East German Campagnolo

[Tectoron]

For some months ago I bought a rear derailleur on Ebay, it was a (not
perfect)copy of the famous Campagnolo Super record, but this one was
made in former East Germany.
The derailleur has almost the same weight, but no titanium bolts and
the detail work is not very beautiful. The derailleur is called
"Tectoron"(I like the name).

Does anyone know anything about why campag derailleurs was made inside
the communist block?

Michael
Sweden

 

[Kinky Cowboy]

On 18 Aug 2004 00:35:10 -0700, [email protected] (Tectoron) wrote:

>Does anyone know anything about why campag derailleurs was made inside
>the communist block?
>
>Michael
>Sweden

Because the former communist states beleived that "intellectual
property" was theft, too

They made copies of bigger things than Campag derailleurs, the Tupolev
TU4 was a direct copy of the Boeing B29.

The reason why the communist bloc collapsed was that they copied lousy
shifting Campag units instead of Suntour. This caused the factory
workers, who all bicycled to work, to arrive in a bad mood, affecting
productivity and quality assurance. The knock on effect of this one
small error of judgment was an unsustainable economy and a military
equipped with poor performing, and frequently broken, ordnance.

So, next time you're all complaining about Shimano changing their
groupsets before you've even got around to buying the (now obsolete)
last one, remember that it was that kind of marketing driven
innovation which won the cold war!


Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

 

[Evan Evans]

[email protected] (Tectoron) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> For some months ago I bought a rear derailleur on Ebay, it was a (not
> perfect)copy of the famous Campagnolo Super record, but this one was
> made in former East Germany.
> The derailleur has almost the same weight, but no titanium bolts and
> the detail work is not very beautiful. The derailleur is called
> "Tectoron"(I like the name).
>
> Does anyone know anything about why campag derailleurs was made inside
> the communist block?
>
> Michael
> Sweden

please post a picture of the tectoron

 

[Evan Evans]

Kinky Cowboy <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On 18 Aug 2004 00:35:10 -0700, [email protected] (Tectoron) wrote:
>
> >Does anyone know anything about why campag derailleurs was made inside
> >the communist block?
> >
> >Michael
> >Sweden
>
> Because the former communist states beleived that "intellectual
> property" was theft, too
>
> They made copies of bigger things than Campag derailleurs, the Tupolev
> TU4 was a direct copy of the Boeing B29.
>
> The reason why the communist bloc collapsed was that they copied lousy
> shifting Campag units instead of Suntour. This caused the factory
> workers, who all bicycled to work, to arrive in a bad mood, affecting
> productivity and quality assurance. The knock on effect of this one
> small error of judgment was an unsustainable economy and a military
> equipped with poor performing, and frequently broken, ordnance.
>
> So, next time you're all complaining about Shimano changing their
> groupsets before you've even got around to buying the (now obsolete)
> last one, remember that it was that kind of marketing driven
> innovation which won the cold war!
>
>
> Kinky Cowboy*
>
> *Batteries not included
> May contain traces of nuts
> Your milage may vary


Didn't the Russki's do a simmilar thing with the volvo sedan? Maybe
Holywood just used volvo's to represent russian cars?

 

[big Pete]

Didn't the Russki's do a simmilar thing with the volvo sedan? Maybe
Holywood just used volvo's to represent russian cars?

The Lada was a copy of the Italian Fiat 124 sedan.

http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm

 

[SMMB]

"big Pete" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le
message de :
news:[email protected]...
>
> Evan Evans Wrote:
> >
> > Didn't the Russki's do a simmilar thing with the volvo sedan? Maybe
> > Holywood just used volvo's to represent russian cars?
>
>
> The Lada was a copy of the Italian Fiat 124 sedan.
>
> http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm
>
>
A copy, yes, but built in Togliattigrad (tribute to Fiat in renaming it,
still that way), and was designed by Fiat, using mostly Fiat tooling, but
mostly Soviet and Russian produced parts.

