Re: [CR]Advise sought on cottered cranks.

(Example: Framebuilding)

In-Reply-To: <020201c3b944$8de62210$efddfea9@mooshome>
References: <200312030128.hB31Sf0d023155@newcastle.cs.ubc.ca>
Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 13:35:24 -0500
To: "jerrymoos" <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>, <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Advise sought on cottered cranks.


Quoth Jerry Moos:
>A few recent acquisitions have forced me to attempt to educate myself on
>cottered steel cranks. Previously, my only experience with cottered cranks
>was with the one on the UO-8 I bought in 1972 and sold a couple of years
>later when I moved up the a 531 LeJeune and a Windsor Pro.
>
>I recently acquired an early 60's Hetchins, an early 60's Epgrave, a
>pre-WWII Bates and a 60's Rixie. The Rixie came with a Stronglight cottered
>steel crank. The others are framesets. I've bought a Williams cottered
>crank as I'm told these were common on early 60's British bikes.
>
>Can someone educate me on Williams? Were there several models? If so, how
>does distinguish the top models from the lesser ones?

Generally cranks where the spider is an integral forged part of the right arm are the high-end models.
>How did Williams rate
>compared to Stronglight or Chaterlea cottered cranks? Would a Stronglight
>cottered crank be appropriate on an early 60's or earlier British bike?

Stronglights also came in various models, but I'd consider Williams better than the usual run of Stronglights, but not in the league of Chater Lea or Magistroni.
>
>How interchahgeable are cotter pins and cottered crank axles? Do these
>interchange between Williams, Chaterlea and Stronglight, or did each crank
>take different cotters pins and axles? Seems I'm venturing off into a whole
>new world here.

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html

British cotters are generally 3/8" (9.5 mm) diameter, but it is usual to need to file the angled flat for any given installation.

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