Titanium bolts as alternative gram saver?

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

eric
Posts: 2196
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 9:47 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, California, USA
Contact:

by eric

I've used quality nylon bolts for bottle cages. Alloy works too.

I'm ok with Ti skewers but aluminium skewers make me nervous.

I've had motorcycles with aluminium swingarm pivots and wheel axles. As long as the part is designed for that material it's fine. But bike wheel skewers are sized for steel, not al.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Zoro
Posts: 352
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:52 am

by Zoro

It really depends where they are used and what you are replacing. Ti is a great choice for some areas, not so much for others.
When I can I use aluminium or carbon - Water Bottle cages.
Pedals - Ti spindles as aluminium would break. But...I have seen hollowed out steel about as light - and stiffer than Ti. For a big rider - I'd go steel, for smaller Ti.
Hub Axle - depends. Steel or Aluminium in big cross section is better than Ti IMO as both have less flex.
BB spindle - I used the Campy Super Record Ti BB spindle in 1982. Too much flex. In a BB30 BB I could see a carbon, or Ti tube
Spoke - I've use all three materials. I think steel is the best. Might buy a new Ti spoke wheel if funds support it for climbing.

Then you have the maintenance / softer material issue. It is better design to use a soft light material where it can be replaced easily. An aluminum derailleur hanger is the best choice. If you crash - it bends rather than breaking your derailleur. What may be best under ideal conditions, is not under real world conditions.

Anyway - I would use Ti for a very few places. Brake bolts, derailleur bolts, seat bolt on some, Cassette cogs and freewheel body.

User avatar
pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

I have a tandem and I want to shed some weight. Any volunteers to help me calculate the weight savings for 67 bolts?

Rear brake (disk) 12
Front brake (V) 5
Stem (front and rear) 15
Cranks (2 timing rings + rear triple rings) 20
Water bottle 6
FD 3
Seat post collar 2
Seat post clamps 4
Total 67

User avatar
Rick
Posts: 2034
Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2009 4:30 pm

by Rick

Titanium is approximately 55% the density of steel.
So, if for example all your steel bolts are replaced by Titanium, and the steel bolts added up to 100 grams, then the Ti replacements will be about 55 grams, and you will have saved 45 grams.

User avatar
mpulsiv
Posts: 1384
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:17 pm

by mpulsiv

5 cogs of Dura-Ace cassette are titanium. Just saying...
Racing is a three-dimensional high-speed chess game, involving hundreds of pieces on the board.

:arrow: CBA = Chronic Bike Addiction
:arrow: OCD = Obsessive Cycling Disorder

jackie
Posts: 96
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2011 6:04 am

by jackie

to use ti just to shave some grams will cost alot of $ per gram save.
i admit that in some of my bikes they all have ti bolts on them.
brake calipers,stem bolts,seatpost,clamps etc.
i do use a torque wrench on them with the recommend setting , so far i had been lucky
but some of my riding friends did feedback to me that the ti bolt for his roter snap off..
and from there on. he never used them on his rotors anymore.
but still used them on non stress area

User avatar
pdlpsher1
Posts: 4016
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:09 pm
Location: CO

by pdlpsher1

I found these AL chainring bolts on ebay. It says they save 16g. over equivalent steel ones. Since I have steel 20 bolts on my tandem the total weight saving is 16g x 4 = 64g. So that's $.53 per gram saved or $240 per pound saved. That sounds like a pretty good deal. I wished I had 200 of these bolts on my tandem.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Dura-Ac ... 1c4378730a

User avatar
mpulsiv
Posts: 1384
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:17 pm

by mpulsiv

pdlpsher1 wrote:I found these AL chainring bolts on ebay. It says they save 16g. over equivalent steel ones. Since I have steel 20 bolts on my tandem the total weight saving is 16g x 4 = 64g. So that's $.53 per gram saved or $240 per pound saved. That sounds like a pretty good deal. I wished I had 200 of these bolts on my tandem.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Dura-Ac ... 1c4378730a


Comparable http://fairwheelbikes.com/kcnc-sl-doubl ... -5299.html
Racing is a three-dimensional high-speed chess game, involving hundreds of pieces on the board.

:arrow: CBA = Chronic Bike Addiction
:arrow: OCD = Obsessive Cycling Disorder

User avatar
HammerTime2
Posts: 5813
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Wherever there's a mountain beckoning to be climbed

by HammerTime2

pdlpsher1 wrote:I found these AL chainring bolts on ebay. It says they save 16g. over equivalent steel ones. Since I have steel 20 bolts on my tandem the total weight saving is 16g x 4 = 64g. So that's $.53 per gram saved or $240 per pound saved. That sounds like a pretty good deal. I wished I had 200 of these bolts on my tandem.
Then your tandem would weigh 784g more. :smartass:
Last edited by HammerTime2 on Sat Aug 02, 2014 2:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

natiedean24
Posts: 380
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:16 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

by natiedean24

Weight savings of Ti bolts is nice, but so is the corrosion resistance - no more rust. Especially nice for stem bolts.

dmp
Posts: 422
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: Seattle

by dmp

...and for cleat bolts (and washers) on your shoes.

rustychain
Posts: 3907
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:42 pm
Location: lat 38.9677 lon 77.3366
Contact:

by rustychain

At 220 lbs I'm hard on equipment. I put on high milage to. I have use ti bolts for 20+ years, I also have used ti skewers. If I use good quality stuff and torque them correctly, and maintain them at proper torque ( they can stretch over time so they should be retightened periodically), they are fine on a road bike. That said, over the decades I have had a few issues, but that can be said about any material or bike component IMO. I use nylon bolts for my water bottle cages, they can be iffy and should only be used on areas that are unlikely to have heavy loads. After 4 years with the nylon bolts, never a failure. Your weight savings on a total build using ti bolts and such, could be 100 grams possibly, but if your going to live in fear of bolt failure it is not worth the stress. Confidence in your equipment is vital
WW Velocipedist Gargantuan

Kasparz
Posts: 566
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:17 am
Location: Latvia

by Kasparz

Titanium bolts purchased from reputable source is great way to cheaply and easy shed some weight. Best part is that you can use Ti bolts no only on bike, but also as dmp mentioned, on shoe cleats. Small bolts like derailleur limiter bolts won't save much, but big bolts liek seatpost bolts can save a lot for just one bolt. For 200$ you can save roughly 150-200g going to Ti bolts. Same weight savings on the frame if you already have a light frame would cost you 10 times that. Using nylon bolts on unused bottle cage holes would save even more grams.
I use Ti screws almost everywhere including pedal spindles on my race bikes, never had an issue.

User avatar
mpulsiv
Posts: 1384
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:17 pm

by mpulsiv

Still fear to use titanium?

Quote from Fair Wheel Bikes:
Bolt Material: One question we wanted to answer was if there was a noticeable difference between stems with titanium and steel bolts. We selected a few random stems and tested them both with titanium and steel bolts and found no meaningful difference in deflection in stems with one material over the other.

Source: http://fairwheelbikes.com/c/forums/topi ... m-review-3
Racing is a three-dimensional high-speed chess game, involving hundreds of pieces on the board.

:arrow: CBA = Chronic Bike Addiction
:arrow: OCD = Obsessive Cycling Disorder

cwilli15
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:31 pm

by cwilli15

Since this subject came up, what Ti bolts would I need to replace the steel brake caliper bolts on my TREK Domane, referring to the mounting bolt (1 front and 1 rear).

Thanks-
CW

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply