... would be really nice for those Eroica-type events. Especially if you don't want to mount a triple and a long-cage derailleur on your seventies' racing bike, but your legs are not quite in racing shape - like mine.

I've built several 'vintage compacts' in the past, using 110 BCD cranks, such as the Sugino Maxy, and though they worked perfectly, they never looked quite right.

These are much nicer, I think. One of the many versions of the SR Apex-5 is this Campagnolo Record clone. With 49/36 chain rings mated to a 14-28 freewheel it provides a range of 34-94 gear inches, which works pretty well for me. And what's more: the Nuovo Record RD will handle it, at least on the bikes I've tried it with.

Looks legit to me.

I have a couple sets of 151s. One is track, other I am not sure, looks track but 180 and probably those first year Campys, been meaning to post and ask.

I have two of those cranks, both 36-52. I had to look around for the 36t rings, but I agree that it makes a good-looking compact crank-- it looks just like a Campy Record but lower geared. 36 teeth is small enough to get you up the hills, and large enough to be usable on the road.

I use Zeus (120mm BCD, 48/36 rings pictured) cranks here:

(/me does some Googling and ebay searching...)

You could double-ize the triple and go even lower!

Sugino mighty tour double works; I'm running a 48/36 on the bike below with a 13-26 freewheel. The mighty tour is a quality cold forced crank.



So do a whole bunch of different French cranks. I may run a stronglight 99 double on a bike build I'll be doing later this summer.

Even nicer! And very useful set of rings to boot. I guess it won't be easy to find replacements for those.

40T is the best I can find. I know of others who've made 116mm rings work with a little mcgyvering. Miche still makes those.

If you can't find one: the Miche junior chainrings are 116BCD and are easily modified to 118. I've got a 36t Miche paired with a nos 46t SR ring on my Peugeot