Handlebar (stem) OD question - 70's, 80's French, -> Jap

[still me]

Stem size handlebar clamp questions (bar to stem)

- What bar size were most French stems (Atax, Phillipe, AVA) in the
70's and 80's - 23.5 or 25.0?

- When the French went to using SR Stems & bars, did they stay at the
same size or switch to something else ?

Thanks,

 

[* * Chas]

"still me" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Stem size handlebar clamp questions (bar to stem)
>
> - What bar size were most French stems (Atax, Phillipe, AVA) in the
> 70's and 80's - 23.5 or 25.0?
>
> - When the French went to using SR Stems & bars, did they stay at the
> same size or switch to something else ?
>
> Thanks,
>

Look under "Drop ("Road") Handlebars" at
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/handlebars/index.html

and "Handlebars/stems"
http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html#stem

and "Stem"
http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_st-z.html#stem

Motbecane started using Japanese components in the mid 70s. Other French
makers followed suite in the next few years. It's hard to give a firm date
because the companies changed components so frequently.

Chas.

 

[still me]

On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 00:18:34 -0700, "* * Chas"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Motbecane started using Japanese components in the mid 70s. Other French
>makers followed suite in the next few years. It's hard to give a firm date
>because the companies changed components so frequently.

Chas.

I looked through most of the Sheldon links before posting, but I also
found this: http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html#table indicating that
they had both 23.5 and 25.0 standards. Any idea when 25.0 became
common?

Also, did the Japanese on French parts get manufactured to French
standards or normal Japanese standards ?

Lastly, did most of the run of the mill (e.g. SR) Japanese stuff use
the 25.4 or 26.0?

Thanks,

 

[Art Harris]

Chas" wrote:
> Motobecane started using Japanese components in the mid 70s. Other French
> makers followed suite in the next few years. It's hard to give a firm date
> because the companies changed components so frequently.

My circa 1981 Motobecane Grand Record came with mostly Shimano 600EX
components, but the bar and stem were French.

Even so, the 600EX BB was Swiss thread, and the headset was French.
The stem, and all frame tube O.D. were French standard. The frame used
Vitus 172 tubing.

As I recall, that model switched to BSC the following year.

Art Harris

 

[A Muzi]

> "* * Chas" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Motbecane started using Japanese components in the mid 70s. Other French
>> makers followed suite in the next few years. It's hard to give a firm date
>> because the companies changed components so frequently.

still me wrote:
> I looked through most of the Sheldon links before posting, but I also
> found this: http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html#table indicating that
> they had both 23.5 and 25.0 standards. Any idea when 25.0 became
> common?
>
> Also, did the Japanese on French parts get manufactured to French
> standards or normal Japanese standards ?
>
> Lastly, did most of the run of the mill (e.g. SR) Japanese stuff use
> the 25.4 or 26.0?

SR World Champion are 25.4. Which model?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Sheldon Brown]

I don't know who asked:

> I looked through most of theSheldonlinks before posting, but I also
> found this: http://sheldonbrown.com/velos.html#tableindicating that
> they had both 23.5 and 25.0 standards. Any idea when 25.0 became
> common?

I think the 23.5 size was mainly for kids' bikes.

> Also, did the Japanese on French parts get manufactured to French
> standards or normal Japanese standards ?

Some of each.

> Lastly, did most of the run of the mill (e.g. SR) Japanese stuff use
> the 25.4 or 26.0?

25.4. (1 inch) That's the official ISO size.

26 is Italian national size, but Italian bars and stems have been so
popular that many non-Italian makers have adopted it for their higher
end road stuff.

The hot thing now is 31.8 mm (1 1/4") "oversized" bars. Some of these
are pretty nice...the larger diameter, plus the use of "pop top" stems
that you don't have to be able to thread the bars through, has made it
possible to make bars where the tops are seriously ovalized.

Some cyclists, including me, find these much more comfortable than
older round-section bars. The flattened surface provides more surface
area to support the heels of the hands, reducing the pressure.

Sheldon "Not A Retrogrouch About Everything" Brown
+-----------------------------------------+
| The wind and waves are always on the |
| side of the ablest navigators. |
| --Edward Gibbon |
+-----------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[still me]

On Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:06:23 -0700, Sheldon Brown
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Some cyclists, including me, find these much more comfortable than
>older round-section bars. The flattened surface provides more surface
>area to support the heels of the hands, reducing the pressure.


I've thought for years that handlebars are greatly undersized and
possible the wrong shape... never understood why no one created headed
this way before.

Thanks for the sizing info,