matthew_deaner

I just bought a '87 Santana Sovereign tandem. Much of the drivetrain has been upgraded; it now has an 8-speed shimano freehub, an MX cassette, and new Deore front and rear derauilers. However, it still has the original Suntour Stronglite cranks, with what appear to be original 54/49/32 chainrings. All of the rings are badly worn, especially the middle one. Is it still possible to buy these chainrings? If yes, can someone recommend a source?

Thanks for your help!

Matt

seely

Those are somewhat odd sizes so chances are you may wind up with something in the 52/53 range and a 48t middle ring, but I believe most any bike shop can still order them. Bring the crank with you so they can see and measure the bolt circle diametre to make sure they get the right ones.

LWaB

I didn't know Suntour ever made a 'Stronglite' crank. Stronglight is a French company who made tandem cranksets and their chainrings are certainly available, including most obsolete types.

TallRider

Also, you ask about "suntour chainrings" (and it appears that your crank ain't even Suntour, except perhaps in a secondary sense if they'd subcontracted Stronglight in the 80's) but there's no need to match brand on chainrings - you just need to match the bolt pattern. And it certainly doesn't sound as if you're a completist given the other upgrades to your bike.
Since I assume you have closer-spaced gearing range on the freehub than you did before with your rear gears, you might want to just get a new (or used in good shape) crank - this is often cheaper than buying a set of new chainrings.

acorn_user

Stronglight and TA probably make those sizes. The cheaper dural Stronglight rings are quite cheap too. If you are really stuck, Spa Cycles could probably send you some.

matthew_deaner

Thanks for all the help.
Sorry I incorrectly identified the maker of the cranks. The previous owner of the tandem told me that StrongLite was a Suntour product line. I guess he was wrong... I did a little looking around, and it looks like StrongLite is still in business. They have a website, and make replacement chainrings.

Thanks for the advice that chainrings are not brand-specific. After hearing that, I visited the Sheldon Brown website and learned how to measure BCD. These cranks are 144BCD campy-style. There are replacement chainrings all over e-bay, so I think I'm going to find replacements, but I'm going to go for more conventional sizes. Maybe 53/44/32...

Thanks again!

LWaB

It isn't Stronglite, there is a difference...