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.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: Robert Goughary <goughary@yahoo.com>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] was WTB: Regina 5 cog freewheel - italian threads Now benefits of 15 x 28
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org, "Howard Darr" <hdarr@embarqmail.com>
\r?\n> Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 1:48 PM
\r?\n> That would work fine too...Honestly - I almost never use
\r?\n> that little gear anyway -
\r?\n>
\r?\n> The important thing is the italian threads- english threads
\r?\n> don't seem to want to go on my hub (Campy Gran Sport),
\r?\n> and I don't want to force it...
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Thanks all who have replied - still looking in case someone
\r?\n> has one in a box somewhere...Otherwise I'll eventually
\r?\n> find one on epay...
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Robert Goughary
\r?\n> Stamford, CT, USA
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> --- On Mon, 3/2/09, Howard Darr
\r?\n> <hdarr@embarqmail.com> wrote:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > From: Howard Darr <hdarr@embarqmail.com>
\r?\n> > Subject: was WTB: Regina 5 cog freewheel - italian
\r?\n> threads Now benefits of 15 x 28
\r?\n> > To: goughary@yahoo.com, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> > Date: Monday, March 2, 2009, 2:26 PM
\r?\n> > The 15 x 28 Regina Oro works seems to do significantly
\r?\n> > better than a 14 x 28
\r?\n> > with NR record rear mechanism and an NR 42 x 52 chain
\r?\n> set.
\r?\n> > The gearing
\r?\n> > change looks like this.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > 52
\r?\n> > 15 93.6
\r?\n> > 14 100.3
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > For me it is just slightly higher than my daily rider
\r?\n> 48 x
\r?\n> > 14 which yields a
\r?\n> > 92.6 for 700 c wheels.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Practical and functions well. That's a winner! No
\r?\n> wait
\r?\n> > that's Suntour.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Howard Darr
\r?\n> > Kinsman OH USA