gthomson

Hoping someone can recommend a source for buying a general collection of bike screws. Was putting on some fenders and now have to add a back rack and scouring my collection of nuts and bolts but missing what I need. Seems like every bike uses a different size of nut and bolt and of course, I never have what I need.

I see Amazon has loads of small cases with multiple sized hex nut and bolts but the last time I made that purchase I got 2 bins of the tiniest collection of nuts and bolts imaginable. I have no idea what these would be used for but they were of no use to me so I gave them to my local bike coop.

Looking for hardware that I could use to attach fenders, racks, toe clips on to pedals, etc...

Iride01 

Just go down to Ace hardware and get the one or two bolts and nuts you need when you need them. Otherwise you'll have a garage full of so much stuff you won't be able to move around in it. Nor will you be able to find it when you need it.

pdlamb

My local Ace hardware had an amazing collection of nuts and bolts; zinc plated to stainless, English and metric, almost everything I ever needed.

Sadly, they closed last year.

big john

This place is near me. Saturn® Fasteners | Acument® Global Technologies (saturnfasteners.com)

SoCaled 

If you have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Nut-Thread-Ch...f_B09LH877TB/? - portable version

or these:
https://www.amazon.com/Horizontal-Ga...24938757&psc=1 - shop version

Then the worlds your oyster, you can then grab the right nut/bolt at the local hardware, the big orange store, Amazon, McMaster Carr, Grainger, Saturn fasteners, etc

edit: my problem is that then you need Calipers and an angle gauge to determine head size and angle of head (which I have) but then you determine No One sells that bike/part specific screw you need! Which is why some of the more serious folks here have a lathe to make there own.

RCMoeur 

For attaching items to most bicycles, in my experience most fasteners are 5x0.8 or 6x1.0 metric threading. A selection of bolts in lengths from 10 mm to 30 mm should fit most needs, along with nylon-insert nuts. I would not recommend using common USS sizes like 8-32 or 10-24, as they may not fit well and probably will not thread well at all into most eyelets or fittings.

Locally, I buy them in bulk from Copper State Bolt and Nut in 100-packs. 100-packs are big for most casual users, but I end up working on a lot of bikes. One option would be to buy a 5 mm or 6 mm bolt assortment, and then invest in a near-lifetime supply of nuts.

I personally prefer hex head bolts for most uses. It seems many bikes and accessories use button head socket (hex) screws, but many of these require a 3 mm hex wrench, which can easily round out under higher torque.

Garthr

Biketoolsetc. for the win ! https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.c...63&c=Fasteners

This place reminds me a certain eclectic bike shop I used to go to as it had most any little bits and things and they were inexpensive.



Porkchopbmx is also a great place for all sorts of small bits. If you need half moon washers for you fenders they have them. https://www.porkchopbmx.com/search/h...6&min=0&brand=

If you just search for "washer" and filter the choices down by price you'll find a bunch there too. https://www.porkchopbmx.com/search/w...1&min=0&brand=

Their website doesn't make it easy to find stuff like biketoolsetc, so best use the search function.

zandoval 

My Dad now in his 90's has had a little kick of removing all the screws, bolts, and nuts from appliances and other stuff we throw away. We now have several jars of small nut and bolt mixes that we dig into quite often.

But for bicycle fenders I would stick to getting the exact right fit and length in Stainless with Lock Nuts. You don't want some odd ball fastener made of Chinesium that will have unpredictable time of failure stats...

Ogsarg

I have an Ace hardware less than a mile from home so pick stuff up when I need it. If there is a Grainger distribution center near you, you can order from them and have it delivered to your local center for no charge. I've done that with some oddball things not available at Ace.

andrewclaus

If there's a bike co-op near you, they'll have bins of misc screws and may let you dip into it for a few spares. If they're organized, they'll have it sorted by 5 and 6 mm, and you can select the type of head--Allen cap, round head Phillips, hex, etc. Hex nuts are harder to come by--you may have to buy a few at the local hardware store.

I've been collecting spares from bike accessories for decades, for so long that they're stored in film cannisters. Remember those?

gthomson

All good advice, thank you all. I'm in Canada so we don't have an Ace hardware and as in most urban areas, the small hardware stores are a thing of the past being replaced with the big box stores (Home Depot). I do go to these places but you have to buy these big packages of hardware instead of a one off and I find most of their hardware is in international standards, not metric. At least for the little nuts and bolts. As mentioned above, I prefer hex bolts instead of philips or robinson's (Canadian thing) and those are even harder to find at a hardware store.

My dad also used to collect screws, nuts and bolts and have them in big coffee cans that you could rummage through to find what you need ha ha. We also used to have film cans!

I do have a coop that I visit and they are great but sometimes you rummage for a while going through their collection.

I'm going to try some of these links provided above and try and find bike hardware. Velo Orange has all the hardware I need but it's not worth the cost of shipping up here.

VegasTriker

I prefer to use the metric hex socket head bolts because that is compatible with bike multitools. My local Home Depot does carry them in 6 and 8 mm, the usual sizes on the bike. They come in a 2 pack in a variety of lengths. The price here in the states is $1.25 for a pair of short ones. I would never need to go there as I have a container of small bike parts that always has some of these in it. https://www.homedepot.com/p/M4-0-7-x...4578/204283600 You can also get similar bolts with a hex bolt head and they come in packs of 2 to 6.

Garthr

Gthomson, Biketoolsetc does ship to Canada ! The rate is the "expedited" on their table. Only you know what's reasonable for you, but at least the price is fixed and upfront based on the purchase amount. Customs is another matter, hopefully you have some idea what to expect.

https://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.c...ing&c=&sc=&tc=

Since I don't have any bike shop near me, let alone a good one with lots of small parts, I look at shipping costs and how they'd compare with driving even if there someplace to drive.

gthomson

Had a friend recommend this item from Amazon so ordered and received it the next day. I think I'm set for life!

https://a.co/d/4JB2ePi

fat biker

As we know on our bicycles, vibration is a constant.
Lessons I have learned as an electronic technician, working around mechanical engineers..
Either mechanical or chemical thread lock required.

Nyloc nuts are handy.
I keep Loctite 242 and 222 both handy.
I prefer stainless fasteners

Wildwood 

Fenders and racks? Don't forget the cork washers = so much quieter all conditions. May reduce need for locktite, depending on where/how you ride.

randallr

Belmetric.com