The Hercules Herailleur is a fine example of British derailleur engineering in the post-Second-World-War era:
- The basic design is conventional enough in European terms - a twin pulley, pull-chain device with a rigid main arm - much like a Huret.
- The detail design is a touch bonkers. What's with those huge pulleys mounted on that ultra-short pulley cage?
- The standard of engineering is terrifyingly over the top. The flanged pulleys are beautifully machined from a single piece of steel. Each pulley runs on twelve huge 3/16" ball bearings - this is more than in the bicycle's front wheel. The nut that the toggle chain runs through is huge - it feels twice the size of the Simplex equivalent. And so on.
- And then there are the finishes. In particular, the chrome has that relaxed glow that speaks of true quality - none of the brittle super high gloss that you know will soon flake into oblivion.
The combination of very expensive, high quality, rather heavy, engineering and slightly ineffective, eccentric, detail design was not a winner. The Herailleur was Hercules' only attempt to produce a derailleur.
- Derailleur brands: Hercules
- Country: UK
- Date of introduction: 1949
- Date of this example: unknown
- Model no.: unknown
- Weight: 336g excluding dropout bolt and rear dust cap at guide pulley
- Maximum cog: unknown
- Total capacity: unknown
- Pulley centre to centre: 43mm
- Index compatibility: friction
- Chain width: 1/8"?
- Logic: low normal
- B pivot: none
- P pivot: sprung
- Materials: steel
