Building up a frame with 34 mm stack height. Since french-threaded Camp. Gran Sport headsets (34 mm) don't come up so much, I'm trying to find out what the stack height of the Triomphe headset is. It does look the same, but... The only other option I see (plan B) is a Stronglight P3, but there likely are other quality HS's with less than 35 mm stack height out there?

Triomphe (as well as Victory and pre-'85 NR) is said to be 39.1 stack ht. according to Sutherlands.
There may be some other HS with about 34mm stack, beside the ones you already mention (including Gran Sport in ALL threadings) there's the inexpensive Ritchey logic and logic comp and I've heard that some variety of Tange Levin has a low stack, but that particular one's not listed in my copy of Sutherlands.
EDIT: there's a Tange "Super Roller" that's just over at 34.3, but that's a Tange I've never seen. There are quite a few Shimano HS that stcck under 35mm, if you can go with the "Big S" brand. The easiest to find might be the 600 Ultegra, number HP-6400 and just 33.8

Thanks Unworthy, stack heights are all over the place online, the Tange Levin you mention is listed between 34 and 40 depending on variety as you say but certainly also on source. Shimano is not out of the question but if I'm unable to source a GS I'll probably go for the Stronglight. Give the french cesar etc...

The Tange "Levin" is cosmetically similar to the Campy steel headsets, well made, affordable, and 33mm stack.



Source: Barnett's Manual

I'm a big fan of Tange HS, but my (old edition) Sutherlands lists 4 varieties of "Levin" and none of them are 33 stack, they range from 34.4 (for an AP-1 OS or Over Sized model) up to 39.6 for a MTB-225, but these are all called "Levins".
The garden variety Levin is spec'd as 37. 8.
Maybe they came out with more lower-stack Levins after this Sutherlands was published...I hope so and if there's one that's 33 I'd second the recommendation!

EDIT: well there ya go, that's a good list to add to my Sutherlands, THANKS JDT. Looks like the Extrude or CDS are the models to find, and neither are in my old Sutherlands...there is a CD (no S) that's listed as 35.8

I let a french-threaded Tange Levin Nl 500 go on german ebay because I tought it was 38 mm, maybe that was wrong (BTW these french-threaded Tange HS are not growing on trees either). Great diagram John D, bookmarked!

As noted above, Tange has offered several quite different headsets under the "Levin" name. The one I referred to, and the one listed in Barnett's, is the plain chrome steel version.

I suppose page two from Barnett's might be helpful to people also:



Source: Barnett's Manual

Is it possible that these steel Levin CDS's came out after metric thread went obsolete and never were available in 25 x 1? If so I better save myself the trouble of looking for one.

maybe so^ knowing you're after a FR thread HS changes the whole picture...FR thread HSs were available from some Japanese makers but not for long and the only catalog I have that shows this Levin CDS HS for sale does not list a FR thread version, only a choice of JIS or ISO crown-race diameter.
On the other hand, Stronglight had FR thread HSs available as late as a couple years ago, and maybe still do....the French companies support that metric system!

Thanks for looking that up! Most Stronglights are 38mm or more (except P3). The better, the higher, it seems. There are plenty of cheaper french HS's available with low stack heights, like Lightrace, that came on low and mid level bikes.