> Also learned a another new fact about the TA
> Cyclotourist. The chainring bolts are the old style with
> domed boltheads to the outside and slotted sleeves/nuts
> inside the crank, as opposed to the newer style with allen
> head sleeves outside and hex head bolts inside. I always
> thought the two types of fasteners could be interchanged,
> but that is not the case. After changing the rings, I
> found the chainring bolts would not tighten up completely.
> The problem is that the old bolts and sleeves are made for
> an outer ring which does have the countersunk bolt hole
> found on newer outer rings. When used with newer recessed
> outer rings, the old domed bolts will bottom out on the
> sleeve before the rings are completely secured. This could
> possibly be corrected by shimming the sleeves with washers
> with a small OD-ID difference, or filing the sleeve, but I
> just resorted to using newer style hardware. Just another
> example of the endless variations encountered with TA gear.
>
I made this "discovery" myself a couple of years ago, and have a word of caution based on that experience. Those domed bolts are made from relatively soft metal. Should they bottom out, it's very easy to over-tighten them and have the domed portion separate from the shaft. I think the clearances are even extremely tight, even when using the original style chain rings. So I've been using small washers to be safe.
Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)