The Super Champion Champion du Monde was a single pulley derailleur that was a response to Simplex's top-selling Simplex Champion du Monde! That a lot of champions for a lot of worlds. Compared to the Simplex, Super Champion's design was stronger, more sophisticated and (I believe) more expensive. Crucially the toggle chain runs down the centre of the sliding mechanism.

Despite its relatively short product life (it was launched in 1938 and development was soon curtailed by the Second World War), I believe that the Super Champion Champion du Monde developed through a number of iterations:

• The earliest version has no chain pusher plate around the pulley, and the sliding mechanism is one cylinder sliding inside another. I have not yet seen an example of this wee beauty, but I have seen it featured in a drawing in a catalogue.
• Then comes a version with a small chain pusher plate, still with one cylinder sliding inside another.
• The next iteration has a larger pusher plate and the pulley hub slides on the cylinder. The cast bronze hanger plate has a stop that is fragile because it is unsupported by the rest of the plate.
• The final version retains the larger pusher plate and the pulley hub that slides on the cylinder. However, the cast bronze hanger plate has a stop that is more strongly integrated with the rest of the plate.

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This is a used, but very tidy, example of the third version described above - with the large pusher plate and fragile hanger plate stop. I have seen a number of examples where this stop has broken off.

You can see the details of the sliding mechanism if you click the 'photos' tab.

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• Derailleur brands: Super Champion
• Themes: Ultra-lightweight - single pulley models
• Country: France
• Date of introduction: 1939?
• Date of this example: unknown
• Model no.: unknown
• Weight: 219g including hanger and bolt
• Maximum cog: 24 teeth?
• Total capacity: 10 teeth?
• Pulley centre to centre: none
• Index compatibility: friction
• Chain width: 3/32" and 1/8”?
• Logic: low normal
• B pivot: sprung
• P pivot: none
• Materials: largely steel, with a brass hanger plate

Ref. 1191