Light-weight bicycle crankshaft assembly utilizing two-piece axle integrally joined to crank arms

A bicycle crankshaft assembly comprising:

• a bottom bracket shell;
• two crank arms;
• a spindle or axle comprising two separate spindle pieces, one of said crank arms integrally attached to one of said spindle pieces, and the other of said crank arms integrally attached to the other of said spindle pieces, an attachment means for securely yet removably attaching said two spindle pieces;
• a rotation-enabling supporting means supporting and enabling rotation of said spindle within said bottom bracket shell;
• a hypothetical cylinder having a circumference defined by said bottom bracket shell, and having axial or lateral ends defined by two opposing axially outermost portions of said rotation-enabling supporting means, said attachment means being entirely located within said hypothetical cylinder;
• and wherein:
• said rotation-enabling supporting means comprises two bearings;
• the first of said spindle pieces passes through the first of said bearings, and the second of said spindle pieces passes through the second of said bearings;
• each of said spindle pieces has an inner end, the inner end of the first of said spindle pieces comprising a male head member, and the inner end of the second of said spindle pieces comprising a female receptacle or socket capable of receiving the male head member of the first of said spindle pieces, such that when the inner end of the first of said spindle pieces is received into the inner end of the second of said spindle pieces, said two spindle pieces are prevented from rotating relative to each other;
• one of said spindle pieces comprises a hollow tube;
• there is a bore in the inner end of said spindle piece comprising a hollow tube;
• there is a threaded bore in the inner end of the other of said spindle pieces;
• said attachment means comprises a bolt passing through said bore in the inner end of said spindle piece comprising a hollow tube, and threaded into the threaded bore in the inner end of the other of said spindle pieces;
• said rotating element comprises an inner race of the first of said bearings;
• one of said two spindle fixing means comprises a shoulder located on the first of said spindle pieces outward of said rotating element;
• the other of said two spindle fixing means comprises an innermost edge or rim of said receptacle or socket of the inner end of the second of said spindle pieces;
• at least one of said two spindle fixing means includes a spacing means;
• and
• said spacing means is capable of being mounted on said spindle on at least one side of said rotating element of said rotation-allowing means.