Re: [CR] Crescent Bicycle Headset

(Example: Books:Ron Kitching)

From: "R.S. Broderick" <rsb000@hotmail.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:55:42 -0700
In-Reply-To: <00c301ca4162$f8f13c00$0a00a8c0@corp.rfweston.com>
Thread-Index: AcpBYr0uNpVAnIeHSx6c3uy0o2j0qwAFbXYg
Subject: Re: [CR] Crescent Bicycle Headset


While I will not presume to speak for anything other than their 300 series bicycles dating from the very early through late 1970's inclusive, and only those nicer examples NOT fitted with a Crescent brand Fauber steel crank (...i.e. one piece Ashtabula style crankset), I can tell you for a fact that Crescent / MCB saw fit to use the rather odd combination of a French threaded bottom bracket shell in conjunction with an English threaded steer tube. Why? Who knows. Perhaps it was an effort to befuddle bike wrenches the world over.

But to quote the circularly succinct Robert Fripp:

That is the way it is because it is that way It is that way, in that, it is the way it is In the way that it is, that way that is the way it is Or, that it is that way is the way it is The way it is, that is the way it is That it is the way it is, is because it is that way Or, that it is the way that it is, is the way that it is that That is the way that it is the way that it is, is the way that it's that way

...from the aptly titled song, "I may not have had enough of me, but I've had enough of you" (...no personal offence intended - that is just simply the name of the song and it is that way because that is the way that it is).

With respect to the "epic toeclip overlap on those bikes" that you cite, please know that this only occurs on their small to mid sized 300 series framesets from that era (...say those under 58 cm or thereabouts). I can assure you that my own 61 cm 1975 Crescent Pepita 320 has no such problem in that regard (...but those smaller frames are, indeed, notorious for having an extreme case of toe-clip overlap).

Robert "Pretzel Logic, but without Steely Dan" Broderick ...the "Chronically Cloudy Clime" of Oregon Portland, USA

-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Charles T. Young Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:14 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR] Crescent Bicycle Headset

It seems to me that modern Crescents within our general timeline would all have been metric (French) threaded. Perhaps an American made one from the very early days, before it became a Swedish firm, would take something different.

Of course, someone may have fitted a replacement fork with a ton of rake in an attempt to quell the epic toeclip overlap on those bikes. I believe Mike Kone characterized it as "...foot in the spokes" TCO in the guide residing on Sheldon's site.

They are still cool bikes even though they may have had even fewer (and duller files) on the factory floor than the Peugeot factory. I think I've only seen one example where the Nervex Series Professionel lugs had been cleaned up - listmember Chris Schultz owns it and it is a beauty.

Charlie Young
Honey Brook, Pennsylvania USA


----- Original Message -----
From: Greg Reiche
To: Hubert d'Autremont


<classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 5:06 PM Subject: Re: [CR] Crescent Bicycle Headset


> Hubert,
>
> Check the thread pitch. It could be Raleigh standard, which is 1"
> diameter, but 26 tpi rather than 24 tpi, so an English headset starts but
> stops after a few turns.
>
> Not sure why there would be a Raleigh headset on a Swedish bike though.
>
> Greg Reiche
> CyclArt
> Vista, CA USA
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
> [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Hubert
> d'Autremont
> Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 12:51 PM
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR] Crescent Bicycle Headset
>
> Hi All,
> I am working on a customers Crescent bicycle (the swedish kind) and it has
> headset that I can't figure out the standard on. It has no flats for
> wrenches only three little holes for some kind of specialty spanner. I
> have
> tried threading on english, italian and french headsets. The english and
> italian start but stop after a few threads. The headset will start on an
> english fork but then stop. Any one know what the standard is on one of
> these things or have an extra one lying around. I though to chase the
> threads but don't want to risk it until we are absolutely sure. Thanks.
>
> Hubert d'Autremont
> emailing from the Old Spokes Home
> Burlington, VT