Ti bolts, yes or no?

lee woodhams

Have you, if so where, and haw much did you save?

nicklouse

why?

what is your Tech or workshop question?

if it is a general chat question use the General section

Ti is not as storng as Steel so care should be taken as to where they are used or should be monitored on a regularly.

njee20

Meh, personally I'd have faith in the strength of ti anywhere on a bike.

They're expensive though, and weight savings are minimal. You'll save more weight and it'll cost a fraction if you fit a few alu bolts in non weight bearing places - mechs, bottle cage, chain rings, shifters, brake levers, headset. I use alu in my rotors too, but I'm fairly light on an XC bike.

IMO it's one of the very last things I'd do, and only if the rest of the bike is a really top spec.

gazeddy

simple for me NO i wouldnt fit them. they cost far too much and dont save enough weight imho

bazza333

Don't bother with TI bolts - just stop eating chips......

The Rookie

You'll save about 2-3g on a typical M5 bolt, so will be costing abouy £3/gram.... there are cheaper ways to save weight!

BG2000

They look shiny and stay looking shiny - that's the only advantage. I didn't buy them, my Hope SE brakeset came with a bag full of Ti bolts, so I happily obliged. Are they any lighter that my original steel bolts ? I haven't a clue....if I want to save a few grams there are other things I can do like wrap a thinner inner-tube round the chainstay or pour less sealant in my tubeless tyres.....it's all a waste of time and effort

thelonegroover

If you carry 0.66 of a litre of water instead of 1.0 litre you'll save 300g. Thats 100 Ti bolts worth.

.blitz

Have bought a few ti bolts from Pro-Bolt simply for the corrosion resistance. Top cap/brake clamps/caliper bolts/chain device etc I'm not fond of rusty fasteners.

Think it was mba who weighed all the fasteners on a fs it was not insignificant if you're really into saving weight

Kowalski675

The Beginner wrote:

You'll save about 2-3g on a typical M5 bolt, so will be costing abouy £3/gram.... there are cheaper ways to save weight!

Go to the toilet before you ride, lol...

Kowalski675

.blitz wrote:

Have bought a few ti bolts from Pro-Bolt simply for the corrosion resistance. Top cap/brake clamps/caliper bolts/chain device etc I'm not fond of rusty fasteners.

Pro Bolt's stainless fasteners are corrosion proof 316 marine grade stainless and a lot cheaper than their titanium equivalents:

njee20

They look shiny and stay looking shiny - that's the only advantage

As said, whilst marginal, there is a weight saving.

Go to the toilet before you ride, lol

Do both. Makes more sense than on a motorbike in terms of proportional weight saving, and it seems just as prolofic there!

DanDax1990

The Beginner wrote:

You'll save about 2-3g on a typical M5 bolt, so will be costing abouy £3/gram.... there are cheaper ways to save weight!

Aye, go for a sh*t before you ride.

Kowalski675

njee20 wrote:

Do both. Makes more sense than on a motorbike in terms of proportional weight saving, and it seems just as prolofic there!

Very few motorcyclists bother with titanium fasteners (outside of the BSB paddock anyway), even amongst those who do tinker (tbh most motorcyclists these days are clueless fuckwit wannabes who don't even know how to check their tyre pressures). I use stainless steel fasteners extensively, but for reasons of durability and aesthetics, not weight saving (my Bandit's so heavy that titanium bolts aren't going to make a significant difference, and my Street R is so light that it doesn't need any more weight saving). Normally I use regular A2 grade off the shelf fasteners, but I felt my StripleR deserved some of Pro Bolt's beautifully machined A4 bling, even though thay are pricey (even at trade prices - over £6 for two bolts for my sidestand bracket, for example). There's an awful lot more fasteners on a motorcycle than a bicycle though, so if you did a complete bike I think the weight saving as a percentage of total original weight would be more comparable than you'd think (it would also cost you about as much as buying a new motorbike, lol).

burglarboycie

I like them personally. I know weight saving is minimal but its more of a cosmetic thing for me.

The Rookie

Surely stainless steel gives the same cosmetic benefit for a lot less money though....

nicklouse

Kowalski675 wrote:

njee20 wrote:

Do both. Makes more sense than on a motorbike in terms of proportional weight saving, and it seems just as prolofic there!

