Campy Racing T Rear Derailleur question

Road Man said:

Second problem is that eyeballing the jockey and idler wheels, they do
not seem to be lined up. The cage looks bent so that the lower
(idler?) wheel is displaced toward the wheel by about the width of 1
cog-spacing. The two wheels also do not look like they are rotating
in parallel planes.

Noticed the same thing about mine (in use since 1996) just a few
months ago, my guess is that they were made that way.

Road Man said:

Hi, again!

I have a little-used Campy Racing T rear derailleur that I'm thinking
of fitting to my Woodrup with a 126 mm rear space-out.

One problem, which I'm solving, is that the lateral travel is suitable
for a 9-speed. I found some stainless Allen buttonhead screws that
are longer than the original adjusters at the LHS (local hardware
store) and cut down the head diameter so they look right and fit the
countersinks and the springs. So now I can friction-shift a 7-speed
with a 9-speed made for indexing (cheap geeks with road bikes, this is
what we do in the winter). The nice new part adjusts beautifully.

Second problem is that eyeballing the jockey and idler wheels, they do
not seem to be lined up. The cage looks bent so that the lower
(idler?) wheel is displaced toward the wheel by about the width of 1
cog-spacing. The two wheels also do not look like they are rotating
in parallel planes.

That is normal but with the lower pulley 'bending' outward away from
the wheel.

Quoted message said:

However, there is no visible sign of damage or force, which leads one
of my expert buddies (an expert like me, meaning no special
qualifications) to say it is supposed to be that way.

Is anyone familiar with the Racing T and can say if they came as new
with straight or deflected cages? I can adjust the cage to any
"correct" setup, but I don't know that that should be.

Thanks for thinking about my problem!!

Ken

Road Man said:

Is anyone familiar with the Racing T and can say if they came as new
with straight or deflected cages? I can adjust the cage to any
"correct" setup, but I don't know that that should be.

The pulleys will not appear directly under each other. I'd suggest
putting the derailleur on and riding. Even if not perfect, friction
shifting will accomodate lots of imperfections.