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This was as much fun as the Attic What IZIT used to be back in the early days of the internet. Being an ol' fashioned bike shop since the 70's, we've seen a lot of technology and "standards" come and go. As a result we have a lot of mostly outdated tools around the shop.  For this contest we'd dig out an old tool and put it out to our visitors to identify. Much like we are posting reruns of the What IZIT we'll try to dust off one of these gems every week or so for a walk down memory lane.

Originally Published early in this century

Tools come in all shapes and sizes and this one is of the large variety. A unique tool that you won't find in all shops. If you can tell us how it works and for bonus who made the tool, you could be the winner of the second edition of Name That TOOL. As always the most creative, correct answer will win the contest.

Bikeman would like to appologize for not posting the Name That TOOL #2 Winner. It has been way to long. We are on track with our new Content Management System and will be posting a new contest each week. The second edition of Name That TOOL had several great answers. It also produced several incorrect answers the most common being "A chain rivet tool". It is a VAR cotter pin press. Without further delay here is the winner of Name That TOOL #2.

WINNER, Steve Barner,Former Raleigh mechanic

"That's a crank cotter press. Probably made by VAR. This tool can set new cotters or, on a fairly recent installation, such as on a new or fairly new bike, this tool provided a quick way to remove crank cotters, after removing their retaining nuts and washers. Alas, though, the tool is next to useless in removing those cotters that were either pounded into place by a distraught mechanic tired of that customer who always found them working loose, or from that decrepit British 3-speed that had been left locked to a college bike rack through most of the student's undergraduate years. Now, faced with the looming poverty of graduate school, no prospects of soon getting a car, yet with loud cracking noises coming from the bottom bracket, the student forlornly looks on while the mechanic, shaking head in despair, drops the VAR cotter press back onto its hooks on the pegboard, sighs, and reaches for the pliers that will be used to break off the threaded part of the cotter, the notched block of oak that will be laid on the floor to support the other side of the crankarm, the big punch that will drive out the cotter and the BA (Big A_ _) Hammer (or FBAH, if no customers are around) that will swing to the sound of curses until the cotter releases its hold in the crank. Then, the mechanic, after regaining breath, can start pondering how to get the crank arm to slide off the axle--but that's another tool..."

RUNNER UP, Aaron E. Panganiban

"Anyway this tool is a cotter pin press for older, very much older, three piece cranks. Cotter pins are round long headed bolts w/ a single flat inclined surface and threads on one end. They were use like wedges to secure older cranks on square taper bottom brackets, which where then secured by a nut on the threaded end of course. Later three piece cranks where referred to as cotter less (bolt-on) cranks as they no longer required the use of a pin."

RUNNER UP, Geoff Williams

"Cottered Crank tool used to press the pins out of the old cranks... made by... ooo dats a good one I'd wager it's a VAR"

RUNNER UP, A Hardy

"Var Cotter Pin Press"

RUNNER UP, Monty Worthington

"I believe this is a cotter pin press for a cottered crank - it is probably a VAR, but that I am not sure about."