Very few motorcyclists bother with titanium fasteners (outside of the BSB paddock anyway), even amongst those who do tinker (tbh most motorcyclists these days are clueless fuckwit wannabes who don't even know how to check their tyre pressures). I use stainless steel fasteners extensively, but for reasons of durability and aesthetics, not weight saving (my Bandit's so heavy that titanium bolts aren't going to make a significant difference, and my Street R is so light that it doesn't need any more weight saving). Normally I use regular A2 grade off the shelf fasteners, but I felt my StripleR deserved some of Pro Bolt's beautifully machined A4 bling, even though thay are pricey (even at trade prices - over £6 for two bolts for my sidestand bracket, for example). There's an awful lot more fasteners on a motorcycle than a bicycle though, so if you did a complete bike I think the weight saving as a percentage of total original weight would be more comparable than you'd think (it would also cost you about as much as buying a new motorbike, lol).

yes but how many of the changed bolts are actually doing more that hoding a cam cover on?

there are very few bolts on a bicycle that are not making a bike be a bike. I did laugh when a guy had a moment on his DH bike and all the threads fell of the bolts holding his stem face plate on. Race run failed due to Bling. ALWAYS check that it is upto the job. and if it is boarder line have a healthy respect of them and check after each run.

Kowalski675

The Beginner wrote:

Surely stainless steel gives the same cosmetic benefit for a lot less money though....

It does indeed (actually better from a cosmetic point of view - it polishes up shinier).

Kowalski675

nicklouse wrote:

yes but how many of the changed bolts are actually doing more that hoding a cam cover on?

Er, most of them. Not entirely sure what point you're trying to make, but if you're suggesting stainless steel fasteners aren't safe that's cobblers. They're not as strong as high tensile steel, but more than strong enough for load bearing applications such as calipers, discs, footrest hangers, handlebar risers, yokes, suspension etc etc.

bill_gates

Apologies for dragging up an old thread. I want to change the rusty stem bolts on my bikes and would consider Ti M5 bolts. Any further debate on whether this is wise or not? Probably more concerned on the technical aspect such as durability ands safety rather than cost as I'm not too adverse to spend £20 on a pack.

supersonic

Depends how hard you ride, and your weight, and the design of the stem. Any more info?

nicklouse

supersonic wrote:

Depends how hard you ride, and your weight, and the design of the stem. Any more info?

And how many bolts.

bill_gates

Just realised this is in the MTB section, meant to post in Road.

4 bolts onto 3T Ergonova bars with a 3T 110cm stem. Not really being ridden 'hard' as such and weight is pretty much on the heavier side.

Kowalski675

Are you the actual Bill Gates then?

The Rookie

Probably cheaper to buy a new lighter stem than Ti bolts to make the one you have slightly less heavy and not as rusty!

njee20

110cm stem

That's not a stem, it's a rudder ;-)

As has been said on this thread, if it's aesthetics, get stainless. If you want to save weight, buy a lighter stem.

bill_gates

What are the chances of any danger due to snapping, etc if I do indeed go the ti route. Is titanium not supposed to be strong enough anyway?

The Rookie

Ti is as strong (to failure) as steel (near enough) it does however deform more (stretch in the case of a bolt) for the same load, so you need to make sure they are correctly torqued.

The only place I wouldn't use Ti on a bike is the QR skewer shaft as the load on that can be very high and you have less control on it, bolts are loaded by the torque you apply and that dominates almost any loaded condition.

njee20

And even then, there are plenty of ti skewers out there, certainly not an unreasonable concern though!

The Rookie

Plenty yes, and they are probably fine, but for me (personally) the one area I wouldn't, but then I'm still on Shimano XT skewers so you can see I have my own priorities (whether they be right or wrong!).

njee20

Hence my saying that it was well founded. I know my Tune skewers used to stretch a reasonable amount, you'd do them up really tight, then if you undid the lever you'd need to give the nut another tweak until they were tight again. Good skewers though, proper internal cam, far better than most of the current crop of lightweight ones.

But anyway, we digress.