New-Old-Stock Suntour 4050 Rear Derailleur...6/7 Speed Indexing

Description

New-Old-Stock (NOS) Suntour 4050 Rear Derailleur...6/7 Speed Index Shifting Capable
Thank you for your interest in this item and please visit our store for other offerings. We have very reasonable shipping terms and combine orders to save money (for customers) on shipping costs. We also maintain customer friendly return/refund/exchange policies.
Product Description:
This offering is for a new-old-stock (NOS) Suntour 4050 rear derailleur from the late 80's. It's a legitimate (Japanese made) Suntour rear derailleur that incorporates first generation index shifting technology (or as Suntour used to call it, "Accushift" indexing technology). With respect to the shifting capacities and other notable specifications, we have included the following...
Index shifting compatibility:
6/7 speed (with Suntour branded or compatible index shifters and freewheels/cassettes)
Friction shifting compatibility:
Several options (most 5/6/7 speed freewheels/cassettes)
Front capacity:
Double chainring w/14T (max) difference
Rear capacity:
Index/Friction...24T/28T
Total capacity:
28T (combined front chainring and rear sprocket difference...also known as chain wrap)
Weight:
257 grams (per our digital postal scale)
Other notes:
The pulley cage length, is the technical specification having the most direct impact on rear derailleur capacity limits. This particular model has a relatively short cage length...measuring 56 mm from the center of the jockey/guide (top) pulley to the center of the tension (bottom) pulley. The cage length is slightly longer than Shimano's designated "short cage" length of 50 mm, so this Suntour rear derailleur should compare favorably (in terms of capacity limits) to similar Shimano branded models with the short pulley cage. The primary benefit to a shorter pulley cage is less weight (although, in all honesty we are only talking about grams here, so probably not a noticeable savings for most of us). The downside, as most already know, to a shorter pulley cage is lower capacity limits, which limits these derailleurs to double crankset road bikes with a relatively narrow gear range on the freewheel/cassette.
Having said the above, Suntour specified different capacity limits for this rear derailleur when in friction mode vs. indexing mode. Our experience, however, has been that friction mode capacity limits are attainable in indexing mode when care is taken to practice good shifting habits. In other words, avoid poor chainline gear combinations that place unnecessary stress on the drivetrain (and please see the more detailed note that follows regarding Suntour drivetrain capacity limits).
The Suntour 4050 product line is good quality in a sport/recreation offering. This model rear derailleur was not intended for competitive cycling, but it borrowed from Suntour's competitive cycling technologies to provide a good quality component and respectable performance for a reasonable price. We have better quality rear derailleurs available, but for most non-competitive applications, this is probably a good fit...and especially for those that are trying to resurrect an old stock index shifting Suntour drivetrain (as Suntour ceased production of such components in the early 90's).
Listing Update...We've had some customers ask us about the black material that makes up the backside of the pulley cage.  To this inquiry, I can confirm this material is a hard (and fairly thick) resin/plastic.  I guess I'd prefer the entire pulley cage to be made out of a metal, but maybe Suntour's thinking was to save a bit on weight and that this material would adequately handle the stresses of non-competitive cycling.  For what it is worth, we've been selling these derailleurs for a number of years and feedback from customers has been good (with no complaints or returns of one of these units due to premature failure of the pulley cage.
Condition-wise, these units are still packaged (sealed) in Suntour branded heavy plastic bags (so retail packaged and still in very nice cosmetic condition).
Note regarding Suntour specifications (drivetrain capacity limits)...
We realize catalog specifications concerning drivetrain capacities tend to be conservative. As a result, they may generally be exceeded with slightly taller rear sprockets and total gear differences that exceed recommended limits...as long as proper shifting techniques are practiced to achieve preferred gear combinations. Manufacturer specifications generally consider worst case gear combinations when listing maximum drivetrain capacities, so as long as these combinations are avoided, riders are generally able to exceed catalog specified capacity limits. We realize most individuals scanning this listing are already well aware of proper shifting techniques that achieve preferred gear combinations, so we'll limit the discussion to the most basic of premises...and that is to maintain a chainline that is as straight as possible when making gear selections. For example, there should never be a need for a gear combination that includes the smallest chainring in the front and the smallest sprocket in the rear...or alternatively...the largest chainring on the front and the largest sprocket in the rear. These are the most extreme gear combinations that put undue stress on a drivetrain. As a result, avoiding these extreme gear combinations (as well as other gear combinations that approach these extreme examples), should allow each rider to squeeze a little more capacity out of a drivetrain.
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Note to international customers regarding shipping...
We apologize to those that feel some of our international shipping charges are too high. We only charge actual shipping rates, but once an order exceeds a certain amount, we hesitate to use the least expensive US Postal Services First Class International service. We feel this way, because this service is not trackable or insurable...so more risk of loss. We prefer the US Postal Services Priority Mail International service for more expensive orders, because this service is trackable at USPS.com and insurable...so less risk of loss. Unfortunately, this service is more expensive, especially for smaller/lighter packages, relative to the First Class International service. We are sorry about these higher shipping costs, but hopefully our notes help to explain why this is the case.
Note to international customers regarding customs...
We also apologize to those that feel their country import taxes, duties and brokerage fees are excessive. As a small US business, we are required by customs' laws to declare each order as a retail sale. Additionally, the declared order value must be equal to total store purchases and/or winning auction bids (less any shipping costs, as these are not considered in the declared value). As a result, each customer will be responsible for paying his/her own country taxes, duties and brokerage fees, which will be collected upon delivery. Again, we apologize for these additional costs, but we cannot afford the penalties and fines that come with breaking customs' laws...so we have to strictly abide by them.