Jan Heine wrote:
> At 3:35 PM -0800 11/2/08, Wesley Gadd wrote:
>> Now that we seem to be entering the twilight of the reign of the taper
>> squa
>> re cotterless crank, I've been wondering about a couple of historical
>> quest
>> ions.
>> First, did Stronglight originate the concept, and, if so, when? I'm guess
>> ing late '30's?
>
> Stronglight introduced square-taper aluminum cranks 1933. There was an
> article in La Pedale Touristique in May 1933 on the new cranks. They
> were used on many bikes in the 1934 Technical Trials - see Vintage
> Bicycle Quarterly Vol. 1, No. 4.
>
> I am sure there were others before, but they were not very successful.
Cotterless cranks existed way back before aluminium cranks, only in aluminium something else than the popular cotter was needed.
I've got a reprint of a 1913 catalogue which shows a square tapered axle with nuts. Cleveland used a tapered axle with two flats ca 1905
-- mvg
Marten Gerritsen
Kiel Windeweer
Netherlands