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@veLLo
Hello all...
Since I've sold the Witcomb and more recently the Sun tandem, and apart from my 1930s Fisher bike who lives in France, I no longer own what I consider being an "old" bike... I don't really have time or space for a new project, but, being a little bored (in a good sense) these few days around Christmas, I've been thinking of a set of cranks I bought be years back in Berlin.
NOS Stronglight steel cottered cranks, with original Stronglight axle...
I looked a like on the internet, but it's hard to figure how old a frame I should match these with... Square taper exist since the 1930s, these cranks are more recent than that, and cheep bike had cottered cranks until recently, and probably still exist in some form.
These cranks were not bottom of the range, they are nicely finished, with nice chrome, demonstable chainrings, 3 thin arm spider rather than the small BCD 5 bolts a la 49D.
I haven't got them with me so can't further tell you about model.
But generally, would that necessarily call for a 1940s / 1950s frame, or could I get away with something more recent? Reason I'm asking is that I have a potential candidate, a French unknown maker frame, steel, very likely to be a custom job, or at least a good spec frame (nice details, campag dropouts, braze on shifters and front derailleur hanger, lugged rear brake bridge, nice pointy lugs with heart shaped cut out, and overall pretty light). Original chrome forks are fucked (or would require new steerer put in) but I have spare chrome French forks, very similar looking, which I believe are motobecane, and look period consistent with the frame, or at least with the original forks... My estimate is that the frame would be from the late 60s, early 70s...
Would that be too late for the cranks?
I have NOS Simplex rear and front derailleurs, although front unfortunately it band-on so would require a little puppy killing of the frame... Then I'd need to source shifters, Mafac centre pulls and levers maybe, and that's an Eroica ready French bike no?
Opinions welcome...
Thanks!