The Golden Boy 

Back in spring I'd seen a thread about breaking a seat post binder bolt- I specifically remember thinking to myself "who the hell breaks a seat post binder bolt?"

And within a week I broke a seat post binder bolt...

repechage

The Campagnolo binder bolt has changed a bit over time.
The washer was no part of the program in the 70's.

They were tender back then too, the check was to review was the bolt shoulder going to bottom out against the receiving side.
More often than not, a bit of file or fine grit grinding wheel work, as used for sharpening scissors, could remove just that .5 or so and solve the breakage issue.
yes, it exposes a bit to potential rust.

santa fe 2926 

The good news, on my ‘84 Roberts audax, the bolt hole will take the Sachs bolt nicely, but the serrated end will not fit a Merckx, Mercian, or my 85 Roberts

repechage

pretty clear instructions to me, if you do not have a tapered hand reamer, that is a problem.
What Sachs is stating essentially, finesse is the key.

santa fe 2926 

I was assuming, since there weren’t instructions on the store sight, it would be a simple one for one replacement of a campagnolo bolt.

himespau 

That was my assumption as well. Thanks for buying it so that I wouldn't have to.

santa fe 2926 

So I bought two of these, we’ll see…

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repechage

Titanium is probably a terrible material for a seat post binder bolt, unless one of the exotic alloys.
Even then, prone to galling with ti to ti threading.

Send the unused Sachs bolt(s) back.

repechage

You did not sight them on the web store site, return the unused assemblies then.
Bicycles are easy compared to restoring a Steam locomotive.

deebosong

I'm not OP, but just for posterity and to further add to the bucket of issues & solutions regarding Campagnolo seatpost bolts breaking, I thought I'd echo a few findings that others have already stated:

I have a Columbus SL frame from the 80's, that had the Campagnolo Seatpost bolt (19mm in length, 8mm in diameter). One day, the male end broke right at the point where it meets the female end.

I ended up buying an ONIPAX seatpost binder screw on Amazon for $9. It has a notch/ key. I tried using it as is with the notch (without filing off the lil knub/ tooth), being mindful not to over-tighten (so it doesn't bite into the frame). This worked fine on my Campy NR seatpost (27.2).

Recently, I got a new seatpost and swapped it in. While riding, it slowly sank. I ended up rummaging through my parts bin, found the female Campy seatpost bolt with the broken off male end still in. Got some pliers, and was able to catch like, 1mm of exposed frayed metal, and got the broken end out.

Now, the seatpost bolt is: Female end: Campagnolo. Male end: ONIPAX (aka generic Amazon parts). And the Female end is flush against the frame, and it makes me feel like a million bucks. Guess there's always the dremel/ file if and when something happens.

Andrew_G

I've similarly found that most Campy seat post pinch bolts broke at the base of the threaded (male) end. The socket for the male side's allen wrench is pretty deep, and thus doesn't leave a lot of metal under the base of the threads. So, too much stress breaks the bolt.


The Sugino seat post bolts have a more shallow socket for the allen wrench. The male side requires more care when engaging the allen wrench, but I've never broken a Sugino bolt, ever.


The ridges (splines?) on the female side are notably more coarse on a Gipiemme bolt compared to Campagnolo. A used frame I bought years ago had a Gipiemme bolt installed in the seat lug. The female side had not fully seated due to the coarser splines. I had to drive out the Gipiemme bolt by unscrewing the male side pretty high (but still engaged in the threads), and then pound on the right side's bolt head with a hammer. After about 10 minutes of vigorous pounding, the left (female) side loosened up and came out.


A Campy 19mm bolt then went in quite easily, and seated fully.


I agree: The mixed bolt solution is probably the best option.

xiaoman1 

I have been happy with Sugino Binder bolts and sometime the more generic ones on the bay.....as long as they fit, only close inspection will out the fact that they're not the big "C". Some may need a slight mode to work but at the price, I can live with it.
I also buy generic prescription drugs when