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Replace cap bolt and stem bolts

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Old 02-15-12 | 01:41 PM
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Bikes: Specialized Tarmac

Replace cap bolt and stem bolts

I'm a home mechanic and recently noticed how rusty the cap bolt and the bolts on the stem are.

I have a specilized tarmac with the specialized stem. I assume all the bolts are pretty standard? What material should i be looking for? Titanium sounded good, but i hear they can break even if they're torqued to spec which is worrying.

What do you recommend replacing with and where can i purchase them from? I have 3 bike i would like to purchase for.

Thanks,
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Old 02-15-12 | 03:13 PM
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Stainless steel.
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Old 02-15-12 | 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by AlphaDogg
Stainless steel.
+1
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Old 02-15-12 | 06:23 PM
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+2 SS sounds good.

Originally Posted by sideburn
Titanium sounded good, but i hear they can break even if they're torqued to spec which is worrying.
For the stem bolts I would not use something that might break, but for the top cap it doesn't matter what you use because it's not under any load once the stem is tightened.
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Old 02-16-12 | 03:49 PM
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Anyone know the exact bolt spec?

From my research I'm guessing it's the M5 0.8 18mm for the stem and probably a M5 0.8 30mm for the the cap?
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Old 02-16-12 | 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by sideburn
Anyone know the exact bolt spec?

From my research I'm guessing it's the M5 0.8 18mm for the stem and probably a M5 0.8 30mm for the the cap?
That's probably right for some but I've seen many M6x1.0 - 30mm top cap bolts. I'd just take the bolts you have to a good industrial supply shop and have them matched but in stainless. Be aware that a lot of bolts used on bike parts have unusual head shapes and diameters so getting an exact match may be difficult.
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Old 02-16-12 | 05:01 PM
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The LHS (local hardware store) will most likely have what you need in stainless. Bring the screws down and match head/length and threads. I'm hoping standard hex socket head will fit your stem.
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