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Alexeypapoi

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hello! I am considering of renewing some of the bolts on my bike because they're getting a bit too old and don't feel reliable anymore. I am considering maybe some titanium ones? I also want to match the color scheme of my bike, which I would need some red bolts. I saw some on Amazon for 8 dollars for 12 pieces, but I don't know if they are reliable! I also saw some on special bike websites, but they are around $30 for 6 pieces. And that's a bit not in my budget.
Is there a sweet spot in between?
Is it worth it?
Could you recommend any products?

Thank you so much! 🙌
 
#2 ·
What is the reason for wanting ti bolts?

The weight savings are insignificant unless you’re talking about large diameter bolts, and even then it’s a few ounces at best. Well made ti bolts are expensive.

Ti has issue with galvanic corrosion, needs antisieze.

what are current bolts made from? What are they for?

I wouldn’t waste my money on cheap Amazon ti bolts ( I mean, I did once and they sent wrong size and I got a refund.)
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Find a hardware store like Ace or TruValue (assuming you're in the US) and buy some stainless steel bolts that match the dimensions of the ones you have. [Edit: stainless is probably pointless, just get regular steel bolts.] Cheap and easy. Big home improvement stores Home Depot/ Lowes usually have a crappy selection of metric bolts.

Based on your post history here, I question whether this is really and issue. Bolts on my bike last for years and years and years. They rarely just "wear out." Are you just bored and looking for excuses to mess with your bike? There's nothing wrong with that, but be honest with yourself.
 
#4 ·
My bolts don't wear out unless:
  • They've rusted (not allowed in my particular universe)
  • They're aluminum (too soft)
  • I'm hamfisted (rounded them out / overtightened)
Investing in ti fasteners is an extremely expensive way to save extremely little weight.
Plus you're the only one who'll know. Nobody else cares.
Mack's suggestion of quality stainless fasteners is solid.
=sParty
 
#6 ·
Imagine every bolt on your bike in your hands and halve that by 47%. Imagine every component having half the bolts, like your stem having three instead of six. It adds up, especially if you have several M8 fasteners. Is it worth it to save up to 3/4 of a pound? That's up to you. Check Better Bolts.

I wonder what coating the red is. It's not in the tiodize spectrum. (I tiodized my own bolts and medical implants)

Image
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
mack_turtle said:
Find a hardware store like Ace or TruValue (assuming you're in the US) and buy some stainless steel bolts that match the dimensions of the ones you have. Cheap and easy. Big home improvement stores Home Depot/ Lowes usually have a crappy selection of metric bolts.

Based on your post history here, I question whether this is really and issue. Bolts on my bike last for years and years and years. They rarely just "wear out." Are you just bored and looking for excuses to mess with your bike? There's nothing wrong with that, but be honest with yourself.
Click to expand...
They are worn out. They are black right now and the paint is chipping. They're a bit rounded from the previous owner. Got a bit of that on them.
mack_turtle said:
Find a hardware store like Ace or TruValue (assuming you're in the US) and buy some stainless steel bolts that match the dimensions of the ones you have. Cheap and easy. Big home improvement stores Home Depot/ Lowes usually have a crappy selection of metric bolts.

Based on your post history here, I question whether this is really and issue. Bolts on my bike last for years and years and years. They rarely just "wear out." Are you just bored and looking for excuses to mess with your bike? There's nothing wrong with that, but be honest with yourself.
Click to expand...
I do understand what you're trying to say, but my bolts are in very bad condition. They are black, so the paint is chipping off a bit. Where the paint is chipped, there is rust, and the previous owner rounded a lot of them. And also, I want some more color in my bike, And because I am a weight weenie, why not save some weight?
 
#10 ·
Alexeypapoi said:
They are worn out. They are black right now and the paint is chipping. They're a bit rounded from the previous owner. Got a bit of that on them.
Click to expand...
in that case, just find some quality stainless bolts for a few bucks and call it a day. If you have absolutely maxed out the best quality of everything else on your bike and you want to add some bling for fun, buy ti bolts from a reputable brand because the cost of something like that fail on your is not worth saving a few bucks on questionable titanium.
 
#11 ·
Sparticus said:
My bolts don't wear out unless:
  • They've rusted (not allowed in my particular universe)
  • They're aluminum (too soft)
  • I'm hamfisted (rounded them out / overtightened)
Investing in ti fasteners is an extremely expensive way to save extremely little weight.
Plus you're the only one who'll know. Nobody else cares.
Mack's suggestion of quality stainless fasteners is solid.
=sParty
Click to expand...
After I gave you alla my old wore out bolts?? :sneaky:

OP's old bolts are torque to yield so they gotsta go in the recycle bin! ;)
 
#12 ·
BansheeRune said:
After I gave you alla my old wore out bolts?? :sneaky:

OP's old bolts are torque to yield so they gotsta go in the recycle bin! ;)
Click to expand...
He said the paint is coming off.
I’ve always been suspect of painted fasteners.
So maybe it does make sense to replace them.
=sParty
 
#13 ·
Sparticus said:
He said the paint is coming off.
I’ve always been suspect of painted fasteners.
So maybe it does make sense to replace them.
=sParty
Click to expand...
That would be suspect of low quality fasteners... SS from the loco hardware is the way to go. Solves much and budget doesn't go into jumbo loan amounts.
Annnd, they look snazzy for evar!
 
