Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
80s cranks usually used 52 or 53t large rings. The smallest cog though was larger than today's common 11t, so it balanced out.
As a result, 50t chainrings arent nearly as common then as they are now.
48t chainrings though- those were all over the place due to touring bikes and the 1st decade of MTBs using 48-38-28 triples.
With that said, I have a couple of 50t chainrings that are from the 80s...though one is Ovaltech(biopace competitor), so they were around in some volume.
The new 5arm Sugino rings are quality for the price. Also, Shimano 5arm chainrings can be found on ebay both new and used often for good prices. I used new Shimano Ultegra 34t rings for my compact doubles- they were $11 on ebay.
One of the beauties of 1970s chainrings was the availability of almost any arbitrary tooth count from 38 (for a 122 to 130mm spider) to the mid-50s, or even higher. We then entered into the realm of specific pinned and matched rings, which supported only certain standardized combinations, such as 39-53 or 42-52, and most of the other sizes got phased out. I guess 48 never did go away, thanks to mountain bikes (I run 48-(hard-to-find 40)-28 on mine), and I have been pleased to see 50 making a resurgence (I have long used 50-42/14-16-18-20-23-26 on the Bianchi).
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069