Bottle Cage concerns?
07-15-14, 07:47 PM
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Bottle Cage concerns?
I am going to buy a bottle cage for my bike, but I am concerned about tightening them down. Do the bolts require a specific torque amount considering almost every other component installed onto the bike does?
07-15-14, 08:00 PM
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just don't strip the threads
07-15-14, 08:07 PM
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If the cages are plastic or composite, don't tighten the bolts too much or you can stress or even crack the plastic. The damage might not show up for 6 months. Like everything else on the bike, a quick check for loose things should be a habit anyway.
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07-15-14, 08:12 PM
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Thank you! I am just really concerned about my first (and new) carbon frame. It just seems like I should be a little more careful than I have been with aluminum and steel bikes.
07-15-14, 08:22 PM
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Avoid aluminum bolts (which are supplied with some cages). I put on new cages and within about 6 months the downtube cage bolts sheared off at the frame. Fortunately I wasn't riding, I taking the bike out of my truck at the LBS and when I set it down the cage popped off. I ride steel and they had to drill the remaining part of the bolt out of the frame (which might be a more delicate operation with a carbon frame). The LBS guys put in steel bolts and said they'd seen the same thing with other Al cage bolts.
07-15-14, 08:56 PM
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always grease the bolts and don't install to tightly as you can strip out the bosses in the frame, once they are loose it's all over.
07-16-14, 07:36 AM
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If you want to go a step further, use rubber washers on both sides of the carbon/plastic cage. This provides a bit of a shock mount & keeps the hard edges of the screw from being a critical stress point. If you can't find a rubber washer, cut a piece of old inner tube to fit.
07-16-14, 08:10 AM
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What Kleng said. Just tighten them finger tight, then maybe a quarter turn with an allen key. Just as long as the bottle cage doesn't rattle around it should be fine.
07-16-14, 03:07 PM
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Great advice, Thank you everyone 
07-17-14, 12:26 AM
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i can't stress this enough! and that doesn't just pertain to cage bolts...
i didn't grease mine the last time, and something happened to the threading on the seat tube threads so now they go in further before they catch, so i had to go to Lowe's to get 20mm long bolts for those two. the original ones are usually 14mm or 15mm long, depending on the brand...
i didn't grease mine the last time, and something happened to the threading on the seat tube threads so now they go in further before they catch, so i had to go to Lowe's to get 20mm long bolts for those two. the original ones are usually 14mm or 15mm long, depending on the brand...
