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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Avoid lubrication and the bolts will last 7 times longer and make you go 1 mph faster.
FrankCrank
Old layabout
On the rare occasion that some sort of threadlock is needed, I use nail lacquer.
Not on my nails, you understand, but a dab on the thread of the nut and bolt.
Not on my nails, you understand, but a dab on the thread of the nut and bolt.
matticus
Guru
Wise words!
(of course what I do is learn from these disasters, whilst making smug internet posts about being smarter than these fools .. )
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
There are not many places where I use threadlocker:
Bottom bracket threads (if pre-applied in box), chainring bolts, stem bolts, mudguard stay bolts (fastening to drop-outs and into chainstay bridge, not the guard ends), bottle cage bolts, rim brake insert pad securing screws.
Bottom bracket threads (if pre-applied in box), chainring bolts, stem bolts, mudguard stay bolts (fastening to drop-outs and into chainstay bridge, not the guard ends), bottle cage bolts, rim brake insert pad securing screws.
Mr Celine
Discordian
- Location
- Waxing my moustache
I've lost bolts from the inner ring of a triple on more than one occasion.
On my winter bike once I was relieved for a few seconds when an annoying rattle suddenly stopped, only to realise seconds later that the rattling component was the second last of the five inner ring bolts, and it had stopped rattling because it had fallen off!
An unseasonably warm spell in March this year led to me reassembling the summer bike from its winter strip-down in a bit of a hurry. I couldn't find my bottle of loctite and then forgot all about it.
A few weeks later while out on a ride the bike seemed very draggy. Brakes were fine, wheels were spinning fine, then I saw the frame around the drive side bottom bracket covered in grey powder. One of the inner chainring bolts was loose and protruding and with every rotation was gouging more resin off the frame. Fortunately it never got as far as any actual carbon fibres. Even after cleaning and coating with lacquer it still looked a right mess.
The inner ring bolts on a triple screw directly into the alloy of the crank spider. It's all too easy to strip the threads, hence the use of loctite.
On my winter bike once I was relieved for a few seconds when an annoying rattle suddenly stopped, only to realise seconds later that the rattling component was the second last of the five inner ring bolts, and it had stopped rattling because it had fallen off!
An unseasonably warm spell in March this year led to me reassembling the summer bike from its winter strip-down in a bit of a hurry. I couldn't find my bottle of loctite and then forgot all about it.
A few weeks later while out on a ride the bike seemed very draggy. Brakes were fine, wheels were spinning fine, then I saw the frame around the drive side bottom bracket covered in grey powder. One of the inner chainring bolts was loose and protruding and with every rotation was gouging more resin off the frame. Fortunately it never got as far as any actual carbon fibres. Even after cleaning and coating with lacquer it still looked a right mess.
The inner ring bolts on a triple screw directly into the alloy of the crank spider. It's all too easy to strip the threads, hence the use of loctite.
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
You don't need it. But you do need decent bolts that can be done up tight. A bit of grease helps stop the back nut spinning but the real secret is to buy ones that work. Stronglight are good.
If you ride a fixie, you know the importance of tight chainring bolts.
If you ride a fixie, you know the importance of tight chainring bolts.
mrandmrspoves
Middle aged bald git.
- Location
- Narfuk
If you buy replacement chain ring bolts you will often find that they already have blue threadlock applied - which suggests that the manufacturers recommend it.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Same here, never had to thread-lock a single nut or bolt.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I actually use copper slip on most of my nuts and bolts.... nah nah, never comes undone, but when needed isn't corroded. 30 years doing it !
I use a brown grease specified for aircraft doors etc, that I bought cheap at €3 for a canister of 1 kilo, in a metalware store.
I tension the bolts, subsequent days I check and tension again if needed, and usually, after that no further attention needed.
Since my chainring is now bolted with default metric bolts and nuts, there isn't any risk of damaging thread anymore, so I just tension as hard as I can with standard length key 17.
I never used threadlock.
The dealer of my current bike did (the red loctite), for the bolt on cog on the IS disc mount. The bolts were way too short, about halve of what the specs of the hub flange recommended. The longer replacement bolts didn't turn in well, after trying 1 I decided to not take the risk, and instead first tap out the 6 flange holes. That worked, and didn't cause further problems, now being 4 years ago.
The benefit of a thread locker appears to me as making sure the mount is fixed directly, post-leaving the shop, as to not require customers to check the bolts in subsequent days.
In my case, that isn't a problem, since I have the tools and do it myself.
