Re: [CR]Vintage spokes - whatever happened to Torrington and Robergel???

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Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 09:17:23 -0500
From: "Joe Bender-Zanoni" <joebz@optonline.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Vintage spokes - whatever happened to Torrington and Robergel???
To: Steve Neago <questor@cinci.rr.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
References: <000a01c2f425$3cc1db20$57b21b18@cinci.rr.com>


Torrington was (is) a US company, I believe in Torrington CT. Besides spokes they made pedals, handlebars and seatposts. They also made automotive type bearings and probably remain in that business. Torrington made nice double butted galvanized spokes. From a materials viewpoint the move to stainless steel spokes is generally a mistake. Now you can't get good galvanized carbon steel spokes.

Robergel was French. The "Trois Etoille" stainless spokes were their top product. They had a bad problem with breaking (see galvanized comment above).

DT came out with better spokes and Robergel just seemed to fold. Same with the Italian Alpina spokes. The German Berg Union spokes continued for a while (do they still exist?). Rarely seen in the US are the Belgian Sapim which still exists.

Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ


----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Neago
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 12:53 AM
Subject: [CR]Vintage spokes - whatever happened to Torrington and


Robergel???


> Hello,
>
> It seems that old bike manufacturing companies sometimes fade away with time... whatever happened to spoke manufacturers such as Torrington (England) and Robergel (?Germany?)
>
> Were either acquired by current current bike spoke manufacturers such as DT Swiss or Wheelsmith?
>
> Thanks, Steve Neago
> Cincinnati, OH