vvup

Rainy day today, so I was fixing up some bikes I had laying around including this one. I brought it as it had the 3 arm gran sport cranks which I wanted to have in the collection but I can't identify the frame. did any bikes come with this crankset as standard?


Its got the original campagnolo headset and bb etc so I believe that the bike has always had those cranks. There's no markings on the frame or bb to identify a builder. My ladies red nail varnish collection is perfect to fill in the paint chips, but I would love to be able to put decals, just need the right name!

fietsbob

I've got one of the cranks.. [will sell] but just 1 chainring, stronglight, 52t actually have a 42 too,leftover, orphaned ring.

but its off a Campag one and someone drilled the rivets out and was using it .. the big ring.. as a single ring..

Frames are small shop projects, ," standard " may be optimistic , one of the options, more likely..

year they were made?
I see them in my #17a catalog. (1975) [#3321, 3322,. 3327 the paired chainring]

jeirvine 

Raleigh Competition GS came with 'em stock.

dddd

Heh, that's the only bike that I could think of either, now that I'm building one.

But the earlier "Competition" model bikes also came with either Zeus or Stronglight alloy 5-arm cranks.

And 3-arm cranks don't do so well with very high pedaling forces at higher chain crossing angles.
These cranksets let the big ring in particular flex lateraly to the point of possible rubbing of the chain aganst the front derailer cage.
The Stronglight TS and Nervar 3-pin cranksets on my '78 and '79 U-09's were both flexy even with their rather long chainstays and modest chain crossing angles, and me at only 155lbs.

But these cranks are beauties, as are the earlier steel version.

But why oh why didn't anyone else put them on their bikes?
Maybe for the same reason that Campag Tipo large-flange hubs only seemed to ever appear on low-end Atalas and on Gitane TDF's?

vvup

I don't like using 3 arm cranks, because if you ever lose a crank bolt then thats probably the end of your ride. I don't plan on doing any real rides on this bike, I just wanted a bike with that crankset in the stable, because they do look pretty.

T-Mar

It could be any number of mid-range, late 1970s bicycles. While the Raleigh Competition GS is probably the best known, I don't recall it having chrome lugs when it was outfitted with Gran Sport. However, if it is, the serial number will corroborate the identity.

The OP should also try to determine the threading on the bottom bracket, which will provide a clue as to the origin. The thread srandard should be marked on hte bottom bracket cups. Clearer pictures, showing details of the rear dropouts, seat cluster, head lugs and fork crown may provide additional clues.

dddd

Notwithstanding those rather weighty Concave rims, that bike (in my size, same bike as my project) should make for a sprightly rip up into the hills!

Look at those angles (74-degrees btw) and that straightish fork, what effortless transition from "seated" to "honking"!

And, with a bit of LocTite on the three bolt's threads, and with perhaps a modern, narrower chain to cut down on possible chain rub while smoothing out the shifting, that bike (ok, with my SPD pedals) is just about perfect in my book.

that_guy_zach

I have the chrome steel version of it. Sadly its missing the non drive side arm.

vvup

Seems like Only the Raleigh Competition GS then, I'l be on the look out for a 60cm ctt frameset then.

This red frame is still unidentifiable and a little small for me

rootboy 

The Mirella came with a three arm GS crank set. A buddy keeps telling me he is sending me his, but currently has the crank mounted on his Gios! Chromed version.

T-Mar

I wouldn't be doing that until I checked the cup markings. The bottom bracket may not even fit. There's probably more chance of the current bottom bracket being Italian threaded than there is of it being English threaded. .