I had to drill one out years back. The bottle cage is secured with a zip tie now, but as I come to sell the bike it would please me to be able to replace the boss.

Is this the right thing? Obviously cheap eBay stuff but I’m prepared to go with it for the price.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Threaded-Nut-Rivet-Gun-M3-M8-Insert-Tool-Riveter-Rivnut-Nutsert-Riveting-Gift/312594235278?hash=item48c8117f8e:g:yhAAAOSwihtd8Zaa

That’s the right sort of thing – be mindful of the depth though, it doesn’t seem to mention the functional size of the insert or what the tool can achieve.

That’s almost exactly like what I used to put rivnuts in the side of my van and I can really swing on them when I’m tightening up the straps I use for the bikes. Should be good enough to hold a bottle.

that tool will do baby ones on a bottle boss.

it might only do 1 or two mind but itll do em

I found using a selection of nuts bolts and washer and spanners you can make a decent rivnut setter for a bike if you’re only doing them occasionally. Make sure you buy the alloy rivnuts as you’d need a special tool to do steel I reckon. Alloy is quite soft so compresses quite easily.

I put in a whole bikes worth of rivnuts in with no problems that way – a rivnut gun might not get into some of the tight spaces you might need to get to.

Um. isn’t this one of those situations where you pop to your LBS and they pop a riv-nut in while you wait?

@molgrips

You could cycle/drive over here and use mine? I’d need to check that:

(a) You are allowed.

(b) I have the right size nut.

Thanks Marko, I already ordered it though 🙂

Um. isn’t this one of those situations where you pop to your LBS and they pop a riv-nut in while you wait?

Yeah but I tried that once and they couldn’t find their gun; and tbh they’d probably charge me a fiver so I’ll get this for a tenner then I’m covered if it happens again.

I found using a selection of nuts bolts and washer and spanners you can make a decent rivnut setter for a bike if you’re only doing them occasionally

This

The ebay specials work ok for occasional use on alloy bottle cage rivnuts, they struggle with stainless rivnuts.

You can also use a nut, bolt and washer to set the rivnut.

Hope QR end cap held in a pair of channel locks (flatted the sides with a file) and a decent bolt works for me.

A  nut bolt and washer is all I used to replace a bottle cage rivnut.

Bolt

I installed some with a bolt

I’ve managed to sort a couple using an M5 bolt and a couple of nuts…
I’ve also cheated and just used epoxy as well in the past…

But the proper actual tool isn’t that pricey is it, any then you can rivnut everything in your life… Hmmm,

If you were closer……

I have one of the above. When doing m12rivnuts to hold on my fiamma awning and M6 for my solar panels I figured it was worth while investment.

When I had to replace the titanium riv nut cable Boss on my td-1 It paid for it’s self yet again.

Rivnuts are cheap. Amazing what you can use them for when they are no hassle to set.

Thanks TR. That looks a lot better than what’s arriving for me. I think I may also need some glue 😆

Screwfix do one and a kit of different nut sizes