Apart from the Williams steel cottered cranks found on utility bikes from the UK, I remember seeing a really beautiful forged alloy aluminum crankset some time well before 1970 (I think).
I believe it had a unique attachment to the crank spindle (axle), possibly using splines, but I can't remember this detail very well.
I was also very impressed by the design which used a sturdy aluminum adapter from 5 pin out to mount chainrings with the same "old" dimension as Campagnolo (144mmBCD?). I was so impressed, in fact, that I somehow got my hands on one of the adapters which I have to this day (squirreled away somewhere). Here was a crank on which you seemingly could use most of the TA chainring set-ups as well as Campagnolo chainrings! What audacity!
Where this crankset came from or on what bike I saw it I can't seem to remember. I don't remember it being distributed by Merry Sales (though Merry may well have carried the steel Williams cranks and parts which were virtually generic items).
Does anyone else remember the details of this elegant crankset or was it really just a near forgotten dream?
Hugh Enox
La Honda (cloudy, but no rain)