Ti Hardware

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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Barna

by Barna

Where do you guys get Ti hardware from? I see lots of listing where a person has replaced their steel harware with Ti.

karlux
Posts: 221
Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2002 9:57 pm
Location: Latvia
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by karlux

You can look for SRP's products or you just have to make them by yourself - I mean you have to find some CNC mechanic who could probably make some of the hardware you need.

Actualy there are many companies whic produces bolts from alu and ti.
Light weight everything!

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Cyco
Posts: 1875
Joined: Sat Nov 30, 2002 4:49 am

by Cyco

You can also try calling aircraft supply shops, conveniently located near your nearest airport. These guys as well as sometimes race car suppliers have these. I have also contacted Tiodize to mave composite bolts but as everything they do is to order, I dont yet have the cash to stump up for a bikes worth :(

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DavidG
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:26 am
Location: On my bike somewhere

by DavidG

I recently did quite a bit of research into this issue before ordering a complete set of Alu and Ti bolts for my bike. Due to the high price of Ti bolts and the limited availability of some of the bolt types and sizes I needed, I decided to do a head-to-head Excel comparison of the 5-10 bolt suppliers I had found on the Internet.

Here they are:
* Racebolts LLC -- http://www.racebolts.com
* Ti Kinetics (Ti only) -- http://www.tikinetics.com
* Redmist -- http://titaniumfasteners.com/shop/
* Mettec (Ti only) -- http://www.mettec.com/
* TekBolt (Ti only) -- http://www.tekbolt.com/
* Bike Tuning Service (Germany) -- http://home.t-online.de/home/bts.renz/homepage.htm
* Titan Concept (Germany) (Ti only) -- http://www.titan-concept.com/
* BSR (UK) -- http://www.bsr-aerotek.com
* Pro-Bolt (UK) http://www.tastynuts.com/

In the end I chose to order from Redmist (http://titaniumfasteners.com/shop/), who had the lowest prices per bolt almost across the board (up to 50% cheaper), plus he offered to special order any type of bolt I needed. And his S&H charges are fair ($4 in the US for Priority Mail), he accepts PayPal, his website is excellent and so is his service.

BTW, I recommend against buying from suppliers who sell specifically to the bicycle market (eg SRP and the bike stores) as they tend to overcharge. Instead, go to the manufacturers themselves and get much better deals! The only reason to buy from SRP etc. is if you need a non-standard bolt that is meant specifically for bike use (eg, the specially-shaped nuts used on V-brake pad holders); such bolts will not be available from the 'standard' bolt suppliers.

Attached is a copy of the above-mentioned comparison spreadsheet.

DavidG

PS Keep in mind that aluminium is both lighter and cheaper than Ti. It can easily be used for non-critical bolts such as the brake levers and shifters, cable holders etc. For a short but comprehesive article on which bolts to use where, how much you can save by using aluminium and Ti bolts, and more, go to http://weightweenies.starbike.com/articles.php?ID=16 .
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DavidG

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DavidG
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:26 am
Location: On my bike somewhere

by DavidG

A few comments about the bolt price comparison spreadsheet I posted above:
1. The spreadsheet includes only the specific bolt types/sizes that I needed; you can take it from here and add any bolts you may need that aren't on the list.
2. Prices for the foreign bolt suppliers will change according to the exchange rates (which you can update in the spreadsheet), but the differences will probably be minor.
3. The prices are per bolt, and do not take into account different S&H costs that may exist between the various suppliers.
4. Ditto for the cost of payment (eg bank transfer fees or PayPal fees).

Enjoy!
DavidG

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