Suntour Vx derailleur - should it pivot on the frame?

[sherlylock]

Hi all,

I've just bought a Claud Butler Majestic as a winter commuting hack and I'm currently servicing it before riding it.....

I noticed the rear derailleur was slack on the frame and as I undid the bolt it was clear that the derailleur body wasn't rotating around the bolt (it was quite an effort to get the bolt undone!)



Looks like a GT version of the Vx mech



Anyway - it's off and the pivot bolt is now loose but am I missing something? I can't see a way of this rotating when fully tightened - it looks like the pivot bolt will just nip the body of the mech up against the frame......



Other Vx mechs that I can find online seem to have a captive bolt that the body rotates around.......like this one.....



I haven't tried it back on the bike since freeing everything up - but thought I'd ask you lovely lot first to see if there were any thoughts......

 

[Midlife]

As far as my memory stretches you should have 3 bits to hold the mech on.

The Allen bolt, a thin washer that goes between the bolt and the mech on the outside and an insert thing that fits into the mech on the inside face through which the bolt goes ......and screws onto the dropout.

The big problem is that the genuine Suntour dropout has a big lug that stops the mech rotating all the way anticlockwise and the Campag dropout has a smaller lug and the screw misses.

That's my recollection

Shaun

 

[legrandefromage]

Maybe its grumpy because of the shimano cable adjuster?

They are suppose to move a bit but are not sprung like later models

 

[sherlylock]

Maybe its grumpy because of the shimano cable adjuster?

They are suppose to move a bit but are not sprung like later models

Just tried it back on the frame and it bolts up solid - no rotating at all.

I'm a bit grumpy about the adjuster.....and grumpier about the fact I missed a broken Vx deraileur on eBay yesterday eve which would've provided me with all the spares to fix this stuff....

As far as my memory stretches you should have 3 bits to hold the mech on.

The Allen bolt, a thin washer that goes between the bolt and the mech on the outside and an insert thing that fits into the mech on the inside face through which the bolt goes ......and screws onto the dropout.

The big problem is that the genuine Suntour dropout has a big lug that stops the mech rotating all the way anticlockwise and the Campag dropout has a smaller lug and the screw misses.

That's my recollection

Shaun

Got the allen bolt, the thin washer and there is a steel top-hat washer pressed into the body of the derailleur. The bolt/washer aren't captive either like most other derailleurs that I've ever dealt with.

Having said all of this the derailleur seemed to be working fine in its current state.......

 

[Midlife]

If it bolts onto the frame, spins ok to take up the slack and works then all is OK....

Suntour were notorious for changing things on a whim and it was always a bit of pot luck what was in the box when you opened it!

Interestingly, Samsung still do the same thing even now lol

Shaun

 

[pigman]

Re:

I can't specifically answer the OP's question, but remember putting one of these mechs on a bike that I refurbed for a mate and was surprised how light (weightwise) those mechs are, even by modern standards - all alloy parts and well engineered for a mid-range part

 

[KermitGKona88]

Re:

Have you tried putting a thin washer on, one that is small enough to fit inside the diameter of the retaining duberry :?:

 

[Spokesmann]

Uses a hanger on my Pro am build...

 

[sherlylock]

Fixed it! Decided to investigate further and tapped out what I thought was a steel insert which turned out to be 2 washers and a shim. The fact I had to tap them out was a clue as to why it locks up solid - as these should be free to rotate. This "stack" of washers sits slightly proud of the body so when the bolt is tightened up it bottoms out on the washers allowing the mech body to rotate freely around the bolt.





I think this is an early Vx mech as all the reference images I've seen have a locknut arrangement instead of the washers.

And for reference.....it's 200g give or take (catalogue suggests 210g):