David Benson wrote:
> Chuck's Campagnolo timeline lists a number of other products
> introduced after
> the publication of the #13 Catalog in 1955: Gran Sport pedals, seat
> post,
> parallelogram front derailer and cotterless crankset, all of which
> would
> have been 'uncatalogued' until 1960.
> Peter Johnson's 1956 Bianchi team bike has a Campagnolo cottered
> bottom bracket:
> http://www.wooljersey.com/
1958 is the accepted introduction date for the aluminum Record 5-pin cotterless crankset. I'd imagine that the Gran Sport cottered bottom bracket (note that there is no accompanying Campagnolo cottered crankset) was available before 1958, like 1956 for example. Note the name change from Gran Sport to Record.
As to how long the Gran Sport cottered bottom bracket was made? It would be my _guess_ that they made one batch of them. Why would anyone want one? Looking through race photos of pro racers in the late 1950s and 1960s you see quite a few of them racing on steel cranksets. I'd have to believe that some of the more conservative pros were hesitant to race on aluminum cranks back then.
Chuck Schmidt
South Pasadena, Southern California
United States of America
http://www.velo-retro.com (reprints, t-shirts & timelines)