Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Lost three chainring bolts this morning - wtf?

I have no idea how, or why. Usinging the small 40T chainring off my Trek 610, on the inside of the spider. Brand new single chainring bolts, greased and tightened up good. I do not have a chainring bolt tool, but I thought I was able to get them pretty snug regardless. Chainline is pretty darn straight. These were tightend up about one week ago when I moved over my fixie parts from one frame to another, and probably have less than 25 total miles since then.

Do I need to be checking them more often? I'm new to fixed gear riding and I want to make sure I'm not missing something. Is loctite a necessity?

I didn't feel the "slack" in the chain from only having two chainring bolts holding it together until I was about 200 yards from my destination this am. Thank goodness the thing didn't fall apart...

http://static.flickr.com/64/198038802_d32ab8aa5a.jpg
That happened to me a few weeks ago.

In addition to your bolts maybe not being tight enough because you didn't use the bolt tool, you might have set the chainring in such a way that it wasn't completely flush with the spider. WHich is a theory as to how my bolts got loose and broke.

I tried grease, and didn't realize I had lost 3 until I was on the trail, 3 miles from the trailhead. I made it back with 1 and 3 zip-ties holding it on, and running up all the ascents.

Loctite, now and forever.

Couldn't you feel it when you were missing all those chainring bolts? No warning of suddening doom?

I lost them one at a time, I guess. I still had two or three in when I bent it in half. Before that, I felt some wiggle which I thought was my pedal.

Couldn't you feel it when you were missing all those chainring bolts? No warning of suddening doom?
Surprisingly not. The chain stayed on, and it was still being held on by two bolts, so it was good enough for the time being.

http://static.flickr.com/64/198038802_d32ab8aa5a.jpg
That happened to me a few weeks ago.
straighten that out with a paving slab and you'll be finnnnne....

fsnl
sparky

do yourselves a favor and drop the $4 on:

http://blbikeshop.com/images/library/large/parktool_cnw_1_06_m.jpg

one of the best bike related purchases i've made

do yourselves a favor and drop the $4 on:

http://blbikeshop.com/images/library/large/parktool_cnw_1_06_m.jpg

one of the best bike related purchases i've made
All this time and I thought those were butt-scratchers. Makes sense now. Thanks!

wow, i didnt know there was a tool for those, I just use a screwdrier held at an angle and a hex key.

I stole them, I'll give them back if you lick horse poo from my tires.

<feeling cheeky and sheepish> Looks like I had the chainring on backwards. Logo wasn't facing the bottom bracket for proper mounting on the inside of the spider. Must have missed it when swapping over parts to the new frame. Was able to bum a ride from a co-worker to the LBS, got new bolts, flipped the chainring properly and viola.. things seem groovie.

Need to get me one of those chainring bolt tools for sure.

I check my chainring bolts every time I put air in my tires. I find that they loosen up quite often, so you need to be diligent about checking them. Locktite works well too.

try tightening em enough the first time, and then a follow up a week to a month later to check em.(depending on how much you ride the said bike). ive never needed loctite, just a lil grease.

i just use anti-seize compound on the threads and an allen key, i can get the nut to stick well enough to torque on them without it moving.

do yourselves a favor and drop the $4 on:

http://blbikeshop.com/images/library/large/parktool_cnw_1_06_m.jpg

one of the best bike related purchases i've made

Oh, man! So that's how you tighten those things! I was using an old chisel as a super-wide screwdriver. Ah, for every job there is the correct tool.

i'd recommend any fixie rider use loctite when installing chainring bolts, and check them regularly. fixed gear riding seems to do a number on those bolts, if they're not tight and loctited (loctitten?) they'll loosen up. also, if you've got a mysterious creak, it could be the chainring bolts -- that's been the case for me several times.

and yes buy the tool.

I popped a few the same way a number of years ago. I got lucky and didn't bend the chainring.

As for the job and the tool quote ( a good one by the way)..

My dad was redoing the wiring in the house that I was born in ( subsequently bought by Amish people a number of years back, we went to visit it and my dad bragged about the number of electrical outlets in the second story :) ) He refused to buy a 99 cent wire stripper and used his old pocket knife instead. He cut his hand badly, bandaged it, cut his hand again, bandaged it, then cut his hand again and realized he was out of bandages. He went to Sears and bought the 99 cent wire stripper and another $5 in bandages.....

It happens much more easily if you don't center the chainring.

Hrm, I never thought of using Loctite, that is a great idea. And yeah, I check mine every few weeks or so and they almost always need tightening. There must be a better way of doing this, the Park tool-thing is great but I never feel that they are tight enough.

Also, I purchased some single speed chainring bolts like the OP did and I noticed that they were really lousy and were always needing to be tightened compared to some Shimano 600 chainring bolts that I had from a road bike. I just used spacers on them and they are a lot less fiddley, so get some decent ones and you will be happier.

I tried grease, and didn't realize I had lost 3 until I was on the trail, 3 miles from the trailhead. I made it back with 1 and 3 zip-ties holding it on, and running up all the ascents.

Loctite, now and forever.
zip ties, interesting. makes me think that since chainring bolts are hollow, one could run zipties through them to keep from losing them if they do come loose. ugly, but if you made the zip ties tight enough, it might also help the bolts to keep from coming loose in the first place.

do yourselves a favor and drop the $4 on:

http://blbikeshop.com/images/library/large/parktool_cnw_1_06_m.jpg

one of the best bike related purchases i've made
yep. I got one about a month ago, Steve at Montano Velo even used the grinder on it for me, because it was too thick to fit my bolts. (don't ask me why it didn't fit)

Montano Velo is the best LBS ever.

I popped a few the same way a number of years ago. I got lucky and didn't bend the chainring.

As for the job and the tool quote ( a good one by the way)..

My dad was redoing the wiring in the house that I was born in ( subsequently bought by Amish people a number of years back, we went to visit it and my dad bragged about the number of electrical outlets in the second story :) ) He refused to buy a 99 cent wire stripper and used his old pocket knife instead. He cut his hand badly, bandaged it, cut his hand again, bandaged it, then cut his hand again and realized he was out of bandages. He went to Sears and bought the 99 cent wire stripper and another $5 in bandages.....
I spent over 8 hours one day trying to remove the old brakes from my car to replace the drums with disks. Bashed up both hands, did a number on my knees, had a sore back for the next week. The next morning, I went and dropped $15 on the right tool and had the brakes off 15 minutes after I got home. I did, however, have a job installing car stereos for 2 years and used a pocket knife as a wire stripper daily. Only cut myself once.


zip ties, interesting. makes me think that since chainring bolts are hollow, one could run zipties through them to keep from losing them if they do come loose. ugly, but if you made the zip ties tight enough, it might also help the bolts to keep from coming loose in the first place.

Its a bit of a belt and suspenders approach, but for long distance touring/randonneuring it seems like a pretty good idea.

www.parktool.com

They have a billion tools for weird things and are introducing new ones each year. Edumacate yrselves.

Also, belt-and-suspenders at heart always and forever. Grant Peterson touches me with his noodly appendage.