Feeling flushed with success from the battle with the brakes I wrote about the other day, I turned my attention to the Beast's Bottom Bracket area. Now, I'm not sure if the beast was feeling perverse, or was embarrassed that I was fumbling about in it's nether regions, but it put up something of a struggle.
Step one, removing the chain was pretty simple. The original chain is a bit rusty, but otherwise serviceable. Plan A was to remove it and let it soak in degreaser for a couple of days. With a bit of a clean and some lube it could go into the spares box, where it would sit until needed for the Beast, or because I wanted to re-enact the climactic Brighton scenes from Quadrophenia!
Then we turned our attention to getting the original Crankset off.
If I haven't said this already. I hate Cotter Pins!
Easy to remove....in theory, Cotter Pins were the standard means of attaching cranks to bottom brackets for most of the lifetime of the bicycle.
Easy to remove, unless the bike is 35 years old and feeling moody.
Step one, pop the nut off the pin, crasp crank firmly in one hand, strike threaded end of pin repeatedly and with increasing force, with firstly a rubber mallet, then with hammer, finally with paintstripping invective.
Step two, retire to house for first aid and sympathy.
Step three, consult Sheldon, then Zinn.
Step four, ahhhhh yes, the interwebs!
Youtube is full of helpful videos, usually prefaced with introductions like, "I'm a Workshop God and you are an idiot, I will now show you how to master the job that has been frustrating you!"
These are often videos shot on someones phone, in a dodgy basement somewhere.
Anyway, suggestion number one from Sheldon was the metal pipe method.
Basically, you slip a piece of metal tubing over the non threaded end of the pin, making sure that the tube is long enough to reach the floor. This transfers the force of your blows to the floor and protects the frame, crank etc.
Half a litre of WD40 later I was ready to wail. Unfortunately, end result, one beautifully mushroomoid cotter pin, still firmly in place.
Method 2 from Youtube. Place a large nut or other metal object over the non threaded end, jam the lot into a vice and tighten. On the video the pin released with a satisfying crack.
As people keep telling me, real life is not like the movies.
Method 3, we can skip over. Basically, heat the beasts regions with a blow torch. Mmmm, me, naked flame and a bike soaked in WD40, yeah, not so much.
Method 4, the "drill baby drill" method. Who would have guessed that Madam Fruitloop (Sarah Palin to the rest of you) herself would have a slogan that works for bicycle restoration? Basically. find a sharp (yeah otherwise you will be at it for weeks) drill bit smaller than the diameter of your pin. Turn the crank until you are facing the non threaded end. Drill into that, making sure you keep it centred, until you are about halfway through.
A quick tap on the other end with a hammer, and out came the pin.
Wander around to the other side of the bike and repeat.
Off came the cranks
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