jfowler85

Because you made this comment:

...which is elitist speak for "look at me, I'm socially more responsible than you" or just another form of conspicuous consumption. So the question is, if it's worth so much to you that you feel the need to broadcast how responsible you are, then how come you only apply this to certain parts of your life? Last time you bought strawberries did you think about the migrant field workers who are paid beans with no benefits? It doesn't matter if you don't eat strawberries, this is an illustration to show you that although you claim to be socially responsible, most of what you do and buy is just like anyone else out there.

Besides, that is all neglecting the fact that not buying an iPhone does absolutely nothing to help the conditions of the Chinese factory workers which manufacture the product. If you really want to do something responsible, join a non-profit and put in some actual effort to lobby the Chinese government, sponsor a factory worker to attend college, or start giving sizeable donations to a super PAC. The whole social responsibility movement stinks because all it seeks to do is shame the people on the receiving end of a product, when in reality that does absolutely jack. The most insulting part about this is that it is the path of least resistance...instead of trying to actually affect change, the movement just wants to yell really loudly and shirk the burden off on society at large under the guise of perusing social justice and equality. What a crock of steaming bull****.

ItsJustMe

The one in the bit that mates with the peg in the middle of this bolt. The same bit works in bolts without a peg, so there's no reason to carry both security and non security bits. I have a full set of security bits in my everyday toolbox. They're completely common.

Tundra_Man 

I know some people melt hot solder into the holes in their allen head bolts. If they need to adjust them they just heat the bolt up and wick the solder out.

Seems effective, but a little extreme for my tastes. Instead, my method involves living in an area where people don't steal seatposts.

fietsbob

it is in the tool, to clear the center pin in the security bolt head.. duh .

mconlonx

I thought the cool, hipster thing to do was to use a length of used chain to secure one's saddle rails to a seatstay? I suppose one should not use a power link to join the chain in this application...

lostarchitect 

I don't know if that's "cool" or "hipster," but yes, we have been doing that in NYC for 20 years or so. It can be easily defeated with bolt cutters, but most thieves are lazy, and the ones carrying bolt cutters want the whole bike, not just the saddle.

ModeratedUser

Hmmmm....... sounds like we found an Iphone user!

Thank you for the label of being a "conspicuous consumer" but sadly I couldn't be further from the truth. I don't even have a motorized device to get me lazily around town! You know that thing that everyone (and betting you too) uses as a large part of their status symbol. I'm I'm trying to think what was the last thing I bought that was considered a "luxury". Does a set of glasses from Romania count? They were $8 and from Ross.

And thanks for your contribution to this thread on replacement bolts for bicycles jfowler85.

ModeratedUser

I was going for something like this before giving these Torx bolts a try. I kinda like the idea of using ball bearings and super glue. You have to use acetone to dissolve the glue. Takes some time, but do-able.

PatrickGSR94

OP all you had to do was leave out the part about where the product is made, and allll this off topic discussion would have been avoided.

Jarrett2

Mine too

rm -rf

Security bits. $6 at Harbor Freight. I needed a set of torx bits and they were out of the regular bits. These work on plain or security bolts.

Would a saddle thief carry these instead of a plain L wrench? Hard to say.

jfowler85

Nope, that's just you assuming (I use a Moto G), just like you erroneously assume that your consumer choices somehow have relevance and/or significance with respect to the working conditions of a laborer on the other side of the globe. You are deluded, and possibly also a damn hippie. Why exactly are you further from the truth? The truth of what?

Notice, I did not label you a conspicuous consumer, I have no idea if you live that kind of lifestyle - again there you are with the assuming. I stated that the social justice movement has an entire generation of consumers convinced that a simple choice of purchase will somehow change the world. Wrong.

Again...more assumptions. On what do you base your claim that I use product choices as a status symbol? I put my bike together with used parts and a frame that no one around here has heard of (Devinci); I recently traded my big ass, loud diesel truck for a family car with hubcaps; I wear red mtb clipless shoes and an orange tri singlet on my commute because they were both cheap; I don't own a TV; my bbq grill and patio set were both freebies from Craigslist; my cell phone can be bought on Amazon for $179 unlocked with no contract; eating out for me consists of the dollar menu at Wendy's; I drink beer that costs $1.19 for 24oz; my 1911 is a Norinco knock off loaded with Wolf surplus ammo...etc etc.

Don't thank me for contributing to the thread, I believe it was you who first posted this:

Looks more like trolling than contributing to me.

wilfried

Err, you're getting into some dicey political territory there. Taiwan is de facto independent, with a completely separate economic and political system. The only reason has not declared independence is because China has threatened to invade if they do. They have long been a democracy with an advanced, developed economy. They outsource much of their manufacturing to China, just as the US does, though they make some fine bicycles and bike gear (Sturmey Archer internal gear hubs even) in Taiwan. Made in Taiwan does not mean the same thing as make in China (though I don't jump on the bandwagon that says that made in China automatically means cheap and shoddy; no one complains about the build quality of iPhones).

ModeratedUser

That's a very good point, but I was going with a look on my bike that would have it look like a regular bike without some shoddy backyard stuff done to it. Being that I could get away pretty cheap ($20) made me gravitate a little more this way. OK I do have a hard time believing that it is "Anti-theft" like Specialized wants us to believe.

Thanks for bringing that up. Your points have been most welcomed here! And no, you're not trolling here

ModeratedUser

Yes but then I would not have been able to make my point. Obviously not everything from China is pooh, I mean look, they put satellites into space. I don't really think that could happen with 3rd-rate parts! Just didn't think there would be any communist sympathizers on a bike forum. Guess they must have their interwebs search phasers on for key words.

jfowler85

I never said I wasn't; you're an easy target.

ModeratedUser

40 messages and about 16 of them was in reference to the bolts and securing parts of your bike. That's not good! Think I'll look elsewhere for feedback as there doesn't seem to be much found here.

Thanks to some that did manage to focus on the original statement. And in case you were lost about what the original statement was, it regarded security bolts.