Improvisation

• Cotter pins.

  Young cyclists, you are fortunate if you have never heard of cotter pins, for they are the bane of many a college town bicycle shop mechanic's existence. I have owned many bicycles with cotter pins, and currently ride a fifty year old Frejus with frozen cotter pins.

  Frozen cotter pins are even worse than plain old cotter pins, unless your bottom bracket is in fine condition and the crank is pretty and doesn't flex too much. The thing is, I do have the cotter pin press ne plus ultra: VAR 07, AKA Presse-Clavettes "Constructeur". Frozen cotter pins are usually no match for VAR 07, but this here path racer wasn't playing.

  Enter my trump card: a Dremel and a box full of cutting wheels!