Ti Bolts for bike?

[downfader]

Is it possible to get Titanium bolts for the bikes seat tube and downtube, etc? The Kinesis didnt come with any and I want to install a bottle cage. I also want to avoid the usual rusty crap that builds up in them.

 

[adscrim]

Ti bolts area readily available and won't rust. If they do, they're not titanium as rust is something that happens to iron.

 

[e-rider]

Ti bolts are readily available and they do not rust and are fairly strong, but not as strong as steel.

Avoid alloy bolts as although they are light they are as soft as butter and snap very easily, and it can be a nightmare removing the broken part from the frame.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Stainless steel are much cheaper and more readily available.

 

[downfader]

Stainless steel are much cheaper and more readily available.

Yeah I bought a load of those but they cant have been very good - they still ended up orange. I covered them in wax in the end on the old Marin bike

I wont buy Aluminium ones obviously, even the anodised.

Cheers guys. Will have to find a supplier now

 

[Noodley]

Cheers guys. Will have to find a supplier now

If you find them at a good price, post a link please... Ta.

 

[downfader]

If you find them at a good price, post a link please... Ta.

Will do. Though it might have to be from the LBS contacting the supplier as I did with a few other little things.

I've got decent pedal and wheel reflectors to track down too, thats proving even harder.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

There are different grades of stainless. If you want quality, I can recommend this guy. I have bought stuff from him for years for cars, motorcycles and cycles. I have never had a problem with rust.

 

[e-rider]

quality stainless steel shouldn't rust - that's what I use

 

[MacB]

If you find them at a good price, post a link please... Ta.

just had a little sniff around, thought some prices looked ok until I realised that was per bolt, I was expecting at least a bag of 20.

 

[battered]

Ti is *very* expensive. Stainless somes in different grades and qualities. A ships chandler will sell SS fasteners that are rustproof in sea water, they are inexpensive. Another source at sensible prices is the food industry, the grades used there are typically 304 (cheap and cheerful, modestly rustproof), 316 (minimum for contact with wet foods, pretty good corrosion resistance) and 316L (low corrosion version, resistant to chlorinated cleaners, if you can get this to rust on a bike you park it in a bleach works.)

 

[PpPete]

Stainless bolts often use a different designation..... I think I'm right in saying "A2" corresponds to 304 / 304L and "A4" corresponds to 316 / 316L. Trouble is that although these "austenitic" stainless grades do have good corrosion resistance, their strength is not great. The stronger "martensitic" grades don't have quite the same degree of resistance to rust. To get the best of both worlds you need to be looking at the precipitation hardening grades like 17/4 PH.... common in aerospace, but almost unknown in the metric threads we need for bikes - so would likely be just as expensive as Titanium.

 

[battered]

I'm not sure what the codes mean. 304/316 is good enough for the food industry where it gets soused in alkaline cleaning chemicals and bleach every day. It may be *slightly* less strong than other grades but again, if it's good enough to hold together a milk bottling machine that runs 24 hours/7 days then my bike is hardly going to tax it. It's not as if we need high tensile fastenings very often, after all. 2x M4 screws for a water bottle? You could use anything.

 

[PpPete]

rather depends on the thread quality of the bolt and frame ....

I've twisted the head right off an socket head M5 bolt made from A2 stainless, just by giving the long 4mm allen key a bit of extra welly.

 

[downfader]

Yeah but come on. For a water bottle you dont need to overtighten.. you just nip it and its usually fine.