Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> Circa 1970 and earlier, 15T small cogs seem to have been much more
> common. My 69/70 Raleigh Pro Mk I came with a 15-30 FW, which the
> Campy NR RD shifted OK. We sometimes forget it isn't usually an
> absolute limit as to how low a gear one can use, but rather how wide
> a range. At the recent death of the famous round-the-world cyclist
> Ian Hibbel, I read some articles about his exploits, complete with
> photos of his bikes. I had either forgotten or never noted In The
> Day that he actually favored the Campy NR RD, and perhaps earlier the
> old Record. This sounds impractical for loaded around the world
> touring, but the key is he used FW cogs no larger than 15T and small
> outer rings, 48T or smaller I think. That allowed him to handle a
> pretty low gear with a Campy NR, by giving up top end to gain bottom
> end. For actual racing, a few may need that 53-11, and the average
> racer maybe a 53-13, but for any other application 50-14 or even
> 50-15 is quite adequate and allows a lower low gear without going to
> a long cage RD.
An ancillary data point may be that the Regina freewheel tool included in Campy's tool kit (the "I" tool) was designed in a manner that only accommodated small cogs 14T or larger. When 13T cogs became popular on Regina freewheels, Campy introduced the #704/1 "reducing insert" so the "I" tool could reach past the 13T cog to the body slots.
Curiously, the "I" tool continued to be supplied with a Regina 2-prong remover and reducing insert for many years after Regina changed to the Atom/Zeus spline pattern and even after Campagnolo was selling their own freewheel.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA