# Preventing bolts from rusting



## HISI808 (Dec 25, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a two year old bike and the bolts are rusting. I just bought another bike and want to do some preventive maintenance to keep the bolts from rusting. 

Is there something to apply to bolts to stop them from rusting? i.e. grease, WD40, etc...


Thanks in advance!


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## Retro Grouch (Apr 30, 2002)

Clear nail polish.

or....

Go stainless steel, aluminum, of titanium hardware.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

Shameless plug for TorontoCycles. I buy all my Ti bolts from there and they have a great selection.


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## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

I see the most rust in the heads of allen screws. I dip the end of a Q-tip in grease and spin it in each hole.


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## HISI808 (Dec 25, 2012)

Thinking of replacing the bolts with stainless steel ones. Are all bolts universally sized for the majority of bikes? i.e. all stem bolts are the same? water bottle cage bolts the same?


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## Twinge (Apr 28, 2014)

Every bike of mine gets a dab of WD-40 on the rust-prone parts once every few months. That's all it needs. Would you know that some of the internals on a 6800 shifter are rust prone?


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## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

Twinge said:


> Every bike of mine gets a dab of WD-40 on the rust-prone parts once every few months. That's all it needs. Would you know that some of the internals on a 6800 shifter are rust prone?


Yeah same here. WD40 is really all you need to prevent rust OP.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

Twinge said:


> Every bike of mine gets a dab of WD-40 on the rust-prone parts once every few months. That's all it needs. Would you know that some of the internals on a 6800 shifter are rust prone?


The residual oil in W-40 is pretty light weight. I have found that a heavier oil has more "staying power" in this application. When I used to commute to work through Michigan winters (and lots of road salt) I would apply oil to the surface of any part that was prone to rust. It works.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)




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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

My corner hardware store, a ServiceStar, has a whole rack of metric stainless bolts, including hex cap bolts. I love old-school hardware stores because I can buy just one of something, not a whole blister pack of them.

I've replaced all the bolts on my bikes with them.

If you're getting rust in your screws, it's a good reminder to grease the threads of every bolt, screw, and removable part on your bikes to keep them from seizing. (Don't forget the seatpost!) 

My bikes get ridden straight through the Upstate NY winter, so I go an extra step and use anti-seize, but I recently changed a BB I'd installed in a bike in January 2007 using only grease. It came out nice as you please, and once degreased, looked brand new.

OTOH, I recently had to replace the brake pad holders on one bike where I'd forgetten to grease the threads on the little brake pad retaining screws. Couldn't get the brake pads out to replace them. Whoops!


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

Bolts on higher tiered parts i.e., Dura Ace vs. say, 105, are usually of a rust proof alloy. 
That's merely an explanation as to why your bolts may be subjecting to rust.

Anyway, a periodic squirt with Boeshield or WD-40 won't hurt.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

One of the main reasons bolts (technically they're 'screws') rust, even if they're stainless steel, is that the wrench you use to tighten them isn't stainless. Every time you put an allen key in a screw a very small amount of material from the wrench is deposited inside the head of the screw. If you really want to eliminate the issue, get some Ti wrenches, and follow the advice in the previous posts.


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## HISI808 (Dec 25, 2012)

Thanks for the reply guys. I will swap out the bolts for stainless steel and use WD40 and clean the heads well after tightening.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

If you're just talking about rust _inside_ the screw head hex sockets, keep in mind that those sockets hold water until it finally evaporates. Just blowing that water out of those sockets after a rain ride or a bike washing helps a lot. For what it's worth: the bikes with the rustiest hex socket screws are the ones that get washed a lot.


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## Twinge (Apr 28, 2014)

Kerry Irons said:


> The residual oil in W-40 is pretty light weight. I have found that a heavier oil has more "staying power" in this application. When I used to commute to work through Michigan winters (and lots of road salt) I would apply oil to the surface of any part that was prone to rust. It works.


What weight oil are you using, Kerry?


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