Bicycle Cotter Pins

Work on the Raleigh continues. But I thought I would make a brief comment regarding cotter pins, a subject that comes up frequently. I like to use the best pins I can get. That means either originals (whenever possible) or very finely made new ones.

My pick for the best pins on the market are Bikesmith "Grade A" cotter pins. Most pins today are just pinched-off rod stock that gets bulged when they stamp it. Bikesmith turns their pins individually from high quality metal. You can even order them with a profile specially made for the Raleigh bicycles. They are quite expensive, but I find they are worth it. They are solid, well-made items that rival the originals in quality. Nothing else today comes close.

http://bikesmithdesign.com/CotterPress/cotters.html

You can even get them in French specs for your old French road bike.

I also will vouch for their cotter press, which I find solid and handy. I have several Raleighs around, and it's a great tool for extracting or resetting pins.

 As a side note, during our most recent snow storm, I noticed that Robins really hate snow. Here is a whole bunch huddling at the edge of the Bike Shed trying to avoid the snow.