Originally Posted by
dimini
My 1974 Superbe needs just a couple more goodies for it to be complete. 1) I have no key for the locking fork. 2) Need a new cotter pin for the crank—hopefully one that has the acorn nut w/ initial R on it. Anyone here know the trick to getting a key for the fork, or a new cylinder and new key? Cotter pins are likely EBay find but I think the missing key is a bit hopeful.
Unfortunately, the original Raleigh cotters use a British thread and any modern cotters you'll find won't work with the "R" nuts. In fact, just about any new cotters you find on eBay won't fit the Raleigh spindle either. Your best bet is to try to reuse the original cotter or replace the pair with quality cotters with the correct taper for vintage Raleighs from Mark at
BikeSmith Design and Fabrication