Classic & Vintage - Ok... get those cotter presses on ebay... what the heck?!

I put in a snipe bid for this Schwinn Approved cotter press.... $31.00.

Oh, but wait... it sold for $168.49. I guess no one told the winning bidder he could buy the Bikesmith version for 55 dollars :eek:.

I know, I know... another crazy ebay thread. This is seriously crazy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=280588604404&si=q08I8idFg8HUpk%252FCCWPUSntBE3c%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT#ht_500wt_1156

German word for the day:

Schwinn (noun): something that has a price that exceeds its value.*




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*Okay, I just made that up. If it were a real German definition, it would include the gender of the noun. Der Schwinn? Das Schwinn? Die Schwinn?

Well, it's shiny. It's the only thing the winner has bid on all month. In contrast, the 2nd place bidder, who put in multiple bids, has bid on a whole bunch of stuff, all cycling related. Not sure what if anything to make of that, but I found it interesting.

Whoa............$14 shipping?!?!

You know, the irony of a Schwinn Approved cotter press took a while to sink in. How many of our Schwinns have cotter pins? My 1940 New World is one... there's a few old Paramounts... but by and large, Schwinns are pretty much a cotterless brand.

That's probably why this is valuable. It was only used on high end bikes from the 50s or earlier.
Wait, did the Japanese Schwinns have cotters?
If it was for a Stingray it would be way more expensive.

I was also watching this auction, why I do not know. I already have a VAR cotter press, have only one bike with cottered cranks, yet I was curious to see where this would end. I would probably have bid if it stayed in the $30 range.

This one is nicer than the bikesmith one. I had put in a snipe bid of $60 for it which didn't even register.

It looks very similar to the Park press that I picked up early this year. Great tools that make cotters almost fun.

Well, just watch for more to come out of the woodwork. In my experience selling on ebay, when something goes way high, people start pulling duplicate items out of their basement, garage, attic, or wherever. Invariably, future items go for less as the floodgates open.

I don't quite understand why people buy them at all for more than $25 or so. I've only dealt with one pair of cottered cranks, but I was able to just put a large screwdriver on the end and pop them out by hitting the screw driver with a hammer. If that hadn't worked, I don't see why I couldn't have just grabbed my 6" C-clamp and pop them out with that. Is there something I'm missing here?

I don't quite understand why people buy them at all for more than $25 or so. I've only dealt with one pair of cottered cranks, but I was able to just put a large screwdriver on the end and pop them out by hitting the screw driver with a hammer. If that hadn't worked, I don't see why I couldn't have just grabbed my 6" C-clamp and pop them out with that. Is there something I'm missing here?

Good luck with that C-clamp. My Bikesmith cotter pin press was expensive, but it's incredibly well tooled and it's one of the best darn tools I own. I have several bikes with cottered cranks, I've used Sheldon's "board" method, jacked around with C-clamps and socket methods, along with a variety of other work-arounds. There is absolutely no way to beat this specialized tool if you need to mess with cotters on a regular basis. ($168.49, though, is nuts! Fifty clams for the Bikesmith tool.)

Yeah, the hammer and C clamp usually work but the press will get them all without any hassle or screwed up threads.

I don't quite understand why people buy them at all for more than $25 or so. I've only dealt with one pair of cottered cranks, but I was able to just put a large screwdriver on the end and pop them out by hitting the screw driver with a hammer. If that hadn't worked, I don't see why I couldn't have just grabbed my 6" C-clamp and pop them out with that. Is there something I'm missing here?

I tried and failed at both. I stole the Park press for a few dollars and love it.

So those of you who deal with cotters and cotter presses on a regular basis--I'm curious, do you use it to re-pack the bottom brackets and then re-install the cotter pins, or to swap out the bottom brackets and cranks altogether? I've wondered what they did back in the days of common cotter systems for re-packing bearings in the bb.

So those of you who deal with cotters and cotter presses on a regular basis--I'm curious, do you use it to re-pack the bottom brackets and then re-install the cotter pins, or to swap out the bottom brackets and cranks altogether? I've wondered what they did back in the days of common cotter systems for re-packing bearings in the bb.

Yes.

So those of you who deal with cotters and cotter presses on a regular basis--I'm curious, do you use it to re-pack the bottom brackets and then re-install the cotter pins, or to swap out the bottom brackets and cranks altogether? I've wondered what they did back in the days of common cotter systems for re-packing bearings in the bb.

I usually repack and reinstall the original crank and cotters.

FWIW the press is great for getting the cotters out, but even more important for getting properly seated when you put them back in. In my case I have around a dozen bikes with cottered cranks and service several more. So the Bikesmith press along with his fixed cup removal tool was a no brainer for me.

Aaron :)

So those of you who deal with cotters and cotter presses on a regular basis--I'm curious, do you use it to re-pack the bottom brackets and then re-install the cotter pins, or to swap out the bottom brackets and cranks altogether? I've wondered what they did back in the days of common cotter systems for re-packing bearings in the bb.

When I need to, I take apart cottered cranks, clean and repack, and reassemble. I'll reuse cotter pins where possible, but I have a stash of new ones (the cheap variety) to use where necessary. I will replace cups, spindle, whatever, if necessary. If the balls aren't shiny enough for my taste, I'll replace them as well. I have replaced cottered cranks with cotterless on a couple occasions, but in both cases found negligible improvement at best, and went back to the cottered crank before long.

I should put this hand made, and incredibly rare, Randini Pressorini on Ebay. See what I can get for it.

179181 179182

It looks very similar to the Park press that I picked up early this year. Great tools that make cotters almost fun.

It is an old Park press. The ad says so. The Schwinn name on it means a lot to some people.

It is an old Park press. The ad says so. The Schwinn name on it means a lot to some people.

I gathered that just from the pictures, although I never really looked for confirmation. I was intending more to comment on how well that design works. Sure, the other BikeSmith one probably works well too, but even with an offer to trade for it and some cash, I preferred to keep mine.

When I worked at Bikecology (Los Angeles area Peugeot and Nishiki dealership) in the early 1970s, I enjoyed using a high-leverage VAR press. At home I happily make do with two hammers (place the head of one sideways atop the cotter, then tap with the other) for my one bike with cottered cranks (Capo #2).

Perhaps appropriate that the seller is "purple haze"... heh.

I have purchased at least one item from that seller and found him to be a really decent guy. Sometimes you get lucky, he did on this auction.

I have purchased at least one item from that seller and found him to be a really decent guy. Sometimes you get lucky, he did on this auction.

Yes, and I have met him in person and had a very lengthy conversation with him. His name is Tom Hayes and he IS very nice and an even more interesting person. He does get undervalue in some auctions, I met him to pick up a Campy NR rear derailleur I won for 15 dollars. While I was there he showed me his cool collection of bikes, parts and tools and sent me away with some extra free stuff. I know he is on the CR list... I think he said he was one of the earlier members there.

Perhaps appropriate that the seller is "purple haze"... heh.

His last name is Hayes, so it's just a play on that. I do get the joke and I am not trying to kill it, just posting the little bit I know.