Vintage Components - Specialities T.A. bottom brackets and bottom bracket parts
On this page: English-threaded cup sets | French-threaded (35 x 1) cup set | Swiss-threaded (35 x 1) cup set
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Specialities T.A. is a French component maker founded in 1947 by brothers Georges and Louis Navet.
Before moving on, we'll answer the question almost everyone asks. What does the "T.A." stand for? The brothers originally intended to make a front-wheel drive bicycle, in French "traction avant". The brothers never pursued their original inspiration, but almost three-quarters of a century later, the name has still stuck.
Instead, the brothers began making chainrings that would fit the Stronglight 49D crankset. From there, they branched out into their own cranksets, pedals (with needle bearings), bottles, shoe cleats and other items.
The Navets started in Clamart, just southwest of Paris. Since 2010, the T.A. factory is in Sissone, between Paris and the Belgian border.
The various cranks T.A. produced usually had a very small "Q Factor", the distance between the outside of one crank to the outside of the other.
Spindle notes:
For those buying our vintage T.A. spindles, they have ISO square spindle taper. These are compatible with Campagnolo, older Stronglight, Nervar, and of course, T.A.
If you have a JIS crankset (Ritchey, S.R. most Shimano, Specialized and Sugino) the crankarms will sit about 4.5 mm closer to the frame when using an ISO spindle than if a JIS spindle were used.
T.A. English-threaded cup set. Used
T.A. English-threaded cup set #1. Used, $50.00/set
The tops of the cups
The insides, showing the bearing surfaces
T.A. English-threaded cup set #2. Used, $50.00/set
Here's the outside of the adjustable cup
Here's the bearing surface.
Here's the fixed cup
Inside the fixed cup.
T.A French-Threaded (35 x 1) cup set. Used, $50.00/set
The outside of the cups
Here are the insides, showing the bearing surfaces.
T.A Swiss-Threaded (35 x 1) cup set. Used
Important: Swiss-threaded fixed cups have left-handed threads: 35 mm X 1mm (25.4 tpi).
T.A Swiss-Threaded (35 x 1) cup set #1. Used, $50.00/set
From the outside
The cups turned over to show their bearing surfaces
T.A Swiss-Threaded (35 x 1) cup set #2. Used, $50.00/set
The cups' outsides
The bearing surfaces