phishalot21

handlebar came loose on a trail today and i didnt have the tool to fix it (octagon driver) so i had to walk my bike through the 2nd half of the trail . just picked up the tool for the job and tightened. should i bring the bike back to where i bought it so he can check it out or you think its fine and wont come loose again. (new bike). only thing holding me back from runnin to the dealer i got it from is that hes 45minutes away.

barba

Buy a multi-tool and take it with you when you ride. They probably under torqued the bolts. You can check bolts and snug them up yourself if you are concerned but don't want to drive to the shop. Just don't go overboard and strip anything.

phishalot21

thanks. had the multi-tool with me but it only had one octagon driver and it was as small as a pin. im deffinatly carrying both sets of tools from now on and everyone else should too

Gravity Worx

Exactly. I like to carry a small chain tool as well.
That "octagon driver" is called an allen wrench.

mx_599

having a multi-hex tool with you would be great!

in addition, it would not be "inappropriate" to consider a low-strength thread locking agent...especially if there are two mounting bolts on your face plate vs another common...four.

Gravity Worx

He's right.
Lock Tight blue would be the hot ticket here.

the wonginator

happened to me a little while ago. i rode it hope anyways, just didn't put too muche weight on the bars and gripped them really tight so they'd stay upright. ended up rubbing some ano off, and i keep tools on me at all times now. last week i decided to bring a chain tool, lo and behold, if i hadn't, i'd had to have walked home about 3k.

phishalot21

chain tools fix broke chain links im assuming? what is the thread locking agent used for? and yeah the allen wrench tool is what i had to buy and its deffinatly a necessity to bring when you bike.

Gravity Worx

Yes, chain tool is used for repairing chain.
Carry a few spare links too.

Lock tight works like a "thread glue" for lack of a better term.
It helps to hold your bolts and screws from backing out and getting loose.
For most things on a bike, Lock Tight blue will be the propper one to use.
Lock Tight red is going to be a bit too much and Lock Tight white is WAY OVERKILL in that with white you will be cussing while having to heat the bolts up to get them off again.

barba

Get a good tool with multiple sized allen wrenches. I like my Crank Bros. M19. It has most of the common sized wrenches, screw drivers, a spoke wrench and a chain tool. I would recommend picking up a spare masterlink for on the trail chain fixes. I have bailed out a few riders using a masterlink, and it is worth the extra gram in your bag when you are far from home.

mx_599

threadlockers are relatively benign. unless there is something else specifically called for in application, these products will not usually harm anything. they even have threadlockers available for plastic threads.

i wouldn't be so inclined to go around and threadlock everything threaded on my bike. however, should you decide to do so, as just mentioned, it will be hard to screw anything up.

if your handlebar mount has 2 fasteners this could be helpful. they tend to flex more which only assists in the fastener backing it's way out.

mx_599

+1

suitable ones can be had from a place like ACE hardware for cheap. they might not be ideal, but they will get you home faster.

Dirtrider

Go with Lock Tight Blue

Bike Lover

I will concur that if the "LBS" is 45 minutes away, it won't be worth the trip to go complain. A phone call could definitely be worth the time to let the "LBS" know it is releasing bikes that aren't properly built so it doesn't happen to anyone else and it can determine the root cause. Perhaps it might offer a store discount because of the inconvenience, if you're lucky.

I would however take this time to check the various bolts and fasteners on the bike to make sure no other fastener loosens like that. Loctite is not a bad idea either.