Jameth

I lost some of the factory fasteners for one of my bikes and I've been less than happy with the replacement hardware that a couple of different shops have installed. The hardware is all for a front-mounted basket. Some of the problems I'm having:

1. Some of the hardware that one shop mechanic installed looks like it was pulled from a washing machine. They have a Philips head instead of an Allen head. None of it looks bike-specific. Plus, it isn't stainless and it's starting to oxidize.

2. Some of it is continuously working itself loose and the basket will start to rattle loudly. Very annoying.

3. The basket (and the original hardware) is black. All the replacement hardware (which I've begrudgingly paid for) is silver. I want black.

Can you guys recommend a source for high quality, stainless, bicycle-specific hardware possibly in black?

LesterOfPuppets

Typically don't need bike specific stuff to mount a basket. I go to Ace Hardware for stainless M5 or M6 bolts, nylock nuts, washers, P-clamps, whathaveyou.

JoeTBM 

A picture of the basket might help

bboy314

Sounds like Wald basket hardware. If it’s bicycle specific hardware you want, then your best bet is… a bike shop. If it’s generic stainless nuts and bolts, any decent hardware store should do.

grumpus

Go to a fastener specialist, the common bike fasteners are M5x0.8 and M6x1.0 which you will find in a variety of forms and finishes. I think button heads look the neatest, Torx is superior to Allen head so you might want to consider that. I Googled "torx button head black stainless m5x0.8" and the first hit was this which is exactly what I would choose in your situation. Just be mindful of the length you'll need. It's worth checking eBay too, where you'll often find better shipping rates for small quantities.
To fix loosening screws either use Nyloc nuts or apply some Loctite blue to the thread.

FBinNY 

Since it seems to be nuts and bolts, rather than hardware that has to thread to the basket, nothing needs to be "bike specific".

A decent hardware can fix up with SS versions of what you need,including cap screws and Nylok nuts.

Note, Black stainless is rare. It's difficult to achieve a decent looking black finish on stainless without a fairly costly multistep process. My metal finisher had a nice niche business producing black stainless wire fencing for zoos. He was able to charge a large premium because no one else was willing.

LesterOfPuppets

Troul 

It'll be very difficult to find replacement hardware & It'll be almost impossible to replace hardware with various head sizes sharing the same thread/diameter to obtain commonality... I'd go to fastenal & see if they can help... you might need to cut off excessive length but it wouldn't be that hard to do given you have the skills & tools.

PromptCritical 

If you have a good hardware store in town (increasingly rare) try them.

OTOH, since even my local industrial hardware store is somewhat limited (although I LOVE browsing there) I use McMaster-Carr quite a bit.

You will probably find something here: https://www.mcmaster.com/products/st...ss+steel+bolts

FBinNY 

If you live near the shore, another good source would be a marine supply. They stock large assortment of marine grade stainless hardware. You're virtually sure to find what you need there.

Shadco 

A chandlery is a great call. Being an RC heli geek Bolt Depot has an open line to my bank account.

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Jameth

Thank you guys for the McMaster and Fastenal recs! Now that I have some better search terms helping me out, I also dug up these two businesses if anyone wants to check them out:

Better Bolts - They specialize in bicycle specific fasteners.

Pro-Bolt - They specialize in fasteners for both bicycles and motorcycles. They offer aluminum fasteners, which I'm not sure why anyone would want that. But, they also offer titanium.

noglider 

You can get lost on the McMaster site! Some of us love this stuff. I've been happy with everything I've bought there.

grumpus

Aluminium alloys can be as strong as steel and significantly lighter, comparable to titanium, but titanium alloys tend to be significantly harder. Aluminium is much easier to machine than titanium, and it anodises well.

ava_johnson

Thank you all for info

PromptCritical 

I've never been disappointed with their stuff. Any mistakes have been mine and they provide enough detailed data so one knows exactly what they are getting.

One of the coolest things I bought is a tiny little ball bearing cage and race that fits in a Campy downtube shift lever.