Bob Hanson wrote:
> (snip)
> As I recall, the Zeus products always sold for perhaps half the
> cost of
> the Campy originals - and they never broke.
Chuck Schmidt responded:
For what it's worth... Here in Southern California there was a race club, Quick Release CC, that was sponsored by Zeus. I had friends on the team and they told me Zeus had a reputation for breaking; their experience.
Dateline April 1975, Long Beach Grand Prix, held on the F1 race course...
Lon Bender of Zeus QRBC (Quick Release Bicycle Club) and myself were racing in the Junior 16-18 group, I was up a category as no race for my age group that day.
Race started, there was some skirmish off to the left, I had the assumption that many would not know how to select a good line, my benefit as I got the first two sprints, there were sprints every lap, unfortunately not for points but for merchandise, found myself off the front, as it was so early in the race I drifted back to the group, no Lon?
After the end of the race found out Lon busted his crank arm at the start of the race. The price of using sponsor equipment perhaps?
Strategically the race was a mistake for me as just after I was absorbed by the field in lap three, the race was reduced in length to five laps total! (each lap was 2.5 miles) The main field did not even realize I was off the front. Unfortunately in the last turn someone fell on my real wheel, I pushed him off but that effort messed up my momentum for the sprint, so I ended the race with two primes and a tire burn streak on my right calf from a front tire.
The guy who fell on me was wearing an early Bell helmet, he had my rear tire burned into his helmet shell.
Sprint prizes were No.1 Pumps, kind of interesting looking with clear bodies and "O" ring seals. Never see those around now.
John Jorgensen
Torrance Ca USA