Hello again:

I posted before, and thanks to you kind fellows, I managed to finally get the rusted cotters off my old Raleigh Sprite 27.

(However, since I discovered the HAMMER before bikeforums.net, unfortunately I had to drill them out).

Now I've got the bottom bracket apart and am doing internet research about the 26 TPI issue ...

I'd like to use a square taper spindle with the existing cups/cones (they are in good shape). Where can I find a proper sized spindle? Any hints?

My BB shell measures 71mm,
the existing spindle is 136 mm.

My reading suggests a five or seven series spindle (letter code), but I cannot find a source.

Has somebody here already done something similar, and could help me out?

Thanks again!

You could have a bike shop file the bottom bracket housing to the more common 24 TPI British standard, for which a bottom bracket is readily available.

Or you can buy a Phil Wood 26 TPI bottom bracket cartridge, but that's an expensive solution. A Shimano UNO-73 bottom bracket will work with vintage Raleighs...

I did a similar BB conversion on a '71 Raleigh
Supercourse using a 5 series spindle scrounged
up at the local Bike Coop. I'm sorry I cannot
give you a source for new ones.

Harris Cyclery used to be pretty good for this
sort of thing:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/bottombrackets.html

but they now state they are unable to get them.

I'm guessing you want to do this conversion because
you have been traumatized by your cotter encounter.

Look here before you give up on cottered cranks altogether:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post11774914

I am unable to determine your location given
that you have not yet shared it on your personal
page. If you can find a bike coop type place,
they will probably have a stock of salvaged
BB spindles you can try. Otherwise, try to
find crapped out mountain bikes with cup
and cone BB's and cotterless spindles.
They're usually wider.

Phil Wood BB is the nuclear option. Your BB
will then be worth more than the bicycle.

Yours,
Mike Larmer

p.s. I am not a big fan of the rethreading
solution--and I have both the knowledge and
the tools to do it. There are a number of
threads on BF where people say they have
done this and it has worked fine for them.
There are also a few who state it screwed
up their frame. Use the advanced search
function. Also look here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ell-ever-tried

You lucky devil. I'm going to have to make a trip down to Boston and root around. Maybe call a friend in Pittsburgh too, there were a lot of spindles in that drawer.

Can you name a bike that came with a 5 series spindle?



Something odd happened to my Super Course at some point. The big ring was mounted outboard of the crank arms, instead of inboard like I've seen on every photo of this crank set. If I try mounting them inboard, the little ring doesn't clear the chain stay, so I'm guessing there is non-original spindle installed. If I have to hunt down a spindle, I rather just go cotterless.

Or, do you still have your original spindle? Can you measure it, if not send it to me?

I'll try to remember to check at the shop on Monday. I must 100+ vintage Maxy style spindles. There should be plenty of #5 series in there, as Sekine used them.

I just setup this account, I'll add geographic info etc.

I live in the SF Bay Area, CA. This may be one of the better bike areas in the country, so I'm sure SOMEWHERE I can find this part.

If not, I'm leaning towards finding a one chainring Raleigh crank (from the three speeds) and encountering my nemesis the 'cotter' again This time, I'll come armed with a cotter press.

To acct "jonwvara" who sent me a PM ... it won't let me reply until I have 50 posts. Sent me another with a email address w.r.t. the chain ring you want. (Assuming jonwvara is reading this post )

Tugrul:

I am not remotely that knowledgeable as to do this.

Yes. The overall distance between the cotter flats (flat center to flat center)
is @115mm, between the cone bearing surfaces is @54mm, drive side cone
to cotter flat is @37mm, non drive @25mm. The crank, which I am reasonably
sure was original, is a Nervar 52/40.

Sadly, I must keep the spindle, even though I am aware it is just another
attachment to the material plane. Forgive me this bit of selfishness, I
shall no doubt have to answer for it someday.

Proof, once again, that it is better to be lucky than smart.

Yours,
Mike Larmer

I would just get a crank with a spindle that you know works for that crank, and try installing it with balls, and see how the fit works. I did this on my Peugeot UO-8. I had a 6207 series Shimano 600 crank with its original BB axle and bearing set, and I decided to see how it fits in the French cups of my Peug. As luck would have it, everything has good clearance and it shifts well, so I am good to go, without modifying the threads of my old frame. If that combo doesn't work, unfortunately there'll be a need to decide in which direction a change needs to be made.

I think the 3rd or 4th editions of Sutherland's discussed matching crank/axle/frame to each other, and would at least show you how to measure and spec the spindles that do work (the old Raleigh) and that might not.

If it were a 68mm bottom bracket, I'd give it a shot.

T-Mar, I'd be super grateful if you can supply spindles. Ideally I could use a set of 600EX cranks I have.

Monday evening, I'll post a list of the spindles I have in stock. You pick the one you need and contact me via PM to make arrangements.

I used a 122mm Stronglight spindle in my daughter's FrankenSports project:




There's clearance for double chainrings when the crank is mounted. Single ring would also work fine.

