The Zeus Alfa Touring fills a slightly confusing place in the Zeus product range. I had, up to this point, thought that Zeus used the Alfa sub-brand to offer lower cost models for more utilitarian bikes. But the Alfa Touring does not quite fit with this idea:
- I have an earlier (1981?), gold version which has an aluminum b-knuckle and titanium main Allen bollts. At 166g it is the lightest Zeus derailleur in this collectiion. The weight, the gold anodising and the use of titanium hardly point to an economy model.
- I also have a later (1983?), silver version, which has both knuckles made of plastic and steerl main Allen bolts - this is more utilitarian - but is also extremely simliar to a contemporary Zeus New Racer).
In both cases, the only mention of Zeus is on the plastic pulley wheels.
I think that this is a 1981?, gold version of a Zeus Alfa Touring. It has:
- An aluminium b-knuckle and a plastic p-knuckle.
- A rather lurid, gold anodised outer parallelogram plate and outer pulley cage plate.
- Titanium main Allen bolts - contributing to an impressively low, all-up, weight of 166g.
- A design of pulley cage plate and p-pivot rotation stop that stops the pulley cage at about 90 degrees to the parallelogram. This is typical of Zeus designs up to about 1981.
- Derailleur brands: Zeus
- Categories: Zeus - the bad and the ugly
- Country: Spain
- Date of introduction: 1981?
- Date of this example: unknown
- Model no.: unknown
- Weight: 166g
- Maximum cog: 26 teeth (stamped on the inside parallelogram plate)
- Total capacity: 28 teeth?
- Pulley centre to centre: 46mm
- Index compatibility: friction
- Chain width: 3/32”
- Logic: top normal
- B pivot: unsprung
- P pivot: sprung
- Materials: largely aluminium, but with a plastic p-knuckle and titanium main allen bolts
Ref. 497
