REMOVING/REPLACING clotter pin

Try liquid wrench. Besides that, hammer harder. 😄

But seriously, folks... make sure to take up the wobble in the crank arm so that the pressure is off the angled face of the cotter. I just took a cotter out that had a groove mashed into the angled face of the cotter by the crank, due to my unearthly powerful pedaling. So it wasn't just wedged in really tight. It had a ledge worn into it that hooked the crank.

What I am saying is, the threaded end pointed downward with the crank arm pointing forward, so I picked up the bike by the pedals and pushed down on the seat with my chin. This caused the crank arm I was working on (the one pointing forward) to wobble the opposite way than when it was under power. I then easily tapped the cotter out.

I leave the nuts on the cotters. I've been told it's why I have to hammer so hard to get them out, but what do critics ever know.

Actually, I just back the nuts off instead of removing them. That way, hammering tends to drive the pin out instead of mashing the threaded part down. Sometimes I can even reuse the cotters.

cheers m8, i wish i had of asked earlier cos i already whacked it WELL hard and the thread is now mashed and flat hahaa! i dont quite understand the bit about seat and chin? my cycling partner told me it shud jus slide out anyway?!

I lifted up on the pedals while pushing down on the bike.

If you pedal around with the crank arms (pedal arms) loose you can wear a groove into the cotter pin that will hook onto the crank shaft.

If you look at the bike from the side, I bet it is possible to wobble the crank arm clockwise and counterclockwise if you hold the front sprocket steady. Just wobble it the other way from where it's been while you were pounding on it and try tapping it out again.

What I am trying to say is: just before tapping the cotter out, you have to force the crank arm backward. Put force on it in the opposite direction from when you pedal.

Pedaling loose cotters has worn (swaged) a groove into the cotter, and you have to force the crank arm the other way before you can remove it.

Another way to do it besides the one I described is to stand on the pedals. Then, get off the bike without moving the pedals. Then, tap out the cotter from the crank arm that points BACKWARD, but don't move the pedals to a new position, even if you have to hammer from the bottom.

After the first crank arm is off, you will have to hold the crank axle with a wrench while you force the other pedal in the direction of pedaling backwards. Then tap the cotter out. The crank axle has a flat part that you can hold with a wrench.

Of course, if your bike has coaster brakes you may have worn two grooves into your cotters and my trick may not work.

P.S.: anyone who gets loose cotters should try tightening them first. Don't use the nut; tap the cotter in, then tighten the nut.

javvymann said:

I bought a 1967 Elswick Hopper off my mate who didnt know what it was and have started the process of renovating it... unfortunately the pedal arms slip so i need to replace the clotter pins... this proved harder than first thought and i cannot remove the old ones. i dont know whether they are rusted on, and i've tried WD40, 3 in 1, was even thinking about urinating on it!!! i removed the 10mm nut on it and tried hammering it out from the thread side, but nothing budges.......

HELP!!!

Cottered cranks can be pretty tough. And, the specialty tools that used to make the job easier are no longer available 🙁 But, here is a link to Sheldon Brown's page on servicing cottered cranks. Don't miss the link to his additional article at the bottom of the page:

sheldonbrown.comcotters.htmlOpen ↗

Use a soft hammer, or hammer on a block of wood, to tap the crank in all direction to loosen the bond (don't go overboard). You can always stick the bike in your Mum's freezer overnight and then apply localised heat to the crank - your Mum will then apply localised heat to your posterior like mine did when I set about cracking a set of crankcases when I was about 12 - she didn't seem to appreciate the hydrocarbon byproducts.
When you go to replace the cotter pins, make sure you put them in the right way round (threaded section on the trailing side of the crank so that pedaling is working against the wedge).

Old bikes are great but while you are fixing your crank you should think about repacking the bearings. I just bought a 1991 vintage machine for a spare and some of the grease was dried into a waxy substance. I doubt it was that way from the factory despite its cleanliness because it would just squeeze out of the way and stop lubricating after one or two go-arounds of the ball bearings.

In other words, grease seems to deteriorate even when sitting in a garage.

Sheldon Brown Says:

"If the bicycle is ridden with loose cotters, the motion of the crank will cause the axle to cut notches into the cotters, and it will become impossible to tighten them."

I say: The cotters are gripping the crank axle by the notches you cut while pedaling around with them loose.

I may have sounded like I was kidding but I'm not.

Also, you don't have to be Lance to cut up your cotters from pedaling; anyone can do it.

The business about standing on the pedals or pushing down on the seat while pulling up on the pedals has this purpose: to rotate the cotters backward, so the crank axle is no longer in a notch in the cotter. However, if you have coaster brakes, the axle will cut into both sides of the cotter, so you have to wobble the crank arm into a middle position while holding the other pedal.

Last, I have had cranks that wobbled freely by hand, but also cranks that you had to stand on or ride before you realized the crank arms were not tight on the crank axle.

garage sale GT said:

Sheldon Brown Says:

"If the bicycle is ridden with loose cotters, the motion of the crank will cause the axle to cut notches into the cotters, and it will become impossible to tighten them."

I say: The cotters are gripping the crank axle by the notches you cut while pedaling around with them loose.

I may have sounded like I was kidding but I'm not.

Also, you don't have to be Lance to cut up your cotters from pedaling; anyone can do it.

The business about standing on the pedals or pushing down on the seat while pulling up on the pedals has this purpose: to rotate the cotters backward, so the crank axle is no longer in a notch in the cotter. However, if you have coaster brakes, the axle will cut into both sides of the cotter, so you have to wobble the crank arm into a middle position while holding the other pedal.

Last, I have had cranks that wobbled freely by hand, but also cranks that you had to stand on or ride before you realized the crank arms were not tight on the crank axle.

Cheers 4 that and all the other posts... I'v bashed the B***ard so hard now the threads gone caput and flat! but it seems to work a little bit better than before hahaa... Realised how unhelpful my local Bikeshop is 🙁

Thanks again.

If i EVER get it off, i'l let u know!!!

Quoted post said:

If i EVER get it off, i'l let u know!!!

hahaa, after hours of gruelling hard work, only to find that it was the cotter pin the other die that needed replacing, i managed to sort the problem an am riding comfy as hell now! cheers...