Chater-Lea round section cranks were made for a short time in the late 40s probably 194850. As you suspected they are fairly prone to breaking though they are extremely elegant. Soon after Chater went back to the fluted crank style though on thse there was only a single flute on the outside of the cranks. The pre-war (middle to late 30s) had flutes both sides and were generally far more slender in section. Regards Hilary Stone
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>From: Huthornton@aol.com
>To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: [CR]Chater-Lea Cranks
>Date: Thu, May 3, 2001, 11:14 pm
>
> I have acquired a pair of Chater-Lea cranks with round section arms. They
> look elegant but ever so spindly.
>
> Do they flex under full power and are they known to break? Would it be the
> height of stupidity to put them on a track bike?
>
> I am also wondering what years they were manufactured and if there is any way
> of telling their date. They are both marked CHATER-LEA and MADE IN ENGLAND.
> The RH crank is marked on the inside with patent pending and a small letter
> C. The LH crank has a smal letter A, so perhaps they are not a matched pair.
>
> Would appreciate any info.
> Thanks
>
> Hugh Thornton