Nibor
Bewildered
- Location
- Accrington
new cotter pins always need filing to fit correctly
Where to get cottered chainset?
- Thread starter Nigel-YZ1
- Start date
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jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
I have a nasty scar on my inside left ankle bone from 1975. So don't ask me for advice about cotter pins! Makes me shudder to look at them!
and not all cottar pins are equal
mrandmrspoves
Middle aged bald git.
- Location
- Narfuk
Proper looking bike - none of that lightweight plastic rubbish!Here's how it's looking so far:
OP
OP
Nigel-YZ1
Guru
- Location
- Somewhere else... maybe soon.
I've used the cotter pin that was holding the old left crank on. Is it normal for different makes of cranks to have the pin hole (for lack of a better phrase) in slightly different places?
OP
OP
Nigel-YZ1
Guru
- Location
- Somewhere else... maybe soon.
Was given it for Christmas when I was 17, and done thousands of miles on it. Here I am now 5 minutes later aged 48!
It's funny how narrow it feels compared to the new mountain bike I got 6 weeks ago. New one feels like a bulldozer!
Not all cottar pins are the same - my first bike they were short and stubby - my first proper bike - a gas pipe moterbecane - longer and slimmer - my dads bike of the same era they were different again - never really managed to botch one to fit exactly by filing - always within a relatively short time work loose - a lifetime ago my problems were solved by taking it down to a little dusty bikeshop and the geezer fishing the right one out of a jam jar
It was years before I realised my ambition and owned a bike with cotterless cranks - and now they have gone and spoiled it by going over to this outboard bearing rubbish
mrandmrspoves
Middle aged bald git.
- Location
- Narfuk
Yes, there were vagaries in where the 'pin hole' was. I think the mechanics behind a cotter pin are so much less exacting than more recent developments. Although most people slate them, I kind of miss them and can't actually recall having had many difficulties with them back in the day.
biggs682
Itching to get back on my bike's
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Must be nice to have owned a bike that long
gilespargiter
Veteran
- Location
- N Wales
It is not a "bodge" to file a cotter pin to fit, it is normal fitting procedure. Be carefull to file the "land" so that you have good contact. So that it doesn't work lose fit it with the nut down when you are pushing the pedal down.
There were a couple of different diameters used, with only a very small variation. Once you have established this (and the length) you will find that as this fitting technique is by no means confined to bicycles you can obtain them from engineering suppliers - of the sort that supply machine tool parts. You can even obtain aluminium ones, which work very well when fitted properly.
Be sure to support the crank and not under the BB when driving them out in order to avoid bruising the BB bearing.
There were a couple of different diameters used, with only a very small variation. Once you have established this (and the length) you will find that as this fitting technique is by no means confined to bicycles you can obtain them from engineering suppliers - of the sort that supply machine tool parts. You can even obtain aluminium ones, which work very well when fitted properly.
Be sure to support the crank and not under the BB when driving them out in order to avoid bruising the BB bearing.
OP
OP
Nigel-YZ1
Guru
- Location
- Somewhere else... maybe soon.
All sorted now thanks to loads of cotter pin filing 
