Re: [CR] Stronglight 49D cotterless cranks timeline-----"Depose" vs. "Marque Depose"

(Example: Humor:John Pergolizzi)

From: <hersefan@comcast.net>
To: Peter Jourdain <pjourdain@yahoo.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] Stronglight 49D cotterless cranks timeline-----"Depose" vs. "Marque Depose"
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2006 02:21:09 +0000


This is a stinky difficult topic which I doubt anyone has really sorted out well. The Marque Depose markings appear on a crank that I'm pretty sure is NOS from 1949 or 1950 as it has a sheet identifying 1948 victories on it included in the box. Going back, I have a very original bike which I believe to be from about 1941 (not sure, but best educated guess and Jan Heine thinks I'm right on it) and it also has the Marque Depose cranks.

Cranks from the later 50's seem to do away with the Marque inscription, but that inscription seems to come back later on.

There are distinct differences in Stronglight cranks in terms as shape - but those do not always seem to be consistant from year to year either. In general, there seem to be examples with very deep grooves and more rounded shaping that appear to be both pre-war and also evident in the early 1950's.

Late 49D cranks take on a more squarish angular shape by the late 70's or early 80's I would guess.

The Stronglight crank came out in about 1935 or so I believe.

Hopefully someone will have this more nailed down than what I've provided here - but so far I haven't seen anything convincing yet.

Part of the problem is that Stronglight seems to have done a lot of hand finishing after production so it is fuzzy as to what was made when especially in terms of shape. So if identifying cranks by shape, one may really be sorting out who made what rather than when a given example was made.

Mike Kone in Boulder CO


-------------- Original message --------------
From: Peter Jourdain

> Greetings---

\r?\n>

\r?\n> I'm sure somebody knows this off the top of their

\r?\n> head----but I would like to know a few things about

\r?\n> the history of Stronglight 49D cotterless cranks------

\r?\n>

\r?\n> 1) When was the Stronglight 49D cotterless introduced,

\r?\n> and did it initially say simply "STRONGLIGHT" or

\r?\n> "STRONGLIGHT DEPOSE" on the crankarms ovals?

\r?\n>

\r?\n> 2) If they said simply "STRONGLIGHT" when was "DEPOSE"

\r?\n> added?

\r?\n>

\r?\n> 3) When did Stronglight 49D cranks go from saying

\r?\n> "STRONGLIGHT DEPOSE" to "STRONGLIGHT MARQUE DEPOSE?"

\r?\n>

\r?\n> I've searched the CR archives and Scott Davis in a

\r?\n> July 14/15 2002 post spoke to one part of my question

\r?\n> writing, "I think they added Marquee in mid to late

\r?\n> 50s."

\r?\n>

\r?\n> But I would like a more definite dates to all of the

\r?\n> above questions, if possible.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> In my particular case I have a set of 175mm 49D

\r?\n> "Depose" cranks and I am trying to fix their

\r?\n> approximate date for suitability for a late '40s/

\r?\n> early '50s French rando project.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Any info greatly appreciated.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Thanks!

\r?\n>

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Peter Jourdain

\r?\n> Whitewater, Wisconsin US of A

\r?\n>

\r?\n>

\r?\n>

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