Vintage Components - Huret front derailleurs
Huret front derailleurs on this page: Huret 700
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The Huret bicycle component firm was started by ex-racer André Huret in 1920 in Puteaux, near Paris. Huret was an ex-pro racer who had won the 1911 Paris-Turin and started both the 1919 and 1920 Tours de France. He was twelfth in the 1919 Paris-Roubaix.
Huret started out by making wing nuts for bicycle wheels. They were a hit. By 1930 he was able to move to a larger factory in Nanterre. It was at that location he began making derailleurs. His pre-war derailleur production never sold well. After the war, André's two sons Roger and Jacques joined the firm and then, with new designs, derailleur sales took off. Racing great Louison Bobet won the Tour de France three times using Huret derailleurs.
Here's a Daniel Rebour drawing of an earlier Allvit front derailleur.
Huret leaped ahead of its competition in 1958 when it introduced its Allvit derailleur. It was the first parallelogram derailleur for consumer bikes. Huret made them by the ton. It seemed that every bike boom bike (notably Schwinn) came with an Allvit derailleur set. Astonishingly, Huret was able to sell Allvit derailleurs for a quarter century.
By 1965 Huret had 300 employees and was producing more than 100,000 derailleurs a year.
In the 1980s the German firm Fichtel & Sachs acquired Huret, resulting in the Sachs-Huret company. Sachs-Huret was in turn purchased by SRAM.
Huret 700 (Allvit) front clamp-on derailleur. Used
- Huret made numerous changes to this derailleur. This version, with the slot on top of the cage and with a bolt-on (not hinged) clamping band was first produced in 1966.
- 28.6mm clamp
We have three, all used: #1 | #2 | #3
Here is a drawing by the great Daniel Rebour of the Huret 700 front derailleur. Rebour drew this in 1966, the year the derailleur was introduced.
Huret 700 front clamp-on derailleur #1. Used, $20.00/each
From the side
And from the front
Huret 700 front clamp-on derailleur #2. Used, $35.00/each
Side view
Front view
The back of the derailleur
From behind
Huret 700 front clamp-on derailleur #3. Used, $35.00/each
Side view
A classic.
Straight-on view
Back of the derailleur
Made in France, a long time ago.