Don't forget the patriarch of the 110 mm bolt circle, the Sugino Mighty Tour, taking rings down to 34 teeth and fitting on a Campy BB. And of course you can run compact style rings on the TA Cyclotouriste and the Stronglight 99 if you want to pass up the triple option. But all compact doubles required a competent long cage rear derailleur able to wrap lots of chain, like the Suntour VXGT or Shimano Crane GS. So I don't think this was a viable option until, what, 1973?
Tom Adams
Manhattan, KS
From: Amir Avitzur <walawalaoxenfree@gmail.com> Subject: [CR] Classic Compact Cranksets & Tiomphe To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Sunday, May 2, 2010, 6:51 AM
Old steel 3 arm cranks, the type that was popular from the 30's through the 70's, had a 116 BCD pattern. That enabled 36 tooth inner chainrings and "compact" cranksets.
Zeus used a 5-arm 116 BCD pattern on their Criterium cranks from the 60's through the 80's. So Zeus cranks could be used on touring bikes as well as racing bikes, without modification.
When Campy came out with their 116 BCD 3-arm Gran Sport cranks, in both aluminum and steel, they didn't bother making small chainrings.
I never understood why Campy didn't go after the non-racing markets until their Gran Sport/Triomphe/Victory Groups.
Amir Avitzur
Ramat-Gan, Israel