Vintage Velo: Campagnolo Gran Sport
Mike Barry Sr. of Bicycle Specialties remembers when the Campagnolo Gran Sport was introduced. “It was by far the best made and most durable derailleur available at the time,” he said. “And it was also about three times more expensive—so it had to be good, right?”
by Gus Alexandropoulos
Few cycling components are so closely associated with bike racing and modern bicycles as the rear derailleur. But what we now think of as a common component was not always the case. Many early derailleurs were incredibly complicated Rube Goldberg-like affairs that created new problems as they tried to provide effective and consistent gear shifting. The modern version of the rear derailleur did not exist until Tullio Campagnolo introduced the Gran Sport at the Milan bike show in 1949. The Campagnolo Gran Sport combined many of the best prevailing derailleur designs into a smooth, fast-shifting and durable package – something that could not be said about most of the derailleurs at that time.
The Gran Sport could also be easily retrofitted on any bike. It did not require special mounting points as some of the previously popular chainstay-mounted derailleurs did. The original prototype version used a looped cable to move the derailleur across the cogs. But this design was quickly switched to a return spring a year later, which further simplified setup and operation.
Mike Barry Sr. of Bicycle Specialties remembers when the Gran Sport was introduced. “It was by far the best made and most durable derailleur available at the time,” he said. “And it was also about three times more expensive—so it had to be good, right?”
Over the years, Campagnolo continued to improve the Gran Sport with minor updates, but the overall design remained surprisingly unchanged into the mid ’80s – a testament to the derailleur’s effectiveness. In fact, the design was so effective that during its more than 30-year lifespan, it helped with 23 Tour de France victories.
