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Have an Orange 5 that weighs in at just under 30lbs. 36's, Single Ring etc.
I was just wondering, are TI bolts really worth it?
If i were to replace my 12 rotor bolts with TI bolts, would i really save any weight or not?
no way are they worth it. way cheaper ways to save weight.
Not worth it in the slightest, comparing the price vs weight loss will soon tell you that, as usual the first place to look is the tyres/tubes, followed by the wheels then contact points ie : saddle,seatpost,stem handlebars.
Or - in the case of your bike - the frame.
I've got a 1973 Leyland bus, would it go dead fast if I took the little emergency window hammer out?
Ooooh, druidh....that's a harsh blow straight outa the gate, we were going to wait till the thread ran to the 2nd page before we mentioned taking a file to the chunky welds on the frame
No, but I'm going to blow 250 quid replacing every bolt on my new bike with a Ti bolt. I weigh nothing and have zero body fat so I think I've earned the extravagance. It'll shave less than the weight of a good dump off the bike but I'm still doing it for reasons I haven't really figured out myself yet. If it makes you happy....
The only question worth asking on these threads is - [i]what would njee do[/i]?
Ooooh, druidh....that's a harsh blow straight outa the gate, we were going to wait till the thread ran to the 2nd page before we mentioned taking the files [s]to the chunky welds on the frame[/s] out of the cabinet
There you go 🙂
Biggest weight saving for your £'s is aluminium bolts where they're not under stress. Cheaper material, bigger weight saving.
You can get away with it on things like brake levers but probably not on your stem...
I'd look at where you are buying those bolts first andybloomer, chec out some of the online TI bolt motorsport specialists. I replaced every bolt i could on my Cove Hummer with titanium for way less than £100, i don't care about the weight saving, or at least that wasn't the primary objective - i just wanted to be a flash **** and once i replaced the rotor bolts i just thought fuk-it and replaced everything
Of course it isn't worth it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't 😀
What bike part is honestly worth it? [No-one mention the 5 frame] 😆
Oh yeah, check out Toronto Cycles for Ti and Alu bolts. No corrosion and bling colours (plus vanity) are my justification
I was going for demon tweaks. Reputable? They suggest rolled threads which I think is a good thing.
Yeah, the flash git bit sounds vaguely familiar
Biggest weight saving for your £'s is aluminium bolts where they're not under stress. Cheaper material, bigger weight saving.You can get away with it on things like brake levers but probably not on your stem...
Do not ever, ever use Alu bolts on a stem! Not "probably" not on your stem- definitely not on your stem! Alu disc rotor bolts are dodgy ground too so 3x Alu and 3x Ti is the most you can safely get away with but is it really worth it over 6x Ti? I would suggest not but others may disagree. Using Alu bolts in anywhere except very select low stress applications will not end well!
I'd be surprised if there weren't cheaper ways to save weight on most bikes than alu bolts.
weak too
I'd have thought you might as well use blue tac instead of alu bolts. I used them for bottle cages but nowt else
As said not wise to use Alu on Stem, rotor, brake calliper mount, cable clamp & seatpost i.e anywhere where failure would hurt.
Alu fine on bottlecage, lever & shifter clamps, chainrings I think.
EDIT and Superstar Ti-bolts are made of Stilton cheeze 🙁
On that bike it would be like puting alloy wheels on a tank.
If your on a race XC bike, then yeh Ti bolt the lot of it.
If you look at an xtr gruppo it looks so well engineered (and is) and devine till you look at the fixings which are cheap and nasty.
Look at these fixings and see how nice they look, not a massive weight saving, but they dont round off easily and look the part.
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I had some from Superstar....Never again
Ti bolts are pretty soft unless you get them Cerid coated and then they cost mega bucks. We use some in an application that work out at £27 each.
Plus if you don't install them with anti seize the threads gall and either they don't tighten up enough or you cant undo them.
Had one for the main bolt in a Mk1 xlite seatpost. First ride was a nightmare as I couldn't adjust it properly. Binned it and put an old steel bolt in. Never again!
User error
What would I do? Nice to be thought of!
Why run aluminium rotor bolts of course! Half the weight of ti and far cheaper. Yet to break one. Still time though!
On the OPs bike though? No chance.
No alu in stem/seatpost either. Fine for brake levers, shifters, mechs. A friend did use them in his stem and never had a problem. I'd not though.
Not worth it. Is a £2500 full suss worth it? Probably not 😉
But I like my bikes and I buy them jewellery.
On a typical full suss, if you replaced all bolts where it's safe to do so with titanium ones, how much weight would you save?
On a typical full suss, if you replaced all bolts where it's safe to do so with titanium ones, how much weight would you save?
100-200 grams perhaps. 1/4-1/2lb.
fatboyjon - MemberI've got a 1973 Leyland bus, would it go dead fast if I took the little emergency window hammer out?
What tyres u got on that bad boy? Pics please... 🙂
When considering saving weight, remember:
A teaspoon weighs about 15g
A Malteser weighs about 3g
Just to put it in perspective 🙂
100-200 grams perhaps. 1/4-1/2lb.
So 1.3% on my bike. Hmm if I want to save that I'll just pack 1 apple instead of 2 in my rucksack 🙄
From my point of view it's not about the weight saving, it's the mindset. What's the point of having a dream bike if the last little bit of the jigsaw is a load of crappy steel bolts? If money was no issue, which in my case it's not, no one would question it, they'd just replace the bolts and smile about the fact that they'd got a complete work of art, something to behold, is that not what it's about?
http://hubnride.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/life-is-too-short-to-ride-shit-bikes.html
Are they worth it as a weight saving - no, I still bought some though and like them 😀
I like my bikes and I buy them jewellery.
I think this is the only honest voice of reason in this thread...
[i]If i were to replace my 12 rotor bolts with TI bolts, would i really save any weight or not?[/i]
To actually answer this question, if you've currently steel bolts of course you'll save weight. I've replaced all my steel (except the stem) bolts with Ti, saves a bit of weight. But as was also pointed out you can run aluminium where they're non-stress.
And irrelevent what others will say, you'll climb hills easier with a lighter bike than a heavier one - although you may not notice...
Run three rotor bolts instead of six, many PRO'S do with no issues.(just make sure they are Ti as they look far better)
Ti bolts just look nicer and don't rust. I wouldn't run alloy bolts at all - I had some snap on a brake lever when I pulled it.
As above re Superstar - v poor quality. Heads badly forged and don't fit Allen keys properly.
GB
kingkongsfinger - Member
Run three rotor bolts instead of six, many PRO'S do with no issues.(just make sure they are Ti as they look far better)
Try 2 - drilled out of course.
Also cut away the parts of your grips that your hands don't contact.
cynic-al - Member
Also cut away the parts of your grips that your hands don't contact.
Grips LOL, never need or use it.
Agree that Superstar bolts aren't very good. XC Racer do some decent ti bolts for callipers and rotors.
The bolts on XC racer are superb quality. Far better than anything else I've used.
Worth getting a good quality Torx T25 tool as well.
Nylon bolts of gtfo
As much as I like to bash superstar
I've got ti bolts from them for my xc bike and they fitted fine and have remained so for the last two years
I got stem and mech bolts but not rotor ones from them