Here is a question for the French experts out there.
I was able to buy a handful of NOS Stronglight chainrings today. I mostly found rings for the Mod. 99 cranks, but I also found a few rings for a 49d. The question I have is concerning the tooth profile. I noticed two distinct differences among the tooth profile of various rings, namely between the mod. 99 rings. Several rings have a very sharp tooth profile, almost coming to a point while other rings, with the same number of teeth, are more rounded, similar to a NOS campy ring. Even on the NOS Mod. 99 crank I purchased the 50T ring is sharp while the 45T ring is rounded. Is there a reason for this? If the sharp teeth were not uniform I would guess they were worn down from use and not NOS. Does the tooth profile indicate vintage?
Additionally, when purchasing vintage chain rings (Stronglight, TA, Campy), are rings with a cretin number of teeth rarer than others. For example, is a 50T ring harder to find these days rather than a 52T, or perhaps a 45T vs. 47T? I'm sure this is all based gear ratios, half and full step gearing etc.
Regards, Rich Robinson
Jacksonville NC