Harvey, There are several aspects of the first RRA that I believe were changed quite soon after its introduction 1. It had very slack seat tube angle which was changed the following year as it was not well accepted for racing, as I was told.
2. If one looks at the saddle it is a Brooks, I think it was called, Extra Light. Alloy rails that broke. That too was changed.
3. As I noted, the crankset was also made with a mistake. The 3rd Heron was behind the crankarm and unseen. So, perhaps it took them a year or two to get their act together.
That is all I can think of.
Edward Albert Chappaqua, N.Y., U.S.A. http://www.thevintagebikelife.com
On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 9:54 AM, Harvey Sachs <hmsachs@verizon.net> wrote:
> Thanks, Edward. It's nice to learn that Alan's designation was correct for
> the pre-war RRA. But, it seems weird that the top-line RRA actually started
> out with what I think is a second-rate, unattractive, splined, crankset. I
> wonder why. Any thoughts?
>
> harvey sachs
> mcLean va
>
> Edward Albert wrote:
>
> Harvey et. al.
>> I am sorry to disagree but the early RRA's had the exact crankset that
>> Allan has up on Ebay. Please to to my website http://www.vintagebikelife.com <
>> http://www.vintagebikelife.com> click on main menu, then on "general
>> update and information" There you will find a PDF file. It is an article
>> from Cycling Oct 9, 1935 showing the RRA that was released the year before.
>> Look closely at the crankset. It is definitely the one Allen is showing
>> and not the one that Peter put up a picture of.
>>
>> Edward Albert
>> Chappaqua, N.Y., U.S.A.
>>
>> On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 8:30 AM, Harvey Sachs <hmsachs@verizon.net<mailto:
>> hmsachs@verizon.net>> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks, Peter Kohler, for pointing out Alan Cote's error, that his
>> cranks for sale (eBay 180454670191) are lower line Lenton rather
>> than Raleigh Record Ace, and for the reference to your pictures of
>> the actual RRA cranks http://tinyurl.com/
>>
>> Given Alan's notes on the history of the item, I'm sure it was
>> inadvertent. Still, for those grounded in cotterless aluminum who
>> wonder how us old guys find some of the legacy steel so attractive,
>> it's worthwhile to look at both pairs of cranks. I call out two
>> differences: The first is construction. The real RRA is a forging,
>> as used also by Magistroni, Stronglight, and others for their
>> top-line units. Note the smooth fillet where spider joins arm. The
>> Lenton attaches a stamped spider with a forged (or cast) crank with
>> a splined fitting, a much less expensive manufacturing operation.
>> The other difference is aesthetics. The RRA just plain has grace of
>> form. slender everywhere, honoring the strength of the material and
>> manufacturing process. The Lenton just plain looks cruder with its
>> large circle of sheet metal surrounding the spline fitting.
>>
>> One of my favorite steel cranks is the late cotterless Campagnolo
>> 3-arm, although I think the RRA is even prettier. Personally, I
>> think I prefer the Paramount to the RRA. Of course, beauty is in the
>> eye of the beholder, but construction methods are objective.
>>
>> harvey sachs
>> mcLean VA
>>
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