#14 ·
If you're working on a budget, go with SS bolts as suggested by others - if you spend extra money on colored bolts and then scratch them with your Allen keys you're gonna be sad panda. It is probably practical to save money for actual performance upgrades for your bike.
 
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#15 ·
snow snakes said:
If you're working on a budget, go with SS bolts as suggested by others - if you spend extra money on colored bolts and then scratch them with your Allen keys you're gonna be sad panda. It is probably practical to save money for actual performance upgrades for your bike.
Click to expand...
Losing close to a pound seems like a performance upgrade. Ti doesn't scratch and rust. Even tiodized bolts. The red bolts the OP brought up sound suspect though. More on the weight reduction. This is for BMX and mountain bikes have many more bolts, but you get the idea.

www.tlcbikes.com

BMX Bolt Weight Comparison - TLC BIKES BMX Parts and Accessories

TLC BIKES - We know every gram counts when it comes to building your perfect BMX bike which is why we have the largest stock of titanium BMX parts in the world! We have weighed almost all of our lightweight titanium BMX parts against the standard steel versions to show you the weight saving...
www.tlcbikes.com www.tlcbikes.com
 
#16 ·
milehi said:
Losing close to a pound seems like a performance upgrade. Ti doesn't scratch and rust. Even tiodized bolts. The red bolts the OP brought up sound suspect though. More on the weight reduction. This is for BMX and mountain bikes have many more bolts, but you get the idea.

www.tlcbikes.com

BMX Bolt Weight Comparison - TLC BIKES BMX Parts and Accessories

TLC BIKES - We know every gram counts when it comes to building your perfect BMX bike which is why we have the largest stock of titanium BMX parts in the world! We have weighed almost all of our lightweight titanium BMX parts against the standard steel versions to show you the weight saving...
www.tlcbikes.com www.tlcbikes.com
Click to expand...
I would be curious how much you can actually save on a bike just by swapping fasteners. My randonneur bike has a quill stem, and between swapping all the extant steel screws [there are a lot of screws on a bike with racks/fenders] for titanium/aluminum depending on structural needs, cutting down the seatpost/steerer, and getting a titanium draw bolt for the stem...

I still only dropped 3/4 pound, and quite a bit of that was the drawbolt/wedge/seatpost.

On a standard hardtail, I replaced the 4 bottle cage screws with aluminum, the stem hardware with titanium, and the brake caliper mounting screws with titanium. I replaced the seatpost clamp with an ultralight scandium model. There is not an appreciable difference in weight after that--10 m5 screws from steel to titanium, 4 m5 screws from steel to aluminum, and 4 m6 from steel to titanium. I suppose with more futzing, I could find someplace that has titanium hardware that will fit the seatpost clamp head. I digress--all the fasteners on that bike being swapped out for titanium or aluminum was sub 125 grams.

I'm happy to rationalize that with, "Ti pretty", but I'm under no illusion that it's going to make a noticeable difference on either bike as far as performance. Maybe the randonneur, after the second hundred miles in a day...
 
#17 ·
wschruba said:
I would be curious how much you can actually save on a bike just by swapping fasteners. My randonneur bike has a quill stem, and between swapping all the extant steel screws [there are a lot of screws on a bike with racks/fenders] for titanium/aluminum depending on structural needs, cutting down the seatpost/steerer, and getting a titanium draw bolt for the stem...

I still only dropped 3/4 pound, and quite a bit of that was the drawbolt/wedge/seatpost.

On a standard hardtail, I replaced the 4 bottle cage screws with aluminum, the stem hardware with titanium, and the brake caliper mounting screws with titanium. I replaced the seatpost clamp with an ultralight scandium model. There is not an appreciable difference in weight after that--10 m5 screws from steel to titanium, 4 m5 screws from steel to aluminum, and 4 m6 from steel to titanium. I suppose with more futzing, I could find someplace that has titanium hardware that will fit the seatpost clamp head. I digress--all the fasteners on that bike being swapped out for titanium or aluminum was sub 125 grams.

I'm happy to rationalize that with, "Ti pretty", but I'm under no illusion that it's going to make a noticeable difference on either bike as far as performance. Maybe the randonneur, after the second hundred miles in a day...
Click to expand...
For me, I like Ti. I could do my tiodizing at work. I had the station set up in the spare bathroom at the office. I could only do bolts with my setup. No Ti springs. I started with big bolts then fell down the rabbit hole. Especially with the colors. I stumbled on oil slick in 2005 which was cool but I was into solid colors. This was 05 also.
Image
 
#19 ·
Alexeypapoi said:
Is it hard to do it at home?
Click to expand...
No. The unit is the size of a kids lunchbox. Spray the parts with Windex to remove oils. Dip them into the etching solution, but not too long. Just a couple seconds. It will eat at the threads otherwise. Then dip the parts into the tiodize solution(I use a Ti mesh basket I made. Alligator clips attached to the basket) and turn up the juice to the desired color. You watch it run through the spectrum of colors. Leave it in too long and you get a burnt grey.

I started doing it with color coded Ti spine screws because sending stuff out came back less than stellar.
 
#20 ·
Interesting read….i come from a sailing background so I have lots of experience with ss bolts, screws, etc. Be careful swapping out steel bolts to SS, the later is not as strong. If you go with Ti make sure it is grade 5…as mentioned by others you can find cheap Ti bolts on Amazon that are not grade 5 and they will have the strength of SS roughly…
 
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