Re: [CR]lightest 70s cranks?

(Example: Framebuilders:Pino Morroni)

In-Reply-To: <001401c83480$c6206850$6501a8c0@DELL>
References: <001401c83480$c6206850$6501a8c0@DELL>
Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2007 22:24:33 -0800
To: "Charles Andrews" <chasds@mindspring.com>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Jan Heine" <heine94@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]lightest 70s cranks?


At 5:15 PM -0800 12/1/07, Charles Andrews wrote:
>what was the lightest crank in the 1970s? If you were a weight-geek
>then, and you wanted to put the lightest possible double-chainring alloy
>crankset on your bike, which one would you use? I'm thinking a factory
>crank, not one milled and drilled aftermarket.

The TA Pro 5 vis (also known as "Cyclotourist") or Stronglight 49D were very light, even by today's standards. The current Bicycle Quarterly has an article on these cranks. We weighed them at 533 g. for a set of 175 mm arms, 46-32 rings, all hardware. These are the current-production ones. The 1940s Stronglight 49D were a bit lighter...

These cranks weigh a little less than a 2006 Campagnolo Record Carbon crankset.

However, modern bottom brackets are lighter than traditional ones... so when you compare a TA or Stronglight BB and crank together with a modern integrated system, you end up with a few extra grams.

Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.bikequarterly.com