ilovecycling

Definitely cutting the steerer, and the seat mast as well. I picked up a hacksaw today. The owner's manual recommends using one of the included 5mm spacers underneath the stem "for headset tool clearance," but I don't think I'll use it. I plan on working with different stem lengths/angles until I get it right. The blue loctite was already on all the bolts.

I guess. I payed less than $70 for it from a top-rated seller on eBay. It was new and in the original package. I already contacted the seller, but I'm waiting to hear back. The return policy is exchanges only if contacted within 3 days. I did so immediately, so I hope they honor it even though the product was damaged in the process of installing it.

I don't intend on fishing out the broken piece in the stem. That is unless the seller won't honor an exchange. If that happens I'll get it out somehow and replace all the bolts with steel. Do you guys think the stem or fork steerer were weakened at all by the clamp area springing out very quickly and forcefully?

Yes, it went in easy and nope it wasn't cross threaded. I was surprised it happened too. Trust me, the sound it made was awful and I freaked out for a sec.

Tell me about it. I just want to freakin ride. This past week has been nothing but beautiful weather. I think I need a 2nd bike.

coasting 

amen, brother.

ilovecycling

Btw, it's a 100mm stem. Part of me thinks it looks short on the bike, but that's what length my ARX Pro was on my R3 and it fit well enough. The R3 was a 56cm with a virtual tt length of 56.5cm and the Look is a Large/55cm with a 56cm virtual tt. I almost went with a 110mm, but then I'd be at 5mm longer reach than the R3 was at. With the 100mm stem I'm 5mm shorter. At the same time though the head tube isn't as long on the 595, so who knows how it will feel. Like I said, I need to experiment with a few stem lengths. 100mm just seemed like a good starting point.

Bob Dopolina 

Do they work on Ti?

Homebrew01

Yes, provided you can drill a starter hole in the Ti for it to grab onto. It crossed my mind but drilling into the broken end might be tricky, that's why I suggested trying the other end, then using something to try and get it to turn.

nycphotography

Or send the whole damn stem back and let them (3T) deal with the consequences of the bad bolt. Booger up that stem trying to get the bolt out and you took ownership of that problem. I say just return the stem for a replacement.

As to parts failing I've sheared off plenty of bolts in my time... admittedly, often well over the designed torque limits.

But for this bolt / screw to fail below the spec torque is just a manufacturing flaw.

If the fact that flaws like this can occur scares you to the point you won't ride a titanium bicycle, then I'm assuming you aren't getting on any airplanes either. Right?

ilovecycling

I love airplanes. What does that have to do with unreliable bike parts? I'm not worried about getting hurt. I'm worried I'll end up with a broken pedal spindle in the middle of a great ride.

I'm not saying Ti frames are bad or more prone to failure, but parts like pedal spindles or bolts that have constant torque or tension being applied definitely are. If you are under 150lbs then it's probably not as big a deal. If you are 185-190 like me it's not a wise choice to use Ti in parts like these, as you see from my pictures.

oldbobcat

The Ti bolts in my Ritchey stems haven't broken yet. And the guys who buy Ti pedal spindles and bottom bracket spindles already know the risks. Or they should.

SpongeDad

Well, I've had it happen with Ti bolts and bottle cage mounts. A mech at one of our local LBSs says sheared Ti bolt aren't terribly uncommon, so it's a risk especially when normal bolts are much stronger. I have a Ti frame, but that's the only Ti on the bike.

jwible

Baby bike bolt broken by builder.

eippo1

Hah, I just had the same thing happen with a new steel bolt. Same spot, new stem and using a torque wrench. I used vice grips to back the thread out - worked like a charm.

merlinextraligh

This is why you don't want to tighten small bolts like that to their maximum torque if you don't need to. Use CF assembly paste, and just tighten the bolts to the point necessary to hold the stem firmly.

Only time I've snapped a stem bolt, was with a Ti bolt, and a torque wrench (set 2nm below the spec), and tightening it to the "click." From that, I've learned for most applications you don't have to tighten things until the torque wrench clicks.

If you just tighten it until it holds this is much less likely to happen.

Louutah

Operator error. Close and dispose of thread.

nycphotography

Manufacturing defect (most likely) = impurity in the metal (in this case).

The fact that you're worried about a spindle snapping for this reason but not airplane parts snapping for the same reason is somewhat... discordant.

Take United Airlines Flight 232 as just one example.

This is the one where a turbine disintegrated due to a manufacturing defect, one not unlike the kind of defect that would cause a bolt to snap.

Snapping a pedal spindle is far less likely than snapping a bolt or a turbine.... the stresses on a pedal are far less. Even if you think you're quadzilla, you aren't making thousands of psi on the spindles.

Or how about American Flight 587 where the rudder snapped.

Bobsled

Now I'm getting nervous. I recently install Ti bolt set (from Ebay) on my Thomson Elite seatpost in my WW phase. I couldn't find torque info on the Ti bolts so I just torqued them to Thomson's recommendation for their stock steel bolts. They recommend 6.8 N-m tho I only went to 6.0 N-m. I should probably contact the seller and see what he recommends. I did put 20 miles on the bolts and they seem to hold ok.

nycphotography

If they didn't snap when you installed them, then they're almost certainly fine. Torquing a bolt produces quite a bit more stress (combination of torsional shearing force and linear pulling force) than mere use does.

rangerdavid

Where'd ya get the Ritchie Torque key?? I want one of those!!!

Bobsled

Yeah, I heard back from the seller. He recommends 6.0 Nm which is exactly what I torqued to. I have another set for the tarmac, I'll prolly only go to 5.8 Nm on that.

pjcampbell

I normally tighten until I crack the face plate.

OK I have to ask, do you guys get movement on 5Nm?

Jay-W

Probikekit/Wiggle etc. Less than $20.

WHOOOSSHHH...

I throwing my POS Ti bike in the nearest dumpster...

miamijim

If your very, very carefull try to cut a slot into the slightly exposed end with a Dremel. Once the slot is cut turn it out with a screw driver.

Jay-W

throw it in the one near my house...

Looigi

Hmmm... I'm expecting a new 3T Team stem in the mail today or tomorrow. Now I'm wondering about the screws .... I have a couple of FSA and stems with Ti screws and so far no problems with those torqued to 5 Nm.

learnmedia

I don't. I use the same Torque Key on a Ritchey stem with Ti bolts. OTOH, I tightened the Ti bolts on a Deda zero100 stem by feel. No movement there either.