Nervar 631 with a modern TA 44T outer, vintage Sugino 28T inner, Stronglight bolts, on a Shimano BB. SRAM Rival 10s shifters moving a 9s Shimano FD.

maybe something with more holes in it?
I'm sure that someone could turn the pedals... assuming that there's a steep downhill nearby.



Steve in Peoria

Sorry if this has been covered already, but I'm currently trying to fit a pair of TA Pro 5 vis to my Eisentraut, and these really don't want to play well with modern BBs where the spindle is symmetrical between the DS and non-DS. The non-drive side arm is sticking out too far, while the driveside is a little too close to the chainstay. This is on a 115mm JIS spindle. I've found threads on BF and elsewhere regarding spindle type (JIS, proprietary, etc) as well as recommended length (people say ca. 118mm), but nothing really on recommended solutions for bottom brackets. Is everyone here using vintage Stronglight BBs with asymmetric spindles, and, if so, is it possible to pinpoint a specific model or length that works best? Are there any modern sealed BBs that work here?

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by "Pro 5 vis" are you referring to Sugino Pro Dynamic or to T.A. Professional?

the two plateau spindle for T.A. is the number 344

the two plateau for Sugino is the MC 68 (or MC 70)


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Those are just so damn cool looking.... I'm stuck now between a set of those, or some new panniers. Maybe I need to buy some scratch-off tickets......

juvela I'm referring to the TA 'Pro 5 Vis' crankset, so the Pro(fessional).

I've used 118mm cartridge BBs, both V-O and Shimano, with success. I'm also lucky to have a stash of Phil Wood BBs, which allow for lots of adjustability on the drive side.

Hey [MENTION=45088]nlerner[/MENTION] I currently have a V-O 115mm and a Shimano 118mm cartridge BB, and both have the issue of rendering the crank arms asymmetrically spaced on either side (non-DS sticking out further than DS) due to each spindle end being the same length. Is this something that those who use these cranksets with modern BBs just deal with?

​​​​​​I just use symmetrical bbs but you can put spacers on either side.

Yup, some number of 1mm spacers on the DS often solve the problem.

They are "still out there," but only in 52T tooth count.

I'm guessing the answer will be "trial and error", but is there an 'easy' way to narrow down the needed BB spindle length? Like, say, info* on a 49D calls for an asymmetric 118.5mm (double) or 123.5mm (triple) spindle- is one likely to have success with a symmetrical spindle of the same length with spacer(s) to get things lined up properly? Or does one have to add a couple mm to the spindle length when going from asymmetrical to symmetrical or something?

*cross-ref'd from info for a TA Cyclotouriste on Sheldon Brown- not confirmed as to whether this is actually accurate for a 49D....

Dunno if this helps, but here is a '70s vintage chart of Stronglight spindle lengths:


It gives two choices for double, and two for triple, with letters after the length — anyone know what those mean?
Double is 118.5 "C" or 120.5 "R"
Triple is 123 "S" or 125.5 "T"

I have generally used the narrow of those two, i.e. 118.5 and 123 respectively.
Those choices are 2 mm (double) and 6.5 mm (triple) longer on the right than the left.

Using triple as my example, to use a symmetric 123, you'd need 3.25 mm of spacer on the right (fixed) cup. But that assumes your spindle has a taper that matches Stronglight's exactly, which is unlikely. So your crank may pull on further or less far, depending on your actual spindle taper, so some trial and error is to be expected.

Some people (probably a lot of folks here) memorize what happens when, say, you put a Campy crank on a Stronglight spindle or vice-versa, but I have never even tried to keep that knowledge onboard, I just try it and see. Given that actual parts you have in hand seldom match the catalog spec exactly anyway, trial fitting is the rule. Often enough, it needs a little adjustment even when you're not mixing brands/models/eras. Yes that's frustrating when you have to buy a spindle to try it, which is why I have such a heavy bin of vintage spindles. That gives me the luxury of never having to use a modern symmetric spindle in a vintage bike. The correct asymmetric spindles come available on ebay practically all the time, so that's pretty do-able if you want.

Of course if you want a more modern spindle or cartridge BB in your bike then I'm not gonna fight you over it, but you'll lose points at a concours!

My approach to crank/bb compatibility is to always match crank/spindle-bb/era/model/number of rings. I know other combinations can work, but I just match it up. Then again, I confess to a certain amount of OCD with respect to matching parts and/or which parts can be mixed. In any event, I have always found the old TA bb parts to be beautifully made from very nice and durable materials. I always use loose balls with TA, and you can get them adjusted to turn with such a small amount of friction. It is probably purely psychological, but I think that the TA Tevano parts may have been machined to an even higher tolerance than the standard branded ones. The spindle numbers are the same to ease in searching for the right parts. As a pure bonus, not a lot of people look for Tevano so you may even be able to find them at a bargain…The original numbers produced were much lower than the standard units, though….

The way I deal with getting a cartridge bb to fit an ancient crank is to take the drive side crank to my bike shop and try hand fitting it on each of the four or five sizes of Shimano bbs in stock. It's pretty clear which one will work pretty quickly. Plus you can buy a spacer or two if needed. Definitely not concourse level but it always seems to work for me.

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another positive thing about Tevano to mention is that the chainsets were offered in both a polished and in an anodised finish

they seem to be little known in north america so that if one encounters some parts privately they may be at an attractive price


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You guys with functioning lungs and knees, that never need a chainring smaller than 41t, can quit reading here — the following is for us decrepit old guys.

I liked Tevano cranks too but one caveat to keep in mind, if you like triples: Their clone of the '70s Record Triple uses non-interchangeable bolts, and a different BCD. Forgive me for not remembering the details, but I think both the granny rings and the bolts for the granny are unique to Tevano. And I have almost never seen those parts for sale. So a triple crank with any of those bits missing, even a single bolt, might just have to remain a double for all eternity. One with some extra "lightening" holes in the spider — drillium!

Yes, there are ways to make a chainring of any BCD, and ways to make a set of custom bolts, but those options will be expensive, unless you're up to making them yourself. I can do those things, but I chose not to, and just used one of my Campy triple cranks instead, and sold the Tevano to a Hard Guy.

Mark B

I was more asking if there's any general 'rule of thumb' for spindle length if going from asymmetrical to symmetrical. Yeah, the Stronglight and TA BBs are nice, and still out there to be found (though not getting any cheaper), and for my own bikes that'd be my choice. But I'm doing a sort of resto-mod build for a friend with a Stronglight 49D. The original Stronglight BB is badly pitted (they generally seem pretty bulletproof- I'm guessing grit/dirt got into it at some point and a PO continued grinding away with it.....) and I think a sealed BB is going to be the way to go, so I was sort of trying to zero on on a spindle length for a symmetrical BB (assuming I'll need to use a spacer(s), too).

I'm in pretty much the same situation.
Got a 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone frame that had cracked Bayliss Wiley cups and a Brampton spindle.
I've now got a 49D and some new TA rings for it, but probably have to use a sealed BB.

My research shows Tange Seiki LN-7922 (or cheaper LN-3922) at around 68x115mm would probably work, but I've got no proof.
Sheldon mentions a Shimano UN52 115mm for a Hetchins: https://sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html#ta but I think that's asymmetric.

So I'm planning to get a cheap LN-3922 and monkey around with it a bit, unless somebody has any definite info.

We have flat to rolling terrain here, and a 42 low is very useful…So it enables me to get good use out of cranksets like Campagnolo Super Record, Stronglight 106/107, and the TA Tevano- which is one of my all time favorite cranksets…