Bolt not biting into frame

metmanmark
metmanmark Posts: 28
edited October 2010 in The workshop
Not the clearest "subject" but still...
Essentially I have a rack and mudguards both held to the bottom of the frame on the same bolt. I have undone this bolt a few times over the years and the bolt isn't biting properly into the hole anymore due to wear. This means that when I cycle with one pannier it gets loose and pulls to one side such that the mudguard sometimes rubs on the tyre. What is the best way to deal with this? Plumbers tape round the bolt was my first thought but this is something that others must have had to deal with in the past. Any top tips?
Cheers
Mark

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    longer bolt and a nut on the other side?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • lae
    lae Posts: 555
    Cable ties as a temporary solution. Or you could use p-clips, but they're not particularly secure.

    Is the bolt thread stripped, or the thread on the frame? If it's the former then replace the bolt (!). If it's the latter, you could take the frame to a framebuilder or engineering place and they'll cut a new thread in it.
  • metmanmark
    metmanmark Posts: 28
    It isn't the bolt - it is the thread on the frame. I think I'll see if plumbers tape does the job.
    Cheers
    Mark
  • justresting
    justresting Posts: 292
    +1 for longer bolt n nut
    ' From the sharks in the penthouse,
    to the rats in the basement,
    its not that far '
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    Longer screw + nut on t'other side is definitely easiest.

    If you're feeling fancy you could get someone to put a helicoil in.

    Or you could drill a slightly bigger hole and tap it for a bigger screw.

    Wrapping tape around a screw to try to make it work falls under the heading of 'solutions that no-one will ever recommend'. What we in the trade refer to as a 'bodge'.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    If the thread is still 'OK-ish' you can sometimes remake it using a good 'thread lock' I use Loctite bearing lock.

    Otherwise its longer screw and nut or having the frame drilled out and helicoiled.

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.

Categories