In line with their process of continual improvement, SunTour took the SunTour V series and upgraded the parallelogram plates from steel to aluminium - the result is the 1973 SunTour V Luxe.

As well as making the derailleur slightly lighter, this upgrade also had the effect of uprating to V series to be all aluminium (like the super expensive Shimano Crane) and a step ahead of the comparably priced Shimano Titlist (which had steel pulley cage plates). In the 1970’s intense competition between SunTour and Shimano was improving the derailleur so fast that European manufacturers did not know what had hit them.

The V Luxe series was another fine performer and a huge best seller.

• Derailleur brands: SunTour
• Categories: SunTour - the V story
• Country: Japan
• Date of introduction: 1973
• Date of this example: 1977 (two letter date code is TD)
• Model no.: 2902, also 2620 99 01
• Weight: 239g
• Maximum cog: 24 teeth
• Total capacity: 24 teeth
• Pulley centre to centre: 46mm
• Index compatibility: friction
• Chain width: 3/32”
• Logic: top normal
• B pivot: unsprung
• P pivot: sprung
• Materials: aluminium