Mechanical Odometer

[David Martin]

m0rk wrote:

> Coterpins were the bane of my young days on my raleigh grifter ... used
> to always end up with knackered coterpins .... I used to put it down to
> my strength but more likely to my lack of bike maintenance skills
>
> .... although I used to keep them tightened regularly - never really got
> my head around the problem.

My problem was the opposite - trying to get the £%^@!*$ things out. I
could ride for weeks on a cottern pin with no nut and it didn't budge a
bit.

Possibly due to installing them firmly with a large blunt instrument..

...d

 

[ian henden]

"m0rk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected]lid says...
>> Simon Brooke wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > As a matter of interest, where in the world are you? Cranks using
>> > cotter
>> > pins are now vanishingly rare in the UK.
>> >
>>
>> "Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of
>> them still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because
>> there are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter
>> (6mm and 6.5mm if memory serves).
>>
>>
>
> Coterpins were the bane of my young days on my raleigh grifter ... used
> to always end up with knackered coterpins .... I used to put it down to
> my strength but more likely to my lack of bike maintenance skills
>
> .... although I used to keep them tightened regularly - never really got
> my head around the problem.

You're not supposed to use your head. You are supposed to use a ring
spanner, a block of hardish wood and a hammer.

--
IanH

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Naqerj
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Simon Brooke wrote:
>
>> As a matter of interest, where in the world are you? Cranks using
>> cotter pins are now vanishingly rare in the UK.
>
> "Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of
> them still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because
> there are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter
> (6mm and 6.5mm if memory serves).

OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such a bike in
use. Twenty years ago? There were a couple in the junk room at the back
of my LBS, but the people from Scrapheap Challenge came in and bought
them last week. You thought those were real scrapheaps on the programme?
So did I, but apparently it is not so.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

' ' <------- this blank intentionally spaced left

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, m0rk
('[email protected]') wrote:

> Coterpins were the bane of my young days on my raleigh grifter ...

It's not personal. They were the bane of everyones' youth...

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; MS Windows: A thirty-two bit extension ... to a sixteen bit
;; patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a
;; four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company that
;; can't stand one bit of competition -- anonymous

 

[MartinM]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, m0rk
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > Coterpins were the bane of my young days on my raleigh grifter ...
>
> It's not personal. They were the bane of everyones' youth...

I don't think I ever voluntarily took one out in order to remove the
crank, but spent most of my pocket money replacing knacked ones.

 

[Alex Potter]

Simon Brooke wrote in <[email protected]>

> in message <[email protected]>, m0rk
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Coterpins were the bane of my young days on my raleigh grifter ...
>
> It's not personal. They were the bane of everyones' youth...
>
We used to build bikes from bits found on tips when I were a lad in the
mid-50s - cotter pins always seemed to need to be filed before they'd
fit properly....
--
Regards
Alex
The email address above is a spamtrap.
alex@ the same domain will reach me

 

[Mike Causer]

On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 17:05:01 +0100, Naqerj wrote:


> "Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of them
> still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because there
> are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter (6mm and
> 6.5mm if memory serves).

ITYF they're 9.0 and 9.525mm (3/8 inch). My '64 Moulton takes the latter.



Mike

 

[David Martin]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>, Naqerj
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > Simon Brooke wrote:
> >
> >> As a matter of interest, where in the world are you? Cranks using
> >> cotter pins are now vanishingly rare in the UK.
> >
> > "Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of
> > them still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because
> > there are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter
> > (6mm and 6.5mm if memory serves).
>
> OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such a bike in
> use. Twenty years ago?

Last year at the FEIHPV meet. Rachel has cotter pins on her bike (IIRC
- IMBW).

I have another four bikes in the garage with cottered cranks (For
definite).

> There were a couple in the junk room at the back
> of my LBS, but the people from Scrapheap Challenge came in and bought
> them last week. You thought those were real scrapheaps on the programme?
> So did I, but apparently it is not so.

It is, but is suitably augmented for both visual effect and to ensure
there are enough old bits around to complete the challenge. They do use
real scrapyards for the scrappy racers bit.

If they were to do an HPV version, how about a URC team? There are
enough hackers and bodgers around to put up a reasonable effort.

...d

 

[iakobski]

OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such a bike in
use. Twenty years ago?

I use a bike with cotter pins almost daily.

Not for long trips, but if I'm nipping down to the shops it's my
favourite bike.

 

[Dave Larrington]

Also sprach David Martin <martin-
> If they were to do an HPV version, how about a URC team? There are
> enough hackers and bodgers around to put up a reasonable effort.

They did one a few years ago wherein the competitors had to build a stored
energy racing vehicle. The Appointed Experts were inveterate recumbent
homebuilder Clive Sleath and Mr BHPC Comp. Sec. gNick Green, who says that
Robert Llewellin gets comically drunk on about half a pint of BEER...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Stop it! You're scarin' the Hippo...

 

[Sandy Morton]

>My problem was the opposite - trying to get the £%^@!*$ things out. I
>could ride for weeks on a cottern pin with no nut and it didn't budge a
>bit.

>Possibly due to installing them firmly with a large blunt instrument..

Worked every time - helped if the nut side of the crank was well supported.

 

[Alan Braggins]

Simon Brooke wrote:
>in message <[email protected]>, Naqerj
>('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Simon Brooke wrote:
>>
>>> As a matter of interest, where in the world are you? Cranks using
>>> cotter pins are now vanishingly rare in the UK.
>>
>> "Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of
>> them still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because
>> there are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter
>> (6mm and 6.5mm if memory serves).
>
>OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such a bike in
>use. Twenty years ago?

This morning. Apart from that one (mine), Friday, shopping in town, there
are lots of old bikes around in use.

I'd agree with "increasingly rare" though. Mine's the only one in the car
park at work today (though not the only one I've ever seen there).

 

[Naqerj]

Simon Brooke wrote:

>
>
> OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such a bike in
> use. Twenty years ago?

Saw a few yesterday (not counting the ones I and my friend were riding).

> There were a couple in the junk room at the back
> of my LBS, but the people from Scrapheap Challenge came in and bought
> them last week. You thought those were real scrapheaps on the programme?

No, not as such. It always seemed remarkable that the heap always
contained just the things they needed. I assumed they got in a large
quantity of stuff from a real scrapheap and then 'seeded' it with a few
choice items that they thought would come in handy for the particular
challenge.

--
Andrew

 

[Naqerj]

Mike Causer wrote:
> On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 17:05:01 +0100, Naqerj wrote:
>
>
>
>>"Vanishingly rare" is a bit of an exaggeration - there are plenty of them
>>still around. Oh, and be a bit careful buying cotter pins because there
>>are two sizes and they're only a tiny bit different in diameter (6mm and
>>6.5mm if memory serves).
>
>
> ITYF they're 9.0 and 9.525mm (3/8 inch). My '64 Moulton takes the latter.
>

Ah yes, that sounds more like it. If I'd thought about what those sizes
were in inches I'd probably have realised I'd got it wrong.

--
Andrew

 

[the.Mark]

David Martin wrote:
> Simon Brooke wrote:
>> OK, put it differently. I can't remember when I last saw such
>> a bike in use. Twenty years ago?
>
> Last year at the FEIHPV meet. Rachel has cotter pins on her
> bike (IIRC - IMBW).

I've a bike where the chain ring crank is part of the BB axle and the
opposite crank is held on with a cotter pin.
>
> I have another four bikes in the garage with cottered cranks
> (For definite).
>
>> There were a couple in the junk room at the back
>> of my LBS, but the people from Scrapheap Challenge came in
>> and bought them last week. You thought those were real
>> scrapheaps on the programme? So did I, but apparently it is
>> not so.
>
> It is, but is suitably augmented for both visual effect and to
> ensure there are enough old bits around to complete the
> challenge. They do use real scrapyards for the scrappy racers
> bit.
>
> If they were to do an HPV version, how about a URC team? There
> are enough hackers and bodgers around to put up a reasonable
> effort.
>
Looking at some of the efforts produced by people here I think a URC
team could be hard to beat.
--
the.Mark

 

[Dave Larrington]

Also sprach Naqerj <[email protected]>:

> No, not as such. It always seemed remarkable that the heap always
> contained just the things they needed. I assumed they got in a large
> quantity of stuff from a real scrapheap and then 'seeded' it with a
> few choice items that they thought would come in handy for the
> particular challenge.

They do...

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
This Unit is a productive Unit.

 

[MartinM]

Dave Larrington wrote:
> Also sprach Naqerj <[email protected]>:
>
> > No, not as such. It always seemed remarkable that the heap always
> > contained just the things they needed. I assumed they got in a large
> > quantity of stuff from a real scrapheap and then 'seeded' it with a
> > few choice items that they thought would come in handy for the
> > particular challenge.
>

last time I watched it (which was a long time ago) the cars were all
LHD and had dollars wrote in the windscreens. Perhumps they were not
allowed to do anything so dangerous over here (or couldn't guarantee
the weather)