DISRAELI DOCUMENTS

New Cycling May 1981 - How the Derailleur was Developed

New Cycling May 1981 - Derailleur Collection page 013 main image

In May 1981 the Japanese cycling magazine New Cycling produced an edition devoted completely to derailleurs. It featured an awe-inspiring collection photographed in considerable detail. In the small world of derailleur collectors it has become a legendary document. It was, by some way, the most comprehensive listing in 1981, and, while it is not quite The Dancing Chain, it is remains a very compelling record.

For many years New Cycling had a web site and sold reprints of this edition. But in the last couple of years the web site has disappeared and I cannot get anyone to respond to any relevant email address. New Cycling magazine first appeared in the 1960s, and has all the hallmarks of being the work of one person. It is more than possible that that person has, like many of us, grown old and retired from feeding the fascinations of derailleur nerds.

I feel it would be a great loss for this document to quietly sink without a trace, so I have scanned it and put it on this site. I have done this without being able to obtain permission from the publisher. If you are that publisher and you do not want your fantastic hard work displayed in this way, please contact me and I will immediately remove these pages.

As for the derailleur collection featured, I know nothing about who built it up or where it might be now. If you can read Japanese and can determine these facts please let me know and, if appropriate, I will add the information here.


  • Publisher: New Cycling
  • Country: Japan
  • Date: May 1981
  • Derailleur brands: too numerous to list here
  • Derailleurs: too numerous to list here