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I have a mind to replace the standard bolts with Ti ones as I find the small Allen heads prone to rounding
Does anyone know what size will fit (would prefer a bigger Allen head) and where from?
Se if you can find Torx bolts in the right size. Much less likely to round off.
I think überbike do a kit specifically for them, iirc they are 4mm rather than 3 on the standard
Personally I'd avoid Ti bolts in anything safety critical.
Like Bigyinn, having had issues with titanium fasteners in the past, I'd want to avoid them and stick to stainless steel. I had some Ti skewered QR levers that would simply never do up tight enough, because the skewer would actually 'stretch'*. Looked nice though. And good luck with trying to get a stuck Ti bolt out, should you ever suffer such a disaster.
Do a search on eBay for Thomson titanium bolts and you will find them.
Got some a few weeks back for around £12 (6 stem bolts and stem cap bolt)
They have a 4mm allen fitting rather than the 3mm.
They're available but like others here I wouldn't do it. For a tiny weight saving you'll end up with bolts that are weaker than the steel ones they replace.
I'd have no qualms using them (I have ti bolts in all my stems), but they'll be more prone to rounding than steel, so if you're ham fisted they're not the answer.
Don't buy randomly on eBay either - just measure them (I think they're M5x20mm ish) and buy from a reputable seller like ProBolt. Cheap ti bolts are shit.
The only Ti bolts I've ever used (trusted) were supplied by Hope with their SE brakeset. Hope don't provide Ti bolts for their other range of products, only steel. And as companies such as Thomson, Easton, Hope, Cromag, RaceFace etc.. only provide quality steel bolts on their stems, I think that tells you something....
I've got loads of Thomson stems, never once had an issue with bolts. Put a bit of grease on the threads, and on the contact side of the bolt head, tighten to correct torque (with proper allen keys, not the 'round-ended drivers') and you'll not have any problems.
If you do need to replace damaged bolts, you could go for a quality stainless steel (e.g. 316) - but don't go for Ti - it's not actually stronger.
DiscJockey - Member
The only Ti bolts I've ever used (trusted) were supplied by Hope with their SE brakeset. Hope don't provide Ti bolts for their other range of products, only steel.
Hope Race brankes come with all TI bolts (and a couple of aluminium). And I've been using Hope Ti rotor bolts for a long time too, they were chucked in with a set of limited edition brakes they did ages back.
Syntace do Ti bolts with the megaforce stem, and they do a 10 year guarantee and rate it for DH use with 800mm bars.
Ti bolts of decent quality are fine. Agree that I'd be wary of cheap EBay stuff.
Good titanium bolts can be fine for use on XC and road bikes, they are fairly common.
Choosing them to prevent rounding is not good as Ti is softer than steel.
Invest in better allen keys.
but they'll be more prone to rounding than steel, so if you're ham fisted they're not the answer.
all being equal yes, but a 4mm Ti is less prone to rounding than a 3mm steel. Well in my experience anyway as I have rounded a few 3mm bolts but never a 4mm (Ti or steel)
- I am ham-fisted (or just incredibly strong) and I do have shit allen keys but the 4mm hasn't failed yet.
Just remembered that I have one bike with a carbon stem and Ti bolts! 😯
I'm off to cautiously poke a stick at it from a safe distance...
but a 4mm [s]Ti[/s] is less prone to rounding than a 3mm [s]steel[/s]
FTFY