Bottom line is:

These are bicycles not Swiss watch movements!

I have a an old parts drawing from Gates LearJet that says: "MAKE TO PRINT - BEAT TO FIT - PAINT TO HIDE!" ;-)

These components were made on old machinery some of which predated WWI. After WWII most of Europe was in tatters. That included most of the manufacturing facilities on the continent.

Bikes were the first form of transportation to be manufactured after the war. By the 1950s as Europeans became a little more affluent, mopeds, scooters and eventually motorcycles became more popular. Later in the decade cars became the goal. In the meantime little or no capital was invested into the bicycle industry.

When the US Bike Boom hit in the early 70s, European bike and component manufactures were hard pressed to keep up with the demand. Bikes were being thrown together and boxed up as fast as they could push them out the door.

Last year I posted the link below in this thread.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2826722...7627678462359/

Two years ago I photographed and documented a project I was working on and posted it on Flickr. I was putting together a single speed bike with Stronglight 93 cranks. Read the descriptions below the photos which explain my results.

verktyg