In all of the responses with advise on how to remove and install crank cotters, I did not see one mention of the use of either grease or never-sieze compound on both the threads and the whole pin. As I have mentioned before, I have spent at least 12 years of my adult life working in bicycle shops as a full-time mechanic/sales person. I personally own over 80 books on the subject of the bicycle. Over the years, I learned (from both experience and my reading), that a little bit of grease applied to the pin, washer, and threads, will both, help prevent damage to the threads, and aid in pulling the pin through as far as it will go. This has always worked for me, and as far as I know none have ever come loose on their own. Also, how one files the taper can make a major difference in how the pin seats, and stays seated. Care must be taken to be sure that the surface is perfectly flat, or the pin will not seat properly. And keeping the arms in line with each other can be helped by starting out with a fairly well matched pair of new cotters, and taking care to do any necessary filing, the same on both pins.
"Bicycle Mark" Perkins (happily, & newly employed by T-Squared Architects, Fresno, CA)
On Fri, 09 Feb 2001 08:35:51 +0000 Bob Reid <bob.reid1@virgin.net>
writes:
> I have to ask if it's really necessarry to install the cotter pin with
a
> tool in the first place ? - My father taught me fairly early on that
using
> any kind of tool (or hammer for that matter) to seat a cotter pin on
the
> crank meant that it was going to be all the harder and more difficult
to
> remove it the next time. He seemed to an age with engineers marking
fluid
> ("blue") and a fine file, getting a "better" fit on a new cotter pin so
it
> was well seated on the axle, rather than just taking a big hammer to
the
> back of it and making it fit. This was perhaps taking it a little too
far
> but I suppose he had a point, and I don't recall his cranks ever
loosening
> off, and the better fit onto the surface of the axle flat ought to
reduce
> the risk of slippage / movement under load. Other than that you should
get
> it tight enough using the nut supplied.
>
> Best Regards
>
> Bob (cotterless ? - It'll never catch on) Reid
> Stonehaven
> Scotland
>
>
> > From: "Aldo Ross" <swampmtn@siscom.net>
> > Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2001 12:53:43 -0500
> > To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Subject: [CR]cottered cranks question
> >
> > I finally bought a Park cotter pin press for all my my bikes with
Magistroni
> > cranksets! I've read Sheldon Brown's excellent articles about
removal and
> > installation of cotter pins, but I still have one question: How tight
should I
> > press in the cotter pin? Is it possible to exert TOO MUCH pressure
with the
> > Park tool?
> >
> > Thanks for any information.
> >
> > Aldo Ross
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
>
>
> _______________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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