Riv nut bottle bosses - ok or…

[eurodude]

I know this has been up before but lets take it one more time for the sake of me. My older Seven titanium frame has the riv nuts like all Seven’s. One has already been replaced be a previous owner. But I just changed the bolts and there is more nuts coming loose - I know it can be fixed. But is it worth getting bosses welded on? I got a price from a framebuilder and it was not exactly cheap - but i really don’t like the look and feel of the riv nuts.

[bikinchris]

I've seen 40 year old bikes with zero trouble with rivnuts. If they are good quality and set properly, they work great.

[C40_guy]

I've had Seven and Moots frames side by side and wondered why Seven didn't weld in those bolt receivers. They look so simple and elegant versus the rivnuts.

I mean...how much could it cost for a builder to braze four fittings as part of the process. It makes a beautiful frame look cheap by comparison...and it was a real PITA to remove the four rusted fittings and install new rivnuts on the Seven.

That having been said...spending a couple of hundred dollars to have fittings brazed in, plus potentially having to deal with tubing discoloration, on a frame worth maybe $1200... Hmmm...

A good rivnut tool and a handful of rivnuts will cost you $40 and 30 minutes of your time. You should be good to go for another 20 years.

[prototoast]

A little epoxy on the rivnut works wonders.

[AngryScientist]

In my experience rivnuts only become a problem when you are taking bottle cages on/off. If the TIV it is properly installed and right and you keep the bottle cages mounted and tight; they should not be a problem.

I vote that it’s not worth it to have them welded in unless maybe if you have the frame in for other modifications and you throw that task in.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by prototoast

A little epoxy on the rivnut works wonders.

Do you have a photo of what you are referring to? I’m having a hard time visualizing where you would put the epoxy where it wouldn’t get squeezed out when setting the rivet.

[JMT3]

My 2008 Lynskey R320 has robots and they eventually came loose. I bought the robots and tool and drilling out the old ones and putting the new ones was very easy. Years later they are still working fine.

[nicrump]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Do you have a photo of what you are referring to? I’m having a hard time visualizing where you would put the epoxy where it wouldn’t get squeezed out when setting the rivet.

I back butter the hole before installing the nut.

Removing loose nuts is pretty damn easy actually. A few pie cuts on the top, peel them up and push the entire thing through. Just replaced a set for a guy last week.

[bigbill]

The Rivnuts on my Ti Fierte came loose. I was able to grab the flange with needle nose locking pliers to get the old bolt out. I then cleaned up the threads before using some small thread stock and nuts to re-seat the rivnuts. Basically re-seating a rivet.

[catchourbreath]

Do they make Ti bosses to weld on or is it doing some weird/annoying mixed material nonsense?

Mayne that's why so many are rivnutted.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by catchourbreath

Do they make Ti bosses to weld on or is it doing some weird/annoying mixed material nonsense?

Mayne that's why so many are rivnutted.

Paragon Machineworks sells titanium water bottle bosses: https://www.paragonmachineworks.com/...-material.html

[dddd]

Speaking of epoxy, having had to secure loose riv-nuts in carbon frames, so I warm up the area with a hair drier and allow some heat-thinned epoxy to saturate into the joining on both sides of the tube wall, while gently jiggling the loose nut.
This has worked well so far, no come-backs to date, but would be easy to re-do.