The reason I heard quoted "in the day" was that racers required "quick access to the crankbolts". I think this was BS. How many racers did you know who carried a crankbolt wrench in their jersey pocket during a race? Ever seen a mechanic in the TdeF tighten a crankbolt on the road? They would change the whole bike instead. In the criterium racing popular in the US in the 70's and 80's, I suppose one might stop to have one's mechanic tighten a bolt, but I suspect the racers actually left off the dustcaps because this was the "kool" thing to do.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Houston, TX
"P.C. Kohler" <kohl57@starpower.net> wrote: Did real racing men use crank dustcaps? Or is it uncool and just sissy? I ask because after perusing "The TI Raleigh Story" not one of the team bikes had them. Maybe they were already stripping them to sell on eBay if they were clarvoyant. But if they didn't use them, any practical reason?
Peter Kohler, who chalked up about 75 miles on his Team Pro this gorgeous
weekend
Washington DC USA