Quality cotter pins
- Thread starter loopybike
- Start date
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roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
try to find an old bike shop with old stock , I recently got some from a shop called "the green machine "in horwich, no idea if they are online though
midlife
Guru
Do they need to be that tight? Knock them in and nip them up....tighten after a couple of miles.
OP
OP
loopybike
Veteran
Ah, I was using the nut to tighten them in. Doh!
. Use a drift or even a piece of hardwood. You might need to file them if they don't go in far enough.
Hugh Manatee
Veteran
Make sure you get the correct size as well. There are (equivalent to) 9mm and 9.5mm!
Therein lies your mistake. The nut is only there to keep them in place once installed. They should be pressed or hammered in. The nut will never pull them into place as the thread simply isn't strong enough.
Support bottom of the crank before hammering to protect the BB. Tighten the nut first, then drive it in with a few good cracks with a hammer (you don't need a huge hammer, a typical 1lb claw hammer is enough), tighten the nut again and then hammer again and repeat until the nut stops coming loose. Ride about twenty miles and check again.
It can be worthwhile to file the taper a little flatter before installing. Some modern replacements seem to have very oblique angles. A more shallow angle will have better purchase on the spindle and will be less likely to bend or come loose in service. Compare it to the old ones if you have them to see if it's close. The skill is in filing it and keeping it flat and having both of them as close to identical as possible or the cranks won't line up properly. Not something you can rush but worth spending time on.
It's a simple but crude design but if installed properly there will be no problems with them in service.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
A common mistake, don't forget a smear of 'copaslip' on em too before installing.
The other thing to consider is that there is a right and a wrong way to install them. It will make zero functional difference but if you have the threaded side up when the pedal is in the forward position, the threads can catch and snag the bottom of your trousers on the down stroke.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
Don’t forget you’ll need more Force when installing if the bike is sitting on inflated tyres, they absorb much of the energy. Same goes when trying to remove them.
