Thanks Harvey,
Interesting that you should mention your experience of different axle lengths - even among Berthet pedals. I had always assumed there was in fact only one version. However, a friend had also recently mentioned his recollection that Lyotard had made one variant of this model (by the early 1970s?), which were slightly wider and used a longer spindle.
I had never seen this and thought he was simply mistaken. However, your comment now tends to confirm that he was correct, and that there truly was yet another option for these pedals.
Perhaps others familiar with the pedals may have also noticed that they were available with both a standard cage front with "slots" for attaching toeclips with nuts and bolts, and also some which were bored with two fixed threaded holes to directly accept 5 mm. screws - no nuts required.
It seems there were more variations than I ever would have guessed:
* Spindles in both 9/16" x 20 and 14 x 1.25 mm (French), * Short threads for steel crank arms and longer threads for alloy * Threaded or smooth slotted cages * Some axles with 2 opposing 15mm wrench flats... and eventually a late version with hex-sided wrench flats (and also with the pedal ends forged to accept a 6mm allen wrench) * [NOW] Short length and longer spindles for wider cages.
As for the loosening cage issue... I've been lucky and have not experienced this on any of mine (...not yet). But, I've certainly seen this annoying situation occur on plenty of other Lyotard pedal models - so I certainly don't doubt Harvey's experiences whatsoever.
Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Harvey Sachs wrote:
Thank you Bob Hanson for determining the models whose spindles are considered interchangeable with the Berthet pedal, I'd never looked at that.
Just one sour note, though: As I've written previously, I've run into substantial problems getting Berthet pedals to interchange spindles with each other. It's not just the metric/other pedal threading, but fairly significant variation in spindle length. I've run into cases in which I would have had to grind off one spindle to mate with one body, and the leftover spindle was too short to assemble in the leftover body. The Berthet is a great design, and will look great as a conversation piece hanging on a wall. Put on the bike for display, but consider riding on less likely to self-destruct pedals. I really think they were meant to be discarded rather than maintained, having had too many with loose bodies.
but, each to his own!
harvey sachs mcLean va
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J'ai ecris:
A few weeks ago Jack Romans inquired about replacement axles. There was considerable discussion and much doubt whether any others were interchangeable with the Model 23.
I just came across some information which clarifies that there were in fact 9 different spindles used by Lyotard (c.1970). The model 23 axle would be interchangeable with ONLY:
Models 45 / 45CA / 45TER
Once again, finding one now, in good condition, without removing it from a perfectly good "donor" pedal would be unlikely. But, since inquiring minds may always want to know... at least we now have an answer in the archives.
Bob Hanson,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA