[CR]'50s pista cranks, etc.

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

From: <"tom.ward@juno.com">
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 18:05:19 GMT
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]'50s pista cranks, etc.

Stephen James wrote:
>Dear list,


>This question actually crosses over into several of the recent threads. Wh
>en I bought that 1950s Frejus recently, I noticed --with a certain amou nt
> of regret-- that it had TA cranks, not the expected Campagnolo pistas.


>Moreover, it uses 1/2 inch pitch chain, not the expected (for me) inch


>pitch. I then wondered whether I should convert the bike to a Campy in ch-p
>itch drive train.


>Although the bike would have more sentimental value to me as a recreati on o
>f my youth if I converted it, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. S ho
>rtly after, I did some research and found that TA actually made/makes a p
>ista crank, even one with inch pitch rings, in addition to the "tourist
>e" and pro v models that I had seen. I was then glad that I had left t he T
>A cranks on.


>Now, I am looking around for the appropriate TA pista inch pitch chain- ri
>ngs. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


>It does seem that during the 50s, right after the war, riders wouldn't


>have had one bike to do training as well as road and track racing. Bec ause
> the TA "outer" rings from the tourist setup were interchangeable with the
>pista rings and had a wider variety of options, I have the impression th
>at riders with limited funds might use TA instead of Campy.


>Pardon me for combining the comment/question/request. They seem connec ted.


>Steve James
>Bx., NY Steve, I commend your inquiry, which points up the value of not doing anything hastily while one is still gathering data. The pertinent questions in pursuit of data include: questions about what existed in a given era or moment in time, what was common practice in p articular sub-fields (i.e. pista chainset arrangement), geographical are as, what was "factory" alongside what was current among the knowledgeabl e of the day (and vs. a kind of amateur or bike-boomer ignorance (I mean conventional wisdom) which one still encounters frequently), and what o ptions were mechanically viable, economically viable, and physically ava ilable. Compound this stuff with locating yourself and your machine in t ime: for example, if my machine has some patina (or a lot), do I need or require full day-of-birth period-correct-ness? With some bikes (not nec essarily ones I own; perhaps I am just gazing), yes; with some other bik es, no.

By way of further example, I have a '50s Hetchins with structural renova tions made along the way (paint, and a few braze-ons) carried out by the celebrated Major Nichols (he applied a renovation transfer taking the c redit), a builder in his own right, and a notable figure. Now, the renov ations were probably carried out in the 1980s, but in style and spirit t he resemble an attempt at an "update" that could have been made as early as the '60s, and in fact resemble what was going on at Hetchins in that era, though a bit crudely, truth be told. Perfect for me, or at least a cceptable to me, as I love the mid-'60s in general. So for my purposes, I can keep up a fiction that for this mid-fifties Hetchins, it is always 1964 or so, and it has just had it's first renovation, under the watch of an enthusiast owner. I can use a bronze Record rear derailleur and le ave that daft-looking rear brake cable bridge in place. It came to me wi th Stonglight 49 arms and TA rings, Campagnolo headset, seatpin, and fro nt derailleur--but I'll need one with the cable stop, not only because i t fits my Sixties concept, but because Major Nichols (I assume) brazed t he bottom-bracket guide a bit too far forward...at least, too far forwar d for a bare shift cable not to rub the paint on the seattube. But I dig ress: Stronglight 49d, TA rings. Which brings me back around to your '50s Frejus track machine. I suspect when it was new it had cottered steel cranks a la Magistroni--some were branded (stamped) Frejus. It could have had Campagnolo 151 bcd cranks i n-period, but only during and after 1958, I believe. Stronglight steel o r (49d) alloy would have been a possibility--and, if steel, could have b een the three-arm type, or the five-bolt pattern (which could accomodate the classic TA rings for same). Don't forget length--are your TA arms 1 65mm in length?

A fifties pista bike is a real opportunity to get creative with your dri vetrain (so many options, with steel still finding so much favor in this period) and yet be unquestionably "period-reasonable," to coin a term. And if you are going to free yourself in time (relatively--not absolutel y), why not free yourself in space as well--but again, reasonably. Turn your bike into a story. Maybe your '50s Frejus was purchased as a bare f rame (I believe they could be at the time) by a someone in England with a fetish for Chater Lea components, and who believed there were none fin er than Harden hubs. Period-reasonable, I would say. Period-iconoclastic is another way to go. You have to read assiduously to educate yourself, but once you feel pret ty certain of your knowledge, you can be creative in pursuit of the peri od-reasonable--even the period-but-over-the-top--and will be able to def end yourself before any charges of heresy should they come along. Of cou rse, seppuku is required of us when we are made to see any indefensible errors.... My own quite-non-heretical late-fifties or earliest sixties Frejus pista came to me with steel, cottered Stronglight Competition three-arm crank s, a hollow-axle Stronglight bottom-bracket, and an alloy TA ring (half- inch pitch). It has been repainted, and the owner chose to cover the chr omed lugs--and opt for fully chroming the fork. Peter Weigle may remembe r the bike--the previous owner said Mr. Weigle carried out the work. I'v e often wondered, "just how bad was that chrome? Can't be that bad, righ t?" but have opted not to disturb the inheritance. There's a topic to be thoughtful about--whether or not to "disturb the inheritance." Yet, wit h some bikes, further alterations are precisely in keeping with what the bike has always known. But, in general, do nothing irrevocable--and be thoughtful first. One last note, about inch-pitch chain. It seems to have gone out of favo r rather quickly, rather than little by little. But who gets to declare something "obsolete"? No doubt it's the person who appoints themself. Ho wever, I note that Sutherlands' 2nd Edition of 1977 does not hesitate to say "Block Chain (now obsolete)" (page 2-9). Gives me that feeling that hearing about the "obsolete" Nervar bcd does: makes me want to use some . Don't tread on me! In fact I am assembling a Nervar Star triple, 50-46 -40 for a gentlemanly sport-touring build of an early Metcalfe...but tha t's another story for another day. But I regret that I have but one life to give for obsolescence. Vive le chaine "block," I say. At the same ti me, don't feel you must use it simply because your bike is fifty years o ld. Plenty were champing at the bit to convert to half-inch pitch just a t that moment, I believe. The fashion cycle is an interesting thing, if you'll pardon the pun. Good luck, Stephen, and perhaps we'll get these Frejus pista machines ou t to Kissena one day, in the borough of Queens. I believe we aren't the only ones locally with track veterans by this marque. Mr. Bowne? Others?

July 4th's okay, but looking forward to Quatorze Juillet-- Thomas Ward von Brooklyn, NY, les Etats-Unis flying tri-colors of all co lors

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