Hi Chuck-- No, I think you are correct about the year, at least in the US. I believe these components became available in 1976 and not before. I recall building my first set for a customer that year when they were newly introduced. As you say, the tire was the weak link in the set-up. The Mavic rim was good, but it took the newly-introduced Specialized tires to get a road-worthy tire/rim combo.
Bill Bryant Santa Cruz, CA
on 7/30/02 12:09 PM, Chuck Schmidt at chuckschmidt@earthlink.net wrote:
> I remember my friend having Michelin Elans and (I think) Rigida or Mavic
> rims when I started riding in early 1976. The Elans were horrible
> (wouldn't always stay on rims). Anyone else remember seeing this stuff
> before '76?