Re: [CR]Zeus crank letter codes

Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 09:56:05 -0600
From: "John Thompson" <JohnThompson@new.rr.com>
Organization: The Crimson Permanent Assurance
To: classic list <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR]Zeus crank letter codes
References: <20060123212657.17624.qmail@web81112.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <20060123212657.17624.qmail@web81112.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> Got me on that one. Quite a few Zeus parts were stamped with "M"
> meaning metric (French) thread. English thread was often stamped
> "BSC". Never seen (or perhaps never noticed) a Zeus part stamped "C"
> before (could the "BS" be worn away?)

No, I don't think so. The BSC stamp is usually closer to the spindle hole (see http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/Zeus-cranks/Zeus-H-back.jpg, for example). And the metric cranks also have the single letter stamp, but without a thread designation -- see http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/Zeus-cranks/Zeus-g-back.jpg, which is a metric thread arm and compare with http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/Zeus-cranks/Zeus-G-back.jpg, a BSC thread arm, with BSC stamped into the arm.
> Zeus parts were made for several decades, so it would seem unlikely
> they could represent the year with a single letter (without a diamond
> or circle ala Campy). Perhaps a code for crank length?

No, arm length is already marked numerically on all the arms. I still think it's a date code, but probably the key has been lost with the company.

--

-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA