jonwvara 

I've asked this before in another thread, but can anyone identify and date this Stronglight crankset? It's on a 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport. According to the catalog, the bike should have a 93, so I've been assuming that it's non-original. But knowing how Raleigh had a tendency to ignore the catalog specs, I suppose it could possibly be original, though the styling looks more 80s to me.
Also, it seems odd to me that someone would have replaced the 93 with another Stronglight 122 BCD crank, since the usual reason people changed out the old Stronglights was to get a smaller-than-38-tooth small ring.

Bianchigirll 

it looks like some version of a model 107 from the mid '80s



https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.as...m=115&AbsPos=9

jonwvara 

I saw that velobase entry, too but I don't think that's what it is. My crankset has a BCD of 122, not 144 like the 107. Not sure when Stronglight abandoned 122 rings, but I'd have guessed maybe the tail end of the 70s.

LeicaLad 

I don't have photos, but would guess it's either the 101 or 103 model, both of which were 122bcd. The Classic Lightweights site has the following info, but, again, no photos of these specific models.

"Model 101 - 122 mm BCD - a mid-range offering based upon Stronglight's older 122 mm BCD platform but now incorporating aerodynamic lines. The anodized aluminium crank arms themselves were decidedly smooth and rounded with an imprinted logo and were made available in only 170 mm lengths. The model 101 was intended primarily for casual riding applications with an effective chain ring capacity of 38 to 53 teeth. It can be configured as either a double or triple crankset, as well as a double with outboard fiberglass chain ring guard.


Model 103 - 122 mm BCD - a mid-range offering based upon Stronglight's older 122 mm BCD platform but now incorporating aerodynamic lines. Although visually similar to its model 101 contemporary, the model 103 featured a laterally stepped crank arm profile producing an intentionally wider Q-Factor. The anodized aluminium crank arms themselves were decidedly smooth and rounded with an imprinted logo and were made available in only 170 mm lengths. It was intended primarily for road / racing use with an effective chain ring capacity of 38 to 53 teeth and can be configured as either a double or triple crankset, as well as a double with outboard fiberglass chain ring guard."

Chombi

It was used on mid to higher mid level bikes like the 1984 Peugeot PSV. Not sure if it's carrect, but I've seen it called out as the Stronglight 103.
Certainly below 107/106 model level, which was used on the highest model french race bikes in the 80's. and maybe even the older 104 and 105 models
The 103 was Stronglight's initial "budget" approach to the aero style crank movement in the mid 80's where they were phasing out the traditional fluted arm designs from their cranks. They weren't really pretty, but like most of Stronglight's cranks, they were solid products.
Not sure if these were even forged cranks. most likely just cast of light alloy and polished/anodized.
These look similar to the 300LX and Delta cranks that came a little later, but I think the 300 and Deltas were higher model cranks.

Chombi

jonwvara 

So almost certainly not original to the bike, then?

jonwvara 

I wonder what "a laterally stepped crankarm profile" can possibly mean.

cudak888 

It's aluminum layup must be laterally stiff, yet vertically compliant.



-Kurt

PDXaero

Its a 101.
Laterally stepped refers to the profile of the crankarm in conjunction to the spider, the 103 would sit closer in line with the chainring instead of sitting we'll ouside like picturred above.
All this is my memory, feel free to prove me wrong.

LeicaLad 

I think it's a 103 for the reversed reasons. The 103 sits OUT further, as it had "intentionally wider Q-Factor".

A look at the photo shows the arm is out further than "normal". Wide Q-factor, anyone?

I vote 103.

Noah Scape

I believe this is a Stronglight 200 from the mid 80s.

Noah Scape

Okay, the spider offset is unfamiliar to me and not consistent with the Sronglight 200.

PDXaero

Totally right, I had it backwards.

jonwvara 

Okay, I guess the consensus is that it's a 103. Could it possibly be as old as 1976 and therefore original? If it's a replacement I'll probably start looking around for a 93--which is what the catalogs say it should have--but if I thought it was likely to be original, I'd probably leave it.
Still working on finding a custom chainring outfit to make me a 122/74 mm triplizer ring.

LeicaLad 

Interesting question. Chas (verktyg) is probably the most knowledgeable on these.

My guess is that this was that window when supply issues had bikes turning up with all sorts of different cranksets, as they just couldn't guarantee their supply. Peugeot was eating the Stronglight supply. Gitane and other makers stood in line, so you got what was available in the shop that day.

If it were mine? I'd find a 93. Such a great looking crank!

DO, please, keep us posted on any 122/74 triplizer! I've never seen such a thing for a Stronglight 93. And I'd like to.

Cheers!

jonwvara 

I love 93s, too. I'm going to look for another one (I have one on my Gitane). While I wait I can ride the 103. If I get a triplizer made, it would work with either the 93 or the 103, since they're both 122s.
Here's are the custom triplizer prospects I know about so far: Highpath Engineering in Wales would in theory make one for something over a hundred bucks, but as of a few weeks ago they're not taking any new orders for custom chainrings. A guy named John at Cycle Underground in Australia told me last year that he could make a 122/74 ring for, I think, $70 or so, but I never got around to ordering it, and now that I'm finally ready to shell out the bucks, no one there will answer my emails--I hope they're just on vacation, not out of business. An outfit in North Carolina called Warhawk Industries also makes custom chainrings and a guy named Colin there said they could make me a 122/74 triplizer for around $80, but hasn't answered any of my questions about the cutout patterns available, how long the wait would be, etc. Their Web site doesn't have a phone number. I'd have to hear more from or about them before I'd send them the money. There's also a place called King's in Virginia, I think, that supposedly makes custom chainrings in any size, though I don't know if that would include oddball BCDs like the Stronglight 122. I emailed them the other day but haven't heard anything.
I'm kicking myself for not ordering the ring from Cycle Underground when I had the chance. Maybe Colin the Silent from Warhawk Industries will eventually condescend to get back to me.
A 93 triple would be very cool. I hope I can make it work somehow.

LeicaLad 

Gee. I'd never even heard of one, but it does make sense. I've seen the web site for the guys in Aussiestan, but had mainly looked at them for making a 37t 122bcd ring for a 93. Never pulled the trigger. Let's hope they're just on vacation.

I did just get a Campy triple-ized. I sent it to Bob Freeman at Elliot Bay cycles in Seattle. The drilling, the new inner ring, bolts and spacers, and shipping all ran to $121. I'm putting SR rings on it, so I'll have an SR triple. Still, a Stronglight 93 triple would be even cooler.

Funny, I remember when I got my first Gitane TdF. I had lust for the Campy NR crank and gave little respect to the 93 on my bike. Still, as time went by, I couldn't bring myself to replace it. I replaced just about every other part on that bike, but it still has it's original 93 crank on it.

Now, I think I like the 93 over any Campy crank.

jonwvara 

And don't the revered Campy cranks have a habit of cracking or something? I don't think you can hurt a 93, though, unless you use the wrong crank puller on it.

Will the guy at Elliot Bay have a whack at triplizing other cranksets, or is his jig just set up for the Campy cranks, I wonder? The spider on an old Nervar Star I have here seems like it could be drilled out to make it into a triple. That might be sort of fun, too.

LeicaLad 

Interesting thought. Easy enough to ask. I just sent him a thank you note about 30 mins ago. (I've just returned for a 2 month working trip, and the triple-ized crank was waiting for me.)

I know he has a jig set up for Campy, but he's the type of guy who would be open to experimenting.

Of course, the Stronglight wouldn't work that way. I think it needs the adapter ring approach.

I'm often jealous of these guys who own bike shops! (Elliot Bay is an amazing shop, too!)

LeicaLad 

This probably belongs somewhere else (too), but I did follow up.

Bob is able to triple-ize some other cranks. Here's his response:

"My jig only fits the 144 bolt circle and drills to 74 bolt circle. So any crank like that I can do, as long as the back of the spider arms is flat. Old non-milled Mighty Compe, Gipiemme, Ofmega, Avocet, etc. "

Hope that is useful to someone.

Cheers!

verktyg 

Google is your friend...

For starters on the first click here's what I found:

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...light_main.htm

Drill down to this link and here's all of your answers:

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...loy_cranks.htm

There is also a 1982 Stronglight catalog link:

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...nglight_1.html

The Stronglight 106 cranks came out in the early 80s. They were almost Campy clones. They had the same 144mm BCD size chainrings which had become the de facto standard for road racing bikes of the era.

At the same time in the late 70s and early 80s there was a resurgence of interest in professional racing by the big 3 French bike makers, Peugeot, Gitane and Motobecane. Gallic pride also brought back all French equipped bikes to the peloton for a few years.

After Fignon suffered a bad fall when his Campagnolo SR titanium bottom bracket spindle broke, Gitane switched to French components for a while on their team bikes.

Stronglight was always considered a poor sister to the sacred Campagnolo stuff, especially among the vanity driven Campianista set!

In 1975 I switched from Campy cranks to Stronglight 93s. Why? Because the Stronglight 93 chainrings shifted better with the chains that were available back then!

I could also go down to a 38T chainring if needed. At the same time I got rid of my Campy NR derailleurs in favor of the no comparison Suntour Cyclones!

I even have Stronglight 105 bis cranks on my 1983 Colnago Super! ;-) (I'm going straight to hell for THAT sacrilege)

Side notes:

Stronglight introduced the model 105 cranks around 1974. They were cosmetically improved model 93 cranks with the same 122mm BCD sized chainrings. Later they introduced the "bis" drillium chainrings and after that the "ter" black anodized chainrings in both drillium and plain.

Prior to the 105 introduction, Stronglight brought out their model 99 cranks, probably as a replacement for the venerable Model 49 cranks which had been around in one form or another since the 1930s. Oddly, the model 49D cranks continued in production for many more years.

The 99 cranks could use a 28T chainring plus be used as a double or triple which made them popular with tourists.

When we first saw the 99s we were skeptical because we thought that the 87mm BCD rings were going to lack rigidity.

Around 1974-75 a number of French performance bikes such as the Peugeot PX-10 and Bertin C37 models started shipping with Stronglight 99 cranks.

What I suspect is that Stronglight cut back on the production of the model 93 cranks with the intention of switching the performance bikes over to the new model 105 cranks. I think that Stronglight had production problems with the 105 cranks, especially with anodizing. If not done properly using a homogeneous aluminum alloy, anodizing can turn out splotchy.

So, Stronglight probably talked their old model 93 customers into using the 99 cranks until they got production of the 105 cranks up to speed.

One other thing, in the early 80s Stronglight produced a lot of "economy" model 122mm BCD cranks with a Peugeot logo on the crank arms. I suspect that these were pressure cast rather than forged using the same "melt forged" casting technique as many of the Japanese cranks.

Around 1983 Stronglight succumbed to the "Aero Fad" and started making streamlined cranks. Some fools will spend all of their money n equipment trying to shave a few seconds off of their times. It's the motor, not the machine!

"It never gets easier, you just get faster" Greg LeMond

Seek and ye shall find...

Chas. verktyg

LeicaLad 

Judging from the catalog (so nicely linked by Chas!), I'd say we have a winner!

It's the 103!!!

https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...nglight_6.html

jonwvara 

It probably is the 103, I agree, though the photos and all the information I have so far still leaves me with some lingering doubt on that score.

By the way, I talked to Andy King, at King's Sales and Service, who said he could make me a 122/74 triplizer. I sent him a drawing and a 45-tooth Stronglight ring I had kicking around to make sure he got the BCD right. Since then (that was maybe two weeks ago) he hasn't responded to my emails. This is remarkably tough to get done, it seems. I'll post again when something happens.
JV

noglider 

Right, and it's guaranteed not to be original, because this crank wasn't available in 1976. It's very pretty, though. I'd use it if I had it.