Carbon Bike Bottle Boss Spinning

[jonbek]

Yikes, brand new < 30-day old frame, I remove the stock bottle cage bolt, go to install a ti bolt--I'm waiting for cages and being a dork with ano ti hardware--and immediately with less than 3nm of torque, the boss just spins on me.

I immediately think warranty, as I'm first owner and it's brand new, thoughts?

[prototoast]

Yes, this should be a warranty fix on a frame this new, but if it weren't a warranty job, these are usually just rivnuts, which are cheap and easy to replace.

[ultraman6970]

Check in the internet how to fix that.

[philhan89]

this was recently covered on another forum.

You could avoid the down time and do the repair yourself.

I imagine the shop will do the same.

You get a 5mm allen bolt that's long enough to thread into the boss, and then some, about 1.5".

You get a 6mm (not a typo) nut.

Slip the nut over the bolt threads and thread the bolt into the boss.

Hold the nut with a wrench and tighten the allen bolt. It will tighten against the nut and pull up the rivnut, tightening it into the frame.

Expecting the shop to replace the entire bike is excessive, in my opinion, if it's repairable by the shop. In fact, if it was discovered during assembly and repaired by the shop, you'd never know the difference.

Let the shop decide, and be sure to remove all the waterbottle bolts when you get home and grease the bolt threads.

this.

[jonbek]

Word. Super helpful—I can do that. First I just need a genius solve for to removing the bolt without marring the frame.

[Peter P.]

Try wedging a flat screwdriver blade between the bolt head and the boss. If the gap is large you may have to stack something else in there with the screwdriver blade to fill the gap.

Oh, and try squirting some penetrating lube in the threads; it may help.

[jonbek]

It will be interesting, beginning today, to see how many days it take to elicit a response and understand next steps. I'm not convinced this shouldn't be warrantied.

[djdj]

With a brand new frame, I'd seek warranty first. Even if the shop does the same fix you would attempt, any further problems that step causes would be on the shop, not you.

[charliedid]

It will be interesting, beginning today, to see how many days it take to elicit a response and understand next steps. I'm not convinced this shouldn't be warrantied.

Who did you buy that (purple) bike from? ;-)

[jonbek]

excel sports. :)

[charliedid]

excel sports. :)

:)

[Pegoready]

Well, if these are your expectations you can only go up from here.

Seriously, while loose rivnuts are common they shouldn't happen so soon from delivery and manufacturers shouldn't expect home mechanics to fix it themselves. I'd expect Excel or Cervelo to set you up with a local mechanic to fix it at no expense to you. Good luck!

[jonbek]

Yeah that was a tongue in cheek moment, I'm so stoked on the bike, but now I feel somewhat like I've created my own bad luck.

[charliedid]

Yeah that was a tongue in cheek moment, I'm so stoked on the bike, but now I feel somewhat like I've created my own bad luck.

All will be fine...

Breathe

[jpw]

Take it back to the shop.