Steel or Titanium Disc Brake Caliper Fixing Bolts?

[Valbrona]

I am a Roadie setting up my first disc brakes - mechanical on a road bike.

Do you MTB people only use M6 steel bolts to fix calipers on or are titanium bolts thought to be strong/safe enough in this application?

Thanks.

[TheRookie]

Ti bolts are fine, although they are pricey and for the same money you can save more weight elsewhere.

[mattr]

A ti bolt set for my mtb brakes is about £35-40 an end, Inc lever clamps, disc bolts and other bits and pieces, about ~12 bolts per brake.

Weight saving (from their figures), was about a colossal 15 grams.

On the plus side, they don't corrode and they look shiny.
Down side is they may gall (haven't yet, used copperslip).

Certainly wouldn't have bought them, but they came as a freebie with the brakes

[bikewithnoname]

Ti. Don't forget a little loctite though.

[Valbrona]

..........

[DanW]

Why is that Juan?

I was always under the impression that very high torque bolts (10Nm+?) should be greased/ copper slipped but lower torque bolts should use threadlock (less than 6Nm maybe?).

To be honest I used copper slip on Ti bolts religiously in the past and now religiously threadlock them for some reason but haven't had a problem either way so I guess the answer is it doesn't really matter

[mattr]

TBH, a well (regularly) maintained bike with fasteners torqued correctly *shouldn't* need loctite in the vast majority of locations that it's used. Better off using grease/light oil/copperslip to get the torque (and end load) correct than relying on loctite to hold it in. Maybe 15% (?) of those bolts that have loctite actually need it.
Its more than likely only there to allow for the fit and forget crew who won't look at a part until its broken, its similar to the old wire locked shimano caliper bolts. That no one ever fitted the wire to!

[DanW]

That sounds like good logic mattr and makes sense.

[bikewithnoname]

Well I've been using ti bolts and loctite on my caliper bolts and rotor bolts since the 90's and never had any issues with bolts coming loose (or any issues removing them either).

Use grease if you like, I'm sure getting them torqued down correctly is the most important thing

[stuka666]

Another one using ti with no problems.

[Valbrona]

Interestingly, I have never seen OEM or 'proper' aftermarket Ti fixing bolts for disc brakes (I am new to discs), but I have seen aftermarket Ti rotor bolts from Giant.

[kode54]

Ti. had steel ones corrode after riding in wet and muddy conditions. like others have said...use anti-seize.

[mattr]

Interestingly, I have never seen OEM or 'proper' aftermarket Ti fixing bolts for disc brakes (I am new to discs), but I have seen aftermarket Ti rotor bolts from Giant.

hope provide full sets for their brakes, fairly OEM.

[scant]

my Shimano M987 Race brakes also came stock with titanium caliper bolts.

[UpFromOne]

another vote for ti with anti-seize