The parallelograms of Huret 1960’s derailleurs, the Allvit, Svelto and Luxe, were all essays in the use of stamped out flat plates. The 1974 Huret Challenger was the first of a new generation, with a much more three dimensional structure. Its geometry was no match for the derailleurs coming out of Japan, but certainly had the measure of Campagnolo’s ageing designs.

The Challenger was the mid-range model, falling between the budget Huret Eco and the exotic titanium Huret Success. In many ways the Challenger was my favourite of the three, it felt like the derailleur that Huret wanted to make - it was very well constructed and nicely finished for a mid-range gear, but was not impossibly expensive. It felt right in your hand. However, in Britain at least, you rarely saw them. The improvement over the Eco was not in-your-face enough to tempt mass market bike builders, and they were not exotic enough for enthusiasts. A pity.

Note how this example has the shorter 43mm pulley cage length (like the Success) but has the pivot in the ’28’ hole (like the Eco).

• Derailleur brands: Huret
• Categories: Huret - origami knuckles, the Challenger, Success & Eco
• Country: France
• Date of introduction: 1974
• Date of this example: 1975 (stamped 2975, week 29 1975)
• Model no.: 2440
• Weight: 210g
• Maximum cog: 28 teeth
• Total capacity: 31 teeth (Huret sometimes claimed 32 teeth)
• Pulley centre to centre: 43mm
• Index compatibility: friction
• Chain width: 3/32”
• Logic: top normal
• B pivot: unsprung
• P pivot: sprung
• Materials: largely steel with an aluminium outer parallelogram plate.