I've got an old Robin Hood (circa 1970s) bicycle that I want to use as a grocery-getter.

For now, I'm repacking the bearings. Wheels, no problem. But I can't get to the bottom bracket without removing the cranks.

These are cottered cranks -- NERVAR, I believe, or something like that. Cotter has a bolt on one side. I took off the bolt, and banged a few times with a hammer to try to knock it out.

But ... if I bang any more, the threads will be ruined. Before I go that far, I wanted to get some advice.

Is this the right way to do this?

Can I get a replacement cotter "bolt"? If not, I might just ride with the 40-year-old grease and hope for the best.

Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

If I like this frame once I get it going, I may get some baskets or panniers for it. I might even take off the Huret derailleurs and go with a single up front and an internal out back.

First, though, I have to figure out how to grease the bearings!

Not a big problem. First back off the nut so it is even with the end of the thread, that gives you a bigger surface to bang against. I use a brass drift and a big hammer, but a piece of wood and a plain old carpenters hammer will work. Put the drift or block of wood against the backed off nut. A couple of sharp taps with the hammer should break the pin loose.

If you do damage the cotter pin (It was always recommended not to reuse one anyway) they are available, check eBay and Amazon for 9.5 mm cotter pins. The 9.0 mm is for French bikes you do not want that one.

I usually tap the pin back in the same way I tapped it out then tighten it until I think it is a bit too tight. That is about right.

BTW, the chain should have about a half inch of slack in it. I keep seeing chains pulled up tight in photos here. That is not a good idea as it puts a stain on the hub. It may also explain all those reports of a ticking noise when pedaling that I do not hear on my hubs.

Nothing difficult about this at all, I was doing it when I was 9 or 10. I have always liked cottered cranks they do not give problems like cotterless cranks sometimes do .

Its also a good idea to support the crank from underneath as you hit the pin - make a support from a block of wood with a space for the pin to move into....will save the bearings in the bottom bracket.

There is also a simple tool available if you want to do it "right" - called a cotter pin press.

I agree with Grey Wolf - was doing this when I was a kid as well - but then I buggered up a few pins back then! They can get corroded into place....

Mark

Don't *****foot around when removing a cotter; give it a good strong wack. I use a 2 pound hammer with the nut screwed to the end of the threads. The pins are easier to replace than keep from mangling. I typically take one of the old cotter pins to an old bike store, and buy 4 or 5, then I have em in the future. They come in 3 or 4 sizes AND the taper needs to be filed for proper fit.

+1 Put the nut back on to protect the threads.

+1 It will take a firm wack.

I have had good luck reusing cotters. Just need to protect the threads.

Thanks, Graywolf, and others.

This is very helpful.

BF -- don't know what I'd do without it.

I once did it with a big C-clamp and a 9/16 socket. Put the socket over the back of the cotter so it has a place to go, then put the clamp over the socket, the crank and the threaded end of the cotter and push it through.

It's OK to squish the threeds, Those cotters are easy to find. The new ones don't always have the nice finish that the old ones did.

That's a good idea. Might try that when I service my Raleigh soon (it needs it definitely). Although, I might put a piece of wood or something in between the threads and clamp.
-Gene-

" Can I get a replacement cotter "bolt"? If not, I might just ride with the 40-year-old grease and hope for the best."

https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/botto...s.html#cotters

Your LBS MIGHT carry them.

Sheldon & cotters-
https://sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html

If you want to the job right, get the right tool. Cotters should be pressed, not pounded.

https://bikesmithdesign.com/CotterPress/index.html

Keep in mind that the cotter has to be pressed back into place. you can't draw it up with the nut or you will wring it off. If you use a new cotter you may have to fit it and this can be critical to keep the pedals at 180 degrees. In lieu of potentially damaging a nice bike, I elected to drizzle 80w 90 down the seat tube. End of problem.Warning--It will leak out if you use to much and use newspaper until it stops.

That tool is well worth the price.
I wish I got mine three smashed cotters ago.

Oh bother, you do not need a $55 tool to remove the cotters on your $50 bicycle. New cotters only cost about $5 so you could replace them on 11 bikes before you paid for that tool. Now if you are touring on your 3-speed, especially with a group of 3-speed riders, then that tool is invaluable because you do not have to carry a 2# hammer along. On the other hand, if you are a tool collector, have at it.

Here in Australia it is easy ot get replacement cotter pins but the steel they are made from is usually just a very low carbon steel and they don't last as they get chewed up by the axle. It is possible to find cotter pins made out of 'good' steel but (here in Aust.) they are hard to find.

Drilling out a mushroomed cotter is no fun, and quite time consuming if any collateral damage is to be avoided.
While the press is indeed a bit pricey, my time is worth a lot more.

The tool plus the required wrench weigh at least two pounds so that makes no sense. My Peugeot PA10 is worth a good deal more than $50 especially since the crank is in perfect condition because I used the correct tool to change the cotters.

Looking back at experiences when I was learning, 35 years ago, I've never been comfortable with wacking a cotter with a hammer, no matter how well supported. Once I got back into wrenching, a cotter press was my first expense. If you seriously considering keeping the bike for a reasonably long term, spend the money and get the right tool.

Quick, cheap substitute for a one shot removal: See if any of your local bike shops employ a mechanic who's middle aged. If so, he's probably been wrenching for decades and has the tool in his kit. It won't cost that much to have the cotters removed properly. That's how I got my first bike going back in '05 while I was looking for the proper tool. It was the start of a good friendship, too.

I've used both the old VAR and Park shop tools and I prefer the Bikesmith Design tool over both of them.

The maker of the tool is a member of Bike Forums.

I like to get the cotters centered and that can mean pressing them in, pressing them out and filing them three or four times. If you try to do that with a hammer, you'll end up with beat up cotters and probably beat up crank arms.

Isn't the cool thing about english 3-speeds is that a hammer fixes everything?

I'll second DirtDrop's recommendation to use the cotter pin press. I bought mine from Bike Smith Design also and picked up the fixed cup tool for future use; got a fair price for buying both tools at once. The cotter pin press works super slick and is elegant in it's simplicity. I own four vintage Raleighs and do work for others that have similar cranks. The other options of c-clamps and various hammers and drifts are good to use if it's a once in a while job; it may take longer but it will work. PG.

Ya know - I've tried the C-clamp thing a couple of times, and it's never worked for me. I'd buy the press in a heartbeat if I needed one, but to tell you the truth it is just easier to avoid bikes with cottered cranks.

I was once on the fence about buying a Motebecane because the BB was in obvious need of an overhaul. To seal the deal, the owner dragged out the niftiest cotter pin tool I'd ever seen, and popped the pins out for me. It was a big bolt-cutter looking thing, with a press and cup on the jaw end. He just put that over the pin and pushed the levers together, and the pins popped out seemingly without effort. He said he got the tool at an estate sale, and no I couldn't buy it.

That sounds lake the VAR tool. I worked in a shop that sold Peugeots and Raleighs, and we got lots of use out of that tool. It works well, but I like the Bicycle Design tool better. It's slower, but I feel like I have better control.

Thanks for all the info.

That cotter press looks like a good idea. I may have to get one, if I can't get this cotter to budge -- and it hasn't budged yet.

That Peugeot crank -- handsome!

Here's my cotter pin-press.

£8 ($10?) at MachineMart or auto tool shop.
Slightly modified by drilling a depression to locate the end of the cotter.
Never failed me yet.
Some of us don't use hammers on English 3 speeds
PS It is made as a ball-joint splitter.