From: Michael Schmidt <mdschmidt(AT)patmedia.net>
"Can anyone on the list educate me on the difference between Stronglight headset models "P", "V", and Competition.
Was one model better than the other and where were they on a timeline of model introduction.
Lawyer weasel words: Yes, the author of this post did check the bikelist archieves."
hi Mike,
The Cyclo-Pedia catalog has some detail in the descriptions of these headsets:
http://bulgier.net/
This info is from the 11th edition of the catalog, circa 1974. The quick summary is that the P.3 is the basic model. The V.4 Competition is the next step up, and utilizes the "V bearing cups". The S.5 Super Competition appears to have extra steps in the process of grinding and treating the bearing races, so it's the best of the three.
There's a note that the V.4 and S.5 have a greater stack height than is typical, which may be important. This is interesting to me, since Stronglight's current roller bearing headsets also have a greater stack height than normal. And for what it's worth, the current Stronglight A9 headset looks right at home on our vintage bikes (if you don't mind aluminum parts instead of chromed steel).
Steve Kurt
Peoria, IL
USA