C-record chainset in the 2000 TdF?

[foz]

I was just looking at the David Millar photo special on pezcycling, and the one below caught my eye - 2000 Tour de France, what looks like a 10 speed record carbon groupset, but with a C-record chainset. Anyone know why? That style of chainset disappeared from the campagnolo catalogues in 95 I think.

 

[Merlin]

Re:

Well spotted! Maybe he wanted long cranks. The C Record chainset was made in 180mm. I do not think the later ones were made that long. I read somewhere that Miguel Indurain used 180 and David Millar is taller than him.

 

[mattr]

Quite a few teams swapped the early carbon cranks for older aluminium ones, or for something lower in the range, especially for taller or stronger riders.
The carbon ones were either unavailable, or felt to be too flexible in the longer lengths, and for stronger riders they just thought they were just too flexible.

Not sure how much of it was in the riders head tho.......

 

[foz]

Yes I remember that when the first carbon cranks came out some riders still rode alloy ones - Tom Boonen used the alloy ones in 180 I think, because they weren't available in carbon. But the later style alloy cranks (record 9 and 10 speed type) were around for 4 or 5 years before the cabron ones appeared, so it seems strange that millar would use C-record instead of those.

 

[gavr]

Re:

Do you remember the 2003(?) prologue when a dropped chain cost him the stage win near the end? He was scathing about he lack of attention to detail over his equipment set up. Perhaps he got whatever the mechanics had to hand, given his size...

 

[Merlin]

Re:

The carbon cranks came out (in the catalogue at least) in 2002. The 2000 catalogue lists Record alloy cranks 170,172.5,175. The 2001 catalogue has 170,172.5,175,177.5,180 lengths for the 10 speed crankset so maybe there was a gap when a longer crankset could only be obtained by going back to the earlier model.

As far as I can see from the Campagnolo website the 2015 range is sadly restricted compared with earlier years and decades. They appear to have abandoned triple chainsets altogether and the wide range 12-30, 10 speed cassette has gone. That is sad for older riders like me. When I was young I could not afford Campagnolo. Now I can but they don't make what I need. Thank goodness there is enough old stuff still available.