This was not a case of appropriating any intellectual property.

BTW, Chevrolets made in India and Russia, Renaults made in Russia, etc.,
etc., are the norm today, like VW's and Toyotas in the US.
--
Bonne route,

Sandy
Paris FR

 

[Phil Brown]

>A copy, yes, but built in Togliattigrad (tribute to Fiat in renaming it,
>still that way), and was designed by Fiat, using mostly Fiat tooling, but
>mostly Soviet and Russian produced parts.
>
>This was not a case of appropriating any intellectual property.

This transaction is the reason most Italian cars of the 60s and 70s rust so
badly. With little hard currency the Russians paid for the plant with
steel-crappy Russian steel that the Italians used to make millions of Fiats,
Lancias, and Alfas which all then rusted into dust.
Phil Brown

 

[Andrew Webster]

"SMMB" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "big Pete" <[email protected]> a écrit dans le
> message de :
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Evan Evans Wrote:
> > >
> > > Didn't the Russki's do a simmilar thing with the volvo sedan? Maybe
> > > Holywood just used volvo's to represent russian cars?
> >
> >
> > The Lada was a copy of the Italian Fiat 124 sedan.
> >
> > http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm
> >
> >
> A copy, yes, but built in Togliattigrad (tribute to Fiat in renaming it,
> still that way), and was designed by Fiat, using mostly Fiat tooling, but
> mostly Soviet and Russian produced parts.
>
> This was not a case of appropriating any intellectual property.
>
Similarly Fiat licensed the 125 design for production by FSO in Poland
- branded PolskiFiat.

These were imported into the UK in the 1970s and were of sligtly
superior finish, build quality and longevity than Ladas (though only
slighly!).

See http://www.autohistories.com/fso/fiats.html

Andrew Webster

 

[Hugh Fenton]

"Andrew Webster" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "SMMB" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > "big Pete" <[email protected]> a écrit dans
le
> > message de :
> > news:[email protected]...
> > >
> > > Evan Evans Wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Didn't the Russki's do a simmilar thing with the volvo sedan? Maybe
> > > > Holywood just used volvo's to represent russian cars?
> > >
> > >
> > > The Lada was a copy of the Italian Fiat 124 sedan.
> > >
> > > http://www.autosoviet.altervista.org/main-english.htm
> > >
> > >
> > A copy, yes, but built in Togliattigrad (tribute to Fiat in renaming it,
> > still that way), and was designed by Fiat, using mostly Fiat tooling,
but
> > mostly Soviet and Russian produced parts.
> >
> > This was not a case of appropriating any intellectual property.
> >
> Similarly Fiat licensed the 125 design for production by FSO in Poland
> - branded PolskiFiat.
>
> These were imported into the UK in the 1970s and were of sligtly
> superior finish, build quality and longevity than Ladas (though only
> slighly!).
>
> See http://www.autohistories.com/fso/fiats.html
>
> Andrew Webster

If this means that the quality was WORSE than FIAT in the 70's it must have
been something to behold! My 1970's LANCIA rusted noticeably in 12 hours if
left in the rain.

Hugh Fenton

 

[RonSonic]

On 18 Aug 2004 19:21:14 GMT, [email protected]unged (Phil Brown) wrote:

>>A copy, yes, but built in Togliattigrad (tribute to Fiat in renaming it,
>>still that way), and was designed by Fiat, using mostly Fiat tooling, but
>>mostly Soviet and Russian produced parts.
>>
>>This was not a case of appropriating any intellectual property.
>
>This transaction is the reason most Italian cars of the 60s and 70s rust so
>badly. With little hard currency the Russians paid for the plant with
>steel-crappy Russian steel that the Italians used to make millions of Fiats,
>Lancias, and Alfas which all then rusted into dust.

Don't forget the labor disputes at the time - those included sabotage like
chlorine tablets in metal treatment vats.

Ron
former X1/9 owner