After Ofmega's distinguished history producing distinctive, and distinctively odd, derailleurs, this is a sorry-assed item - a Simplex off-the peg design, simply rebranded.

Sure it’s a slant parallelogram design, sure it’s all metal, sure it’s perfectly serviceable, but all the style and pride that Ofmega expressed in their earlier designs is long gone. The castings are slightly imprecise and have a light case of acne. On the steel pulley cage plates the styling is a touch clumsy, the edges are a bit rough, the chrome is inconsistent, sometimes silky and smooth, sometimes thin, rough and wrinkly. And, at times, the branding looks like badly applied Letraset.

In its Simplex guise this derailleur was called the ‘Vallée’. Ofmega called it the ‘Linea’. I was told that this design was supposed to compete, head-to-head with Shimano's Ultegra. Some chance. ‘Vallée’? ‘Linea’? I call it ‘commercial suicide by laziness’.

I think that this is a late version of an Ofmega Linea - with the model name on the outer parallelogram plate. Its main features are:

• The words 'Ofmega' and 'Linea' are on the outer parallelogram plate.
• A painted, two-tone grey finish, with chromed steel parts.
• A hex cable clamp bolt, with a recessed head.
• Allen key pulley bolts.
• The tab that engages with the gear hanger is at 4 o'clock on the b-pivot.
• The pulley cage stop allows the cage to rotate around behind the parallelogram.
• The cable is routed around a simple round pillar in typical Simplex 6-speed style.
• One of the parallelogram pivot pins is removable and has a slotted screw head.

• Derailleur brands: Ofmega, manufactured by Simplex
• Country: Italy, manufactured in France
• Date of introduction: 1990?
• Date of this example: unknown
• Model no.: unknown
• Weight: 273g
• Maximum cog: 28 teeth?
• Total capacity: 24 teeth?
• Pulley centre to centre: 46mm
• Index compatibility: unknown
• Chain width: 3/32”
• Logic: top normal
• B pivot: sprung
• P pivot: sprung
• Materials: aluminium with steel pulley cage plates