I am looking into it further - very interesting.
In looking at the team, there was only one year that Renault/Elf went with Simplex/Modolo (non campagnolo), and that was 1983. So if they did leave campagnolo for the "French stuff", the picture would date from 1982. They must have had a bunch of failures, because I doubt they would make that sort of a decision based upon a Fignon crash at that time....but like someone said, it probably had something to do with a bunch of money. Things usually do.
Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA http://www.GitaneUSA.com
Tom Dalton <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com> wrote: Steven,
Mike has the wrong date, but that was the sequence of events. Fignon's SR spindle failure, which happened while off the front in a major race, ocurred the year before Renault Gitane switched from Campagnolo to Spiedel (Stronglight, Simplex, Maillard) groups and Modolo Master Pros. They used that stuff for two seasons IIRC, including when Lemond won worlds. The conventional wisdom was that the failure prompted the switch, but who really knows?
You're right that they were back on Campy in 1984, so I guess that makes the pic from the 1981 season, and the Speidel years being 82-83.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA USA
Thanks...the more I looked at the picture, the more I didn't think the crank arm busted. But then the arm is right at the crease....
http://www.dragonswest.com/
The only problem is that Gitane didn't go to Spidel for the next few seasons...they stayed with Campagnolo (they switched from Simplex to Campagnolo for the 1984 season). Whether they used Campy BB's or not - I do not know. But I do know that they rode Campagnolo for 1984-1988.
Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA http://www.GitaneUSA.com
emeneff@earthlink.net wrote: It wasn't the Crankarm - it was the titanium BB axle !
The race was @83-84 and I believe it was Paris-Tours, but I might be mistaken.
The failure of this axle was reportedly one of the reasons why Gitane switched to the Spidel parts group for the next one or two seasons.
I say one of the reasons, because usually these decisions were often based more on which companies discretely paid off the respective Directeur Sportifs, than anything else. Especially, but not limited to, the old days . . .
Just Ask Cyrille, Mike Fabian San Francisco, CA
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