place of its basic pull chain models. This economy model was the Cyclo Benelux Sport P2. It was bought in quantity by Raleigh and was famously fitted on the sportier variants of the Moulton small-wheel bicycle.
It’s a strange design to release three years after the Cyclo Benelux Super 60. All the interesting features of the Super 60 are absent, it has a very short pulley cage and the pivot of the pulley cage is on the axis of the pulley wheels - a retrograde step that is not obviously due to price constraints. Overall it is a pressed steel derivative of the 1953 Campagnolo Gran Sport. It is almost as if Raleigh had told Cyclo to stop messing around with their own bright ideas and buckle down to producing the cheapest possible copy of a Gran Sport.
The Cyclo Benelux Sport P2 was the last British derailleur ever - and unfortunately you can’t say that Cyclo quit while they were ahead.
Browse associated documents.
Cycling 1963 - Stripping the Cyclo Benelux P.2
Cycling 1963 - Stripping the Cyclo Benelux P.2
Cyclo Benelux new Sport P2 - leaflet
Cyclo Benelux new Sport P2 - leaflet
Sporting Cyclist 01/1964 - Cyclo Gear Company ad
Sporting Cyclist 01/1964 - Cyclo Gear Company ad
Sporting Cyclist 12/1964 - Moulton ad
Sporting Cyclist 12/1964 - Moulton ad
Sporting Cyclist 10/1965 - Moulton ad
Sporting Cyclist 10/1965 - Moulton ad
New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection page 125 - scan 94 of 134
New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection page 125 - scan 94 of 134