Fixing a rack - steel or alloy bolts?
Hi
I'm fiitting a rack to my old bike to carry some panniers.
It's not ideal - the bike is an old Trek 2100, carbon tubes but with aluminium rear stays.
It has pre-drilled holes, but they are 4mm rather than 5mm ( which is the size of the bolts supplied with the rack ). I guess these holes were possibly intended for a mudguard rather than rack.
So I'm planning on using 4mm bolts, in fact bottle cage bolts seem to fit the bill.
My question is : should I use alloy or steel bolts?
Steel would be stronger, but could cause corrosion from using in aluminium holes.
The rack will only be fitted for a short time ( 3 days ).
Is there a risk of corrosion in this short time?
Will alloy bolts probably be strong enough anyway ( I'm a bit concerned they might shear off under the weight of a loaded pannier ).
I'm fiitting a rack to my old bike to carry some panniers.
It's not ideal - the bike is an old Trek 2100, carbon tubes but with aluminium rear stays.
It has pre-drilled holes, but they are 4mm rather than 5mm ( which is the size of the bolts supplied with the rack ). I guess these holes were possibly intended for a mudguard rather than rack.
So I'm planning on using 4mm bolts, in fact bottle cage bolts seem to fit the bill.
My question is : should I use alloy or steel bolts?
Steel would be stronger, but could cause corrosion from using in aluminium holes.
The rack will only be fitted for a short time ( 3 days ).
Is there a risk of corrosion in this short time?
Will alloy bolts probably be strong enough anyway ( I'm a bit concerned they might shear off under the weight of a loaded pannier ).
0
Comments
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loaded pannier- steel bolts.
no corrosion in 3 days,
use a wee bit of grease on the threads.
stop worrying quite so much!
I'd use alloy bolts on mudguards - I've got a few steel bolts stuck in frames on commuter bikes in the past. IT's a pain in the bahookey to drill them outCommute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX
Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap
Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire0 -
It's steel, surely it will survive three days... it's not a banana left skin-less in bad weatherleft the forum March 20230
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My alu frame has had steel bolts for 3 years, no corrosion.
Use stainless steel, greased, with a washer. You may need a serrated, anti-rotation washer.
Alu bolts are for non-loadbearing applications; they will not support a rack.0 -
Steel with copperslip.0