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Old 11-11-21 | 08:13 AM
  #26  
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jonwvara
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Washington County, Vermont, USA

Bikes: 1973-4 Gitane Tour de France, early 1970's Lejeune, 1970 Italvega Super Speciale, 2010 Surly Long Haul Trucker 26

Originally Posted by PBYO988
Here are some pictures of the crank. I’ll do a tooth count when I get home.

Okay, thanks! So the outer ring is a 52, the inner is a 42, and I'm guessing that the middle ring is a 47, or maybe a 46. It's what I have always thought of of as a "psychological triple," which combines a half-step double--lots of closely-spaced high gears--with a low gear that's the same as what you'd find on a typical racing double. It gives the rider the comforting sense of having a triple, without any of the actual benefits of a triple. It doesn't even require a long-cage derailleur unless you're using a really big cog in back.

That said, it's a handsome bike. I have a TdF in the same color, with the same fork crown--likely the same year. Not sure about the geometry, because mine is a much bigger frame. Possibly it's the same frame as the Tdf but with different braze-ons? Pure speculation on my part.
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Last edited by jonwvara; 11-11-21 at 04:20 PM.
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