Titanium or stainless bolts?

GeorgeShaw

I broke a stem bolt last night and, as a few of my bolts (handlebar, cage, seatpost clamp) are going a bit rusty, I've thought about replacing all of them with Ti or stainless bolts.

Anybody with any opinions and experiences and, if the choice is Ti, where to source them at a reasonable price?

spasypaddy

ti is soft and if you do them too tightly you can easily thread them. stick with stainless.

alan_sherman

Stainless is brittle and not recommended for stressed applications (e.g. brake bolts). Titanium is more ductile, weighs less but costs a lot more.

Look up "tasty nuts" or pro bolt.

desweller

As is often the case, there are many different variants of 'stainless' steel. If you go to a machine spares supplier (e.g. GR Fasteners, to pick my local one) then they will be able to supply you with what you need (and chances are it will cost next to nothing).

hopper1

Ti bolts from Pro Bolt will cost about £3.80 each.

petemadoc

Rusty bolts really wind me up. Anyone got a recommendations for reasonably priced titanium bolts or a decent grade of steel that won't rust.

GeorgeShaw

Anybody with any experience of these?

wicked

Just but stainless ones from http://www.stagonset.co.uk/.

These are bolts for a stem for gods sake if stainless is not strong enough you tightening it far too much! Anyone that buys a bolt for a fiver has far money than sense.

sungod

a smidge of acf-50 on the bolts every few months keeps rust away

Monty Dog

Depends on the grade of material - there are unsuitable ti and stainless bolts - some grades of stainless will also rust. Likewise, commercially pure ti is like cheese. I buy mine from Stagonset and never had a problem with corrosion or breaking.