Chuck Schmidt wrote:
"Supposedly you could remove the cranks with a 5mm Allen wrench as your only tool, a real advantage when touring. But that's not been my experience with the Criterium cranks on my '61 A.SiNGER Sportif. In addition to the 5mm Allen you'll need a hammer and a drift as the "cotter" gets wedged in there REAL good!"
My Durkopp track bike (thanks for the help IDing it, Chuck!) had the TA Criterium cranks on it when I got it in 1979. Obviously a retrofit (it also had Baylis Wiley BB cups). Even after sprinting use on the track and road training rides the crankset has always come off very smoothly. TA could get a testimonial from me on their claim of only needing a 5mm Allen key. Unscrew half-way, give a little push and the cotter "bolt" comes right out. And then the crank arms slide right off. Maintaining a thin film of oil on the parts has probably helped.
BTW, there have been a number of rings and adaptors for these cranks sold recently on eBay, and the bidding has been pretty brisk. Now there's a spindle on auction. If the cranks are so rare, how come so many folks (or is it just one person buying to hoard them) want these so badly? I've sort of given up trying to acquire any of these, the bidding always goes over my reserve.
Dave Ross
Portola sunny and warm today Valley, CA