I bet you've never seen this before! maybe :-)

[ldrcycles]

Found an oldish ladies bike at the tip the other day, saw the shift lever and grabbed it with both hands. The bike is a Puch (pronunciation and history?) apparently made in Australia, 27 inch wheels, nothing too special. But the gearing is INDEXED Sachs-Huret Commander, just a shame the lever has been snapped off. Sorry the pics are so bad, i haven't had a chance to photograph during the day.

[Torana68]

[quote="ldrcycles"]Found an oldish ladies bike at the tip the other day, saw the shift lever and grabbed it with both hands. The bike is a Puch (pronunciation and history?) apparently made in Australia,

that would be Austria.....

[goodlookingcyclist]

defenatly austria :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puch

and the Sachs-Huret Commander, is the brand name of the components..

[ldrcycles]

Ah of course, i've heard of Steyr-Puch, didn't make the connection. And i must have been tired, either that or someone has put a made in australia sticker on it, i'll have to check . I've seen Sachs-Huret stuff before but i never knew they had made indexed gears before SRAM bought them out. The thing that really surprised me is that they released Commander in 1983, 2 years before Shimano SIS, as an answer to Positron.

http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/Sac ... can_5.html

[ldrcycles]

Just checked the bike again, and yes it does say made in AUSTRIA Looking forward to getting into perfect shape but it will have to wait in line with all the others...

[il padrone]

I've seen Sachs-Huret stuff before but i never knew they had made indexed gears before SRAM bought them out. The thing that really surprised me is that they released Commander in 1983, 2 years before Shimano SIS, as an answer to Positron.

....and then there was SunTour

In 1969, SunTour was the first gear and shifter manufacturer to introduce indexed shifting on bicycles. Although their system, called Five-Speed Click, worked well, it proved an idea ahead of its time and did not catch on with the riding public. Another design innovation was the first practical freehub - the Unit-Hub - which combined freewheel and hub in one component. The freehub greatly increased the strength of the rear wheel, but the idea was not pursued.

On top of that there was:

index shifting 1949 England The Hercules Herailleur is launched; a rear derailleur with indexed shift levers. Marketed for five years.

Shimano have now taken SunTour's reverse action RD from the late 70s and reintroduced it as "Rapid Rise"

Not much is ever new under the sun in cycle designs.

[Kid_Carbine]

The Super Champion 'Osgear' three speed derailleur was 'indexed' by 1935 & possibly as early as 1932.

Not much is ever new under the sun in cycle designs.

[ldrcycles]

What's the story behind that 'Osgear'? The oldest derailleur i've heard of was the 3 spd Cyclo, this looks even older (and considerably more primitive )