Tom Dalton wrote:
>
> I've always thought that the curved skewers were post
> CPSC, but I don't have any solid reason for believing
> this. I have seen some wierd curved QR's that look
> like a regular straight QR that has been bent over a
> curved surface. Unlike the normal curved QR's they
> have the block letter markings as seen on the straight
> QR's. They are rare and I'd like to find a set. I
> figured they were early CPSC levers, but maybe they
> are pre-CPSC.
Ahhhh... something really obscure to discuss!
As Aldo mentioned, the original curved track QRs had a very small, tight curve to them. Started a craze in SoCal of do-it-yourself, bend your own Campagnolo® QRs. They appear in Campagnolo® catalog #15 from 1967.
The one's you mention are a strange duck. I have found two bikes from the late 70s with second sets of clincher wheels that have these QRs.
The first CPSC QR levers (1978) have a script Campagnolo® logo and the words "LOCKED" and "UNLOCKED". The other curved levers are the earlier straight levers with block letters that have been curved and then stamped "LOCKED" and "UNLOCKED" as per CPSC regs.
The really odd part is that both sets of wheels I found had levers that didn't match. So apparently the hubsets were being sold with mismatched levers; front QR with curved lever and _script_ logo, rear QR with curved lever and _block_ logo.
And you are correct... they are _very_ rare. Maybe they didn't have an equal number of front and rear skewers and needed to use up the left over straight levers after the CPSC regs took effect in 1978?
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, timeline and t-shirts)