As you can see, I have some extra spindles of this type. PM if you're interested in trying one.

Argh! I'm not allowed to PM until I hit 50 posts. Unless I just post up about my dog or something, I can only reply via forums.

Anyway, Stronglight 122mm's ... I'll start looking for one.

I, too, have a stash of spindles and will be happy to look to see what's in it.

Posts about your dog are of course welcome. Perhaps you should start a thread about your dog, so the nonsensical posts are easier to ignore... you won't be the first one to post a lot of nonsense on the way to sending pm's!

There are other ways too to get my post count up ... I've got plenty of more modern bikes .. problem is they have no problems, and I can buy/install parts all day long on those guys.

Yeah, that "hammer" method (or "BFH" more aptly describes it) is not the best way of doing it.

Are you considering the cotter press or are you going with the C-Clamp and socket method?

If it is not already obvious to you, you should
take along your old spindle on the hunt. Especially
in a scrap parts environment, it is very helpful
to be able to visually compare the distance between
the cone races and the length of the drive side,
in addition to the overall length.

You might have to look at quite a few.

Mike Larmer

I did a conversion to square taper from cottered on my '72 Super Course. I tried a 5 series spindle, but it wasn't wide enough and the adjustable cup sank in too far....a 7 series 126mm spindle was the solution for me to get a Triple on there.

I bought it new on Amazon at the beginning of the summer.
here's one, although Its probably longer than you'd want. https://www.amazon.com/Bottom-Bracket...2258406&sr=8-1

Another solution is to have it converted to Italian threaded, Italian threaded is slightly larger then British threaded, but has the same pitch, by boring it out and cutting Italian threading you are cutting threads into metal rather then just moving them around. You need a shop that knows how to do it though, Italian threaded parts are still quite common. BTW Raleigh threaded BB's are often 76mm wide, not 71mm wide, which is the width for Italian threaded.

I just tried the c-clamp/socket trick with a heavier duty c-clamp and the c-clamp shaft/threaded area started bending and canting off sideways. Worked a week ago on a different bike, but the cotter I tried it on this weekend wouldn't budge. I'm now in the market for a proper press. And in the mean time I'll be taking the bike out to the garage and attacking the cotters with the heavy duty plumber's vise bolted to a portable stump. If that don't work then Pinky is near by ( "Pinky" is a 30+Lb sledge hammer that the previous owner of our house had left behind and which he had painted said sledge hammer pink).

As to getting to 50 posts, start a thread in the Road forum about how you prefer the ride of your vintage bike over your newer bike and state that you will defend that position. Next, jump to the 50+ forum and start a thread about how your dog likes to eat pie, anything pie related will generate discussion there. Then go to that other section who's name must not be spoken and ask why you should signal lane changes and that you think Forester is otherwise always right. We'll see you in about six months and 900 posts from now if you follow these suggestions.

freakin hilarious

this answer is misleading. 26 tpi refers to the threading, as in threads per inch, not the width of the shell which is 68 for a standard british bb. A good bike shop can retap your threads from 26tpi to 24 tpi to get you English threading. Cutting/Grinding 3 mm off of the bb shell width might be tricky and I've never heard of it being done, but I guess it could be.

The Raleigh shell is a bit wider than standard; that's why one cuts it down a bit. Then you re-tap the 26tpi to 24tpi, running the tap a little farther than the existing threads, which gives you a good thread in the last couple mm since the shell is now narrower. Still, tapping 26tpi to 24tpi is a somewhat risky move, and sometimes fails. At issue is whether the tap pushes the existing threads out of the way, which would be good, or if it cuts them out entirely, which leaves very little metal holding your cups.

It's better, and cheaper, to use your existing cups with a new spindle, if you can find the one that fits. I, personally, would stick with a cottered crank as well.

Speaking of dogs, and pie, yes, dogs do like pie. They also like chocolate, not that it's good for them. This morning, in the long dark hours after I left for work and before anyone else got up, one of our dogs opened up a christmas package in the stack of outgoing mail and ate two bars of dark chocolate. Which had the effect of speeding up the dog. It sped up its nervous system, propulsion system, and digestive system. I hear it was quite the mess. I, luckily, was long gone by then.

Here's my stock of #5 series spindles, quantities in parentheses:

5N (10)
5P (1)
5R (8)
5S (1)
5SS (9)
5T (8)
5U (8)

Also have (3) spindles marked 7 with overall length of 123mm

Also have (2) Shimano Octa Joint spindles for the early 1980's Altus/Selecta cranksets.

We should have a sticky for newbs to post a bunch of stuff in so they can get their post count up.

Here's a very interesting database on spindles. Most 68mm bbs use the 52mm center width. I've got a 70mm bb on my Supercourse. I think I've got the 53.5mm kind in mine. You'd probably want the 55mm kind. Try searching these on Ebay.
https://mountainbikers.hubsystems.com...s/chapter9.pdf