Re: [CR] Stronglight Timeline Needed

Chuck Schmidt has some repro Stronglight catalogs, though maybe not a complete timeline.

49 was a Stronglight model number, the actual circle is the same as TA Cyclotourist, 50.4mm. There is an urban legend that the model 49 was introduced in 1949, but I believe it was actually available before WWII. There was actually a model 49D (Dural) and 49A (Acier=Steel), both cotterless, but the the 49A was steel. The 49D continued to be made well into the 80's. Many classic constructeur randonneurs used 49D crank arms with TA rings. The first 122 BCD Stronglight (I think) was the model 57 followed by the model 63. These may or may not have been the years of introduction. The most famous Stronglight model was the mod 93, introduced sometime in the mid to late 60's. In the early to mid 70's almost every highend French racing bike that didn't use Campy cranks used the Stronglight 93. The 122 BCD mod 93 was followed by mod 105 and 104, among others, with this circle. In the early 80's Stronglight switched to the Campy 144 BCD circle about the same time Campy was abandoning this circle. The models 106 and 107 were 144 BCD. Stronglight cranks are still made, but most recent ones are 130 BCD. Also in the early 80's (1982 I think) Stronglight switched from their own unique crank extractor thread to the Campy-compatible 22mm thread. Several Stronglight models were made both before and after the switch, which can lead to some interesting cranks with mismatched arms, each requiring a different extractor. Especially so since the arms can also have either French or English pedal thread.

The best known Stronglight touring model (not counting the 49D with TA rings) was the 5-arm 86 BCD Model 99, introduced in the early 70's or maybe the late 60's. It was often configured as a triple. The mod 99 survived into the 80's and there are examples with the later 22mm extractor thread.

116 BCD was more or less the standard circle for old 3-arm steel cranks. Stronglight made some very elegant fluted and logoed one, which I think perhaps were called Competition. As you have noted, these are infinitely more elegant than the much cruder (and heavier) Stronglight cottered steel cranks found on UO-8's and the like. I don't know if Stronglight always made cheap steel cranks, or only started doing so after high end stuff switched to alloy cotterless. Also not sure how the nice fluted steel Stronglights were made so surprisingly light. The arms are definitely more slender than a typical alloy crank, but some highend French-made steel cranks also had hollow or partially hollow arms. I have not read that the Stromglight steel arms were hollow, but it is possible. Anyone know? I'm not about to saw mine in half to find out.

Note that before and just after WWII, the 116 BCD steel arms typically used large BCD rings (greater than 150 BCD) with "ring carrier" brackets attaching the larger BCD rings to the 116 BCD arms. Many of the rings were steel, but Simplex and others made alloy rings for this setup. Rings were typically 6-hole. At some point, perhaps after WWII, Stronglight, TA and others began making 3-hole 116 BCD alloy rings that attached directly to the 116 BCD 3-arm crankarms, including Stronglight steel arms, without the need for the "ring carriers". Later, alloy cotterless 3-arm 116 BCD cranks would appear using rings larely interchangeable with those originally used on the 116 BCD steel crankarms. Such alloy 116 BCD 3-arm cranks included Stronglight, Nervar, TA Professional, and one version of the Campy Gran Sport. I think the Stronglight model was the TS.

One puzzling ring that one sees from time to time on eBay is a 6-hole 116 BCD alloy Stronglight ring. I first I couldn't figure out what crank this ring was made for, but now I'm convinced it was actually made to fit the old steel Stronglight Competition. One clue is that this ring is usually seen in 48T or larger, suggesting an outer ring. The extra three holes were used for mounting the 3-hole inner ring to the 6-hole outer ring. The original bolts on the Stronglight steel arms were only single length, designed to attach the old "ring carriers" or later a single outer 6-hole alloy ring. They also threaded into a threaded hole in the crankarm from behind. Of course one could find longer bolts and spacers to allow the inner and outer rings to both attach with a single set of bolts, but I'm convinced the more typical setup was to use the original bolts to attach the 6-hole outer to the arms, then use the remaining 3 holes to attach a 3-hole inner ring to the outer. One more strong clue to this is that the Stronglight 3-hole inners have their web cut away midway between holes, exactly where the extra hole would fall in the 6-hole outer rings. This was pretty obviously to alloy the old exposed (non-recessed) hex head bolts attaching the outer rings from behind the arms to clear the webbing of the inner ring. I have several sets of the old fluted steel Stronglight crankarms fitted with these 6-hole/3-hole sets of 116 BCD Stronglight alloy rings. This makes an elegant and surprisingly light setup.

Regards,

Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA