Cotter Pin Question
#1
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Cotter Pin Question
I got new cotters, and they are in tight, and the nuts on the threaded end are engaged (one side fully, the other side caught only 2 or 3 threads, but did snug-up). I have 10mm of the non-threaded end visible on each crank. Should I go ahead and sand/file a little off the diagonal face of the pin, to get it to push farther through before I put the nut on? 10mm looks like too much visible.
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-----
you've got an asymmetry somewhere
the pins may not be identical
the crank arms may not be a match
when the difference is in the pins then the usual procedure is to file the cut on the pin with the lighter cut
another thing you can check when the pins are in this state is the opposition of the crank arms -
they may not be a symmetric one hundred eighty degrees...
---
here is one that will sound silly at first -
sometimes if a wedgebolt has worked loose in the past the combination of play and the torque of pedaling can gall up the walls of the wedgebolt hole in the head of the arm
rare, but takes only a moment to check for this
-----
you've got an asymmetry somewhere
the pins may not be identical
the crank arms may not be a match
when the difference is in the pins then the usual procedure is to file the cut on the pin with the lighter cut
another thing you can check when the pins are in this state is the opposition of the crank arms -
they may not be a symmetric one hundred eighty degrees...
---
here is one that will sound silly at first -
sometimes if a wedgebolt has worked loose in the past the combination of play and the torque of pedaling can gall up the walls of the wedgebolt hole in the head of the arm
rare, but takes only a moment to check for this
-----
Last edited by juvela; 02-23-24 at 08:22 PM. Reason: spellin''
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Nice crank!
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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I sanded one pin down and they are now about equal, with 10mm of the non threaded side sticking out. They're tight, so I'll just leave it. A new camera is on the way, my old one is broken.
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Last edited by 1989Pre; 02-23-24 at 07:19 PM.
#6
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well look at….it’s a nice looking crankset.
I think it’s from the Marines all that hot Sun at Parris Island and the flightline in Yuma.
I think it’s from the Marines all that hot Sun at Parris Island and the flightline in Yuma.
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#7
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Cotter pins and social media, nothing good can come of it when these two things are brought together.
Except maybe a picture of a "nice crank" showing what a properly installed cotter looks like. Well done iab. And I agree.. nice crank.
Except maybe a picture of a "nice crank" showing what a properly installed cotter looks like. Well done iab. And I agree.. nice crank.
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Exactly. iab has stated that some thread should be showing. This is my belief and experience, as well. So, here we get to see my original post again:
"I got new cotters, and they are in tight, and the nuts on the threaded end are engaged (one side fully, the other side caught only 2 or 3 threads, but did snug-up). I have 10mm of the non-threaded end visible on each crank. Should I go ahead and sand/file a little off the diagonal face of the pin, to get it to push farther through before I put the nut on? 10mm looks like too much visible."
There are no threads visible on either pin. The threaded section comes about flush with the outside of the nut.
Anyone who can give me a direct answer is welcome.
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Unless you climb the rungs strategically, you’re not going to build the muscle you need to stay at the top.
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Last edited by 1989Pre; 02-25-24 at 08:10 AM.
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Well, to get pedantic.
Bianchigirl's reply was directly after my post, and quite frankly, mine is a nice crank. A bit of thread drift, yes, but so it goes.
And what I wrote concerning cotters is a preference, it is neither right or wrong. I also have about 10mm of cotter showing but plenty of threads too. There are crank and cotter variables that can change the answer, that is why I requested a picture. juvela used words to make the same point. Bottom line, if the crank is secure, the job was done right. Carryon.
Bianchigirl's reply was directly after my post, and quite frankly, mine is a nice crank. A bit of thread drift, yes, but so it goes.
And what I wrote concerning cotters is a preference, it is neither right or wrong. I also have about 10mm of cotter showing but plenty of threads too. There are crank and cotter variables that can change the answer, that is why I requested a picture. juvela used words to make the same point. Bottom line, if the crank is secure, the job was done right. Carryon.
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#11
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Yeah, it's just like not bothering to read in that i don't have a camera right now. Dope.
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Unless you climb the rungs strategically, you’re not going to build the muscle you need to stay at the top.
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Old school cranks typically had a 10mm or so drive side off set and yes one did need to file the pins to get a good fit so you should be fine if stuff is basically strait and tight You can have a 5mm or so difference from perfect with no real issues.
#13
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This is what my cotter pin installations look like, but the two or three 1950ies bikes i got, who were built contemporary, had almost no length of pin or thread sticking out. It saves a lot of trouser legs, too
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Great job for freehand likely done without a cotter press pin setter and alignment tools.
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On a few bikes, after filing the cotters to get the amount of thread I like sticking out (just a bit past the nut, ideally ~1 thread), I took the pins out and cut them short on the unthreaded end, so just a few mm sticks out on that side. Less trouser-catching, and light weight!!!
But then the cut can rust, so I keep them covered in grime.
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