So this convention means that when either pedal is rising on an upstroke, the round end of the cotter pin is visible from above?
On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 5:01 AM, Derek Athey <devondirect@googlemail.com>wrote:
> John
>
> I don't accept that reasoning. Because the left side isn't under stess due
> to it being on the 'rise' when the load is on the right side. All complete
> machines sold in th UK when cotters were current had them with the heads
> leading. 'If it ain't broke...don't fix it!'
>
> Derek Athey
> Honiton, Devon UK
>
> On Sat, May 15, 2010 at 12:55 AM, John Betmanis <johnb@oxford.net> wrote:
>
> > On 14/05/2010 5:30 PM, Derek Athey wrote:
> >
> > The 'head' of the cotter always 'leads' the stoke, thereby giving the
> >> strongest point of energy on the down stroke using the strongest point
> >> of the cotter against the flat of the axle to reduce stress.
> >> That way one also ensures that the cranks align perfectly.
> >>
> >
> > Derek, that does make sense, although they would be perfectly aligned
> > either way, provided both sides are the same direction. However, I just
> did
> > an image search and still see it both ways. In fact, one image was on
> > Sheldon Brown's site, where he says this:
> >
> > "Some older books speak of installing the cotter so that the pedaling
> load
> > is taken by the thick end of the cotter. This is an error, because if you
> do
> > the right side that way, the left side will be stressing the thin end,
> and
> > vice versa. It really doesn't matter which way you put them in, as long
> as
> > they face in opposite directions."
> >
> > His reasoning is correct, because it's only the *left* crank that
> transfers
> > load to the BB axle, then the axle transfers it to the right crank and
> > chainwheel, through the *thinner* end of the cotter pin.
> >
> > --
> > John Betmanis
> > Woodstock, Ontario
> > Canada
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> _______________________________________________
>
--
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA