Over the years TA have made several chainrings to fit their Pro 5 Vis cranks (often incorrectly referred to as cyclo-touriste). The most common are the "Cyclo" rings which are available in double, triple and quadruple combinations. As the inner rings (80mm BCD) bolt to the outer and not the crank, the only difference in these sets is the length of the attaching bolts and the number of spacers. The "Criterium" rings are very similar to the Cyclo except that the outer ring is drilled to accept 152mm BCD inner rings. The smallest ring that will fit on this BCD is 43 teeth, which was perfectly acceptable back in the fifties and sixties when 47/50,or 48/52, was the norm on racing bikes. The "Randonneur" rings are again similar to the Cyclo and Criterium but the inner rings have a BCD of 116mm. The smallest inner ring is 36 teeth. This set is quite rare but still available. A single ring that is not drilled to accept the inner rings is called the " Pro 5 Vis" and is available for either 1/8" or 3/32" chains. The "adapteur" model has a centre adapter which bolts to the crank and the 152mm BCD rings bolt to the adapter. The adapter was originally produced in two versions in the fifties to fit to either a standard (for those days) 5 pin or 3 pin crank. It also is available as a single, double or triple set-up. However as the smallest ring one can fit is 43 teeth the triple versions were not too popular. There was another adapter set available for a short period in the fifties called the "Randonneur Adapteur" which accepted the 116mm BCD rings. The adapter was introduced, I believe, to stiffen up the rings. It also made it a lot easier to change rings, a feature that was very important when used on the track. Rings could be changed without removing the pedal from the crank or the crank from the bike which was necessary with non adapter 5 pin rings.. For years TA made rings but not cranks. Their "cottered, but not cottered" crankset was introduced in the early sixties but was replaced by the Pro 5 Vis after a few years. The Professional three pin model (Pro 3 Attaches) was introduced around 1970 I think. It also has a BCD of 116mm and is interchangable with most other 3 pin cranks of the period including the Campag Sport. The Tevano set was an almost exact copy of the Campag Super Record. It was introduced in the early eighties. The cranks are no longer produced but the rings are still available.(144mm BCD) In recent years TA has introduced their excellent Alize (130mm BCD) and Zephyr (110mm BCD) sets. Over the years TA has produced many other items. Pedals (still available), handlebar bags, bag supports, bottles and cages, and most recently a super light cassette. I've been a TA dealer for almost thirty years and have a pretty good stock of most things TA. If anyone has a question or needs a part contact me direct or through our web site: http://www.bikespecialties.com
Mike Barry (in snowey Toronto)