Can anybody help with a steel replacement rear brake pedal for a Cota 315. fed up with breaking the cast alloy ones which are very difficult to straighten.

If you anneal it, you can straighten it.

Method 1--rub with white soap (like Ivory), heat until soap turns black, dunk in water.

Method 2--turn on acetylene only, light torch, cover part with ash, turn on oxygen and heat until ash flakes off---dunk in water.

If the pedal is actually breaking, you can do this to a new pedal and it will bend rather than break...and put less stress on the shaft in the process.

I didn't think annealing cast aluminium did anything much except weaken it?

Contact Adrian Lewis at http://www.lewisportusa.com

They make a billet alloy one that doesn't bend and is shorter than the original - doesn't bend / lasts forever.

If you're in the UK don't forget how strong the pound is at the moment.

I had one on my 315 for two years, never had to worry about it

I didn't think annealing cast aluminium did anything much except weaken it?

Depends on what you mean by "weaken".

It makes it more malleable.

If you try to straighten a bent hand lever, it will snap because it has been 'work hardened'.

If you anneal it, it won't snap.

Which is weaker?

I guess I'm not a mettalurgist (sp?) but guess if its softer it will bend further anyway so that to straighten it you will break it so it kinda defeats the object. Guess the way to tackle it would be to leave it alone then anneal it before straightening it?

Annealing new lever sprobably wont hurt. If you crash hard and bend an annealed lever, your probably better off than if you break off the normalized lever. You can also have a broken lever welded, but it will "go soft" which is a bit softer than annealed aluminum. For cast alloy, you dont have to anneal it fully. To anneal properly, you have to get the metal to 800 degrees F. so even getting 600 degrees and then quenching with water will soften it a bit. The instructions charlie gave are good ones. Pretty failsafe.

I guess I'm not a mettalurgist (sp?) but guess if its softer it will bend further anyway so that to straighten it you will break it so it kinda defeats the object. Guess the way to tackle it would be to leave it alone then anneal it before straightening it?

Yep.

Every time it bends, it will work harden slightly, so it's best to leave it until you can anneal it.

I've probably done this to the shifter on my boy's txt 80, 6 or 7 times.

I have about 6 broken levers you can have.

Lewissport lever is currently on my bike and have had no problems

John McGregor also makes an excellent lever that doesn't brake either. Had that one on the last Monty. I have a brand new one I'll sell ya. ringomoto@yahoo.com

I bought both and my size 14 boots prefer the Lewisport but you may like the McGregor better.

Write this down-What Ringo said is the absolute unvanquished truth! I've seen his box of broken pedals!

The foot brake pedal was on my mont for about 2 years...but at a trial the brake pedal was there in the fist half of the section and the second half it wasnt! I dont even know how it fell off as i didnt knock it againdt anything or press it down with my foot at all