Chainring bolts

Quoth Patrick Lamb:

Quoted message said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.
So I tightened them.

Is that enough?

Or should I try to clean the bolts and whatever they screw into, and
reassemble with Loctite?

Loctite is a Bad Idea for this application. I generally use my
favorite, Phil Wood Tenacious Oil for this. Oil the threads and the
underside of the bolt heads, but try not to get any oil on the
outsides of the nuts.

It seems counterintuitive to lubricate threads, but actually it's
generally the best way to go for things that need to be tight.
Lubricating the threads means that more of the torque you apply to the
wrench goes to tightening the fastener, and less to overcoming the
friction of the threads.

Loctite is good for adjustment screws and the like that don't get
fully tightened down against anything solid.

Sheldon "Oil" Brown
+----------------------------------------------------+
| I reckon there's more things told than are true, |
| And more things true than are told. |
| --Rudyard Kipling |
+----------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com

Patrick Lamb said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.
So I tightened them.

Is that enough?

Or should I try to clean the bolts and whatever they screw into, and
reassemble with Loctite?

Pat

Email address works as is.

Grease onto the threads, wee bit of grease between the rings and the
crank..make 'em tight.

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:38:37 -0700, "Qui si parla

Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Patrick Lamb said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.
So I tightened them.

Is that enough?

Or should I try to clean the bolts and whatever they screw into, and
reassemble with Loctite?

Grease onto the threads, wee bit of grease between the rings and the
crank..make 'em tight.

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

Pat

Email address works as is.

Patrick Lamb wrote:
[snip]

Quoted message said:

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

[snip]

Agreement is not a common problem on this group.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Patrick Lamb said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.
So I tightened them.
Is that enough?
Or should I try to clean the bolts and whatever they screw into, and
reassemble with Loctite?

Quoted message said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo-www.vecchios.com said:

Grease onto the threads, wee bit of grease between the rings and the
crank..make 'em tight.

Patrick Lamb said:

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

Yep. Dry, poorly torqued fasteners are a chronic problem.
Grease the bolt and under the head, not the nut, as Sheldon noted already.
Then start checking other threads. Did the same guy assemble your
brakes? The adjuster and anchor will likely be dry and rust-prone. Keep
going with that, as dry fasteners don't torque properly and will corrode
if they don't drive you crazy with noises first.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Reid said:

Patrick Lamb said:

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

Agreement is not a common problem on this group.

No to disprove anything, let me add a suggestion.
Make sure the nut does not rotate in place why you turn the screw into
it.

Sergio
Pisa

Reid said:

Patrick Lamb wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

[snip]

Agreement is not a common problem on this group.

WHADAYAMEANBYTHAT!!!!

;=l)

On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:08:41 -0500, A Muzi <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Keep
going with that, as dry fasteners don't torque properly and will corrode
if they don't drive you crazy with noises first.

But note that torque specs are often specific for dry, clean,
fasteners and they change if you lube the items involved.

Regards,
Still "using my right hand as a calibrated torque wrench so it likely
doesn't matter to" me

Reid Ramos? said:

Agreement is not a common problem on this group.

You are wrong. 😉

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
Beer - It's not just for breakfast anymore!

Someone said:

But note that torque specs are often specific for dry, clean,
fasteners and they change if you lube the items involved.

Right. That's one of the reasons I consider most bicycle torque specs
to be snake oil.

Sheldon "http://sheldonbrown.com/tork-grip" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, |
| they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, |
| they do not refer to reality. --Albert Einstein |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

Quoted message said:

But note that torque specs are often specific for dry, clean,
fasteners and they change if you lube the items involved.

Quoted message said:

Right. That's one of the reasons I consider most bicycle torque
specs to be snake oil.

http://sheldonbrown.com/tork-grip

Beyond that, what is "dry/clean"? If I run this through a good
degreaser and tighten a bolt in a truly dry environment, the parts
will seize. This arises from the rule that "No two solid objects can
slide over each other without a lubricant. If there is no lubricant,
then one or both materials will reach melting temperature at asperity
contacts to furnish that lubricant."

Lubricant can be adsorbed moisture in some instances.

For rail passengers this is apparent from the thump-thump-thump of
flat wheels that skidded for a moment when braking, or from the
surface of a brake disk with a glazed surface.

Jobst Brandt

Patrick Lamb said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.

any more than three chainring bolts is overkill.

Quoted message said:

Patrick Lamb said:

Noticed the other day my two big chain rings (out of three) were
flopping a bit, which led to my discovery that the bolts were loose.

Quoted message said:

any more than three chainring bolts is overkill.

TA Professionel? Original Campagnolo chromed GS?
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Reid said:

Patrick Lamb wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Thanks to both you and Sheldon for the quick answers (and agreeing!).
This is the first time I've seen something like this; is it a common
problem?

[snip]

Agreement is not a common problem on this group.

Yes it is!