Steel not stainless steel bolts, stem and parts

Foggy999

Hi My first post here,
I am trying to make my bike as secure as is reasonably possible. One thing I am going to try is replacing some of the hex nut/bolts to steel ones so that they are magnetic. I then can drop in some Hexlox (little security magnets).

https://hexlox.com

Is there any mechanical problem with doing this apart from possible rust? I think normal steel is stronger than stainless?

Also will I be able to find the right sizes? The first one is going to be the stem bolt and I am looking at the hex nut on my Maxel Stealth bolt thru axel to do the same.

If successful then my wheels and bars will be a lot more secure.

So any bike techs/engineers see any problems with steel not stainless bolts? Some are already steel, like on the handle bar clamp.
Cheers,
Carl

rockmonkeysc

It's completely pointless. No one steals bolt on components. If a bike is chained up they might take QR wheels and seatpost, otherwise they'll take the whole bike. Sometimes they'll even hacksaw through a frame to get a bike out of a garage.

cooldad

What a complete pointless expensive faff.

If you are leaving your bike in places where people will unbolt components, spend the money on a cheap beater bike.

Foggy999

Thank you cooldad and rockmonkey. You seem to have totally missed my question though. Also people do steal bolt-on components if they can get the bits off whole in one go. I have lived in London for 30 years so I know how a bike thief operates thanks. Beater bike? Screw that! I am insured but want to secure my bike as best I can.

I am actually getting rid of my QR bolt-thru axle for one with a just hex bolt. If it turns out that the hex bolt is ferrite then I will drop in a Hexlox. That will help stop the opportunists who have a hex tools from getting the front wheel and means I do not have to take the wheel off to lock it to the frame. Hexlox make a magnetic insert but would prefer just a steel bolt.

I thought a bike mech/engineer may be able to answer this. "Is there any mechanical problem with doing this (using steel not stainless) apart from possible rust? I think normal steel is stronger than stainless?"

I notice that the bolts available for BMX seem to be steel not stainless.
Just asking about steel vs stainless in case there is a safety issue, stress limit etc.

Oh and I don't jump off of buildings just street and single track with a few not epic drops.

fenix

I can't see any mechanical reason to "NOT" do it - but how nice is the bike you're securing ? If its worth spending this money on then the bike will probably go anyway.

(edited as I missed the NOT out....)

cooldad

I can't think of any bolts on my bike that are stainless. They are either steel or aluminium.

thistle_

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No one steals bolt on components.

You say that, but I once had a cable disc brake caliper stolen off my bike which was locked up at a train station (Kryptonite D lock on the bike and wheels).
The caliper was rubbish so I hope the thief put it on their bike and crashed.

cooldad

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No one steals bolt on components.

You say that, but I once had a cable disc brake caliper stolen off my bike which was locked up at a train station (Kryptonite D lock on the bike and wheels).
The caliper was rubbish so I hope the thief put it on their bike and crashed.

If you replace every bolt on your bike with those things, you could have bought two new bikes and a new caliper.

Foggy999

cooldad wrote:

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No one steals bolt on components.

You say that, but I once had a cable disc brake caliper stolen off my bike which was locked up at a train station (Kryptonite D lock on the bike and wheels).
The caliper was rubbish so I hope the thief put it on their bike and crashed.

If you replace every bolt on your bike with those things, you could have bought two new bikes and a new caliper.

I am obviously not going to do that. It will take four to secure the main bits.

Foggy999

Fenix wrote:

I can't see any mechanical reason to "NOT" do it - but how nice is the bike you're securing ? If its worth spending this money on then the bike will probably go anyway.

(edited as I missed the NOT out....)

Ha really funny how everybody is so concerned about me spending £50.

The old fashioned way of doing it was to super glue a tiny bearing in the hex hole and use solvent to get it out. Messy.

Yeah if they really want it they will get it but will need an angle grinder with a £20 cutter to get through the M18 Kryptonite lock first. They would need a nice portable power drill to get at the Hexlox. The bike also has over 100 data dots, laser etched tags and tamper stickers (came with the insurance). Not a mega bike, I just don't like bike thieves.

Now to add satellite tracking and a remote self destruct mode....

rockmonkeysc

Putting them in your axle will be a pain in the bum hole when you get a puncture, and you can guarantee it will be raining.
For £50 you could get a half decent used commuter bike. I've done thousands of miles on an old hybrid commuter I bought for less than that.
It's worth remembering that thieves are not nice people. If they can't get the bits they want to steal then they'll probably just vandalise your bike instead.

Foggy999

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Putting them in your axle will be a pain in the bum hole when you get a puncture, and you can guarantee it will be raining.
For £50 you could get a half decent used commuter bike. I've done thousands of miles on an old hybrid commuter I bought for less than that.
It's worth remembering that thieves are not nice people. If they can't get the bits they want to steal then they'll probably just vandalise your bike instead.

Ah hem I just got the axle and apart from the fact is is too long (my fault) my plan won't work anyway due to the design. I thought it had a nut but its all one piece. Not sure such a thing exists for my forks.

Yeah you are right a cheap work bike is a good idea for when I get some more space, save the poncy boutique custom trail bike for the single track. Lets see how long I hang on to this one.

rockmonkeysc

A cheap commuter bike also means you're not wearing out expensive parts on your trail bike.

Da_Reverend

One thing to consider is that some bike components come with non standard bolt head designs. So I would suggest to take precise measurements before ordering the replacement. I have replaced lots of original bolts with Titanium bolts and experienced some unpleasant surprises, e.g. M5 bolts with slightly smaller head diameters which could not be replaced with standard M5 bolts.

FishFish

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

No one steals bolt on components.

You say that, but I once had a cable disc brake caliper stolen off my bike which was locked up at a train station (Kryptonite D lock on the bike and wheels).
The caliper was rubbish so I hope the thief put it on their bike and crashed.

Well I did and I'm coming back to sue you! 8)

rockmonkeysc

Da_Reverend wrote:

One thing to consider is that some bike components come with non standard bolt head designs. So I would suggest to take precise measurements before ordering the replacement. I have replaced lots of original bolts with Titanium bolts and experienced some unpleasant surprises, e.g. M5 bolts with slightly smaller head diameters which could not be replaced with standard M5 bolts.

Yep, lots of bike fasteners have non standard heads, either undersized diameter or low profile head.
Some, like caliper and disc bolts are high tensile. Disc bolts have torx sockets to take higher torque for the tiny screws without rounding the socket.

jwizard

There are no mechanical problem in doing so. Steel bolts are stronger than stainless
and don't break so actually they are better. IF they however are lower quality they can
rust. This does not change the strength in the short to mid term which means
still years of operation until it looks not so good. They you can replace them again.
Hexlox would offer a good protection I think for you and I know the game in London after having lived there myself for many years. Ride on!

Foggy999

jwizard wrote:

There are no mechanical problem in doing so. Steel bolts are stronger than stainless
and don't break so actually they are better. IF they however are lower quality they can
rust. This does not change the strength in the short to mid term which means
still years of operation until it looks not so good. They you can replace them again.
Hexlox would offer a good protection I think for you and I know the game in London after having lived there myself for many years. Ride on!

Thanks jwizard good info. I am failing to find a non QR Bolt-thru front axle for my X-Fusion RL2s. I can find ones that nearly fit from Fox Kabolt Maxle but none that actually really are the right length.

Robert Axle http://RobertAxleProject.com eMailed me and said

We are building:
(length x thread diameter x thread pitch)
145mm x M14 x1.5 - Fox
148mm x M15 x 1.5 - Rock Shox
But not X-Fusion yet...

rockmonkeysc

Mild steel bolts are not stronger than stainless. They are slightly weaker and they can break under the wrong conditions.

keef66

Bike thieves will take whatever they can. Youngest son used to leave his battered MTB at the station. The one time he failed to bag one of the lockable bike cages and had to use the bike rack, the cable-locked front wheel went missing and they'd had a good go at the Oxford D-lock to get the rest of the bike. Same with eldest son at uni. First the QR wheels went missing because he'd only secured it by the frame :roll: then a couple of years later the whole thing went (only to appear stripped down on Ebay from a dubious part of Greater Manchester...)