Bicycle Mechanics - Simple Question Regarding Chainrings

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PDA
55/Rad
03-06-04, 09:43 PM
On my ride today, I heard what I thought was a clicking noise coming from my BB. It came and went and I didn't think too much about it.

When I was cleaning my bike post-ride, I noticed very single chainring bolt was loose. Very loose. Like ready to fall out. How I made it through the ride - I have no idea.

What would cause this? I cranked them down less than 100 miles ago when I did my tune-up. Were they not "prepped" correctly? Do they need Loctite or equivalent?

55/Rad

sch
03-07-04, 06:29 AM
Unusual but it does happen. Low strength locktite
is not a bad idea. Shimano uses it on all the screws
on their Der from the factory. It has only happened
to me once, used to have more trouble with square
taper BB bolts loosening on the ride. Might be best
to take each chainring bolt off, degrease and lightly
coat with locktite and reassemble. Look carefully
at the descriptors of the locktite or equivalent tubes
before you buy. None are truly unremovable but the
heavy duty versions require torching to 3-400F to loosen. The light duty type just doubles the torque
needed to loosen and gums up the thread so it does
not spontaneously come loose. Steve
khuon
03-07-04, 06:47 AM
If you don't use one already, I would suggest using a torque-wrench to tighten those chainring bolts. Uneven torquing of the bolts can result in them loosening up even in a short period of time. It's also a good idea to grease the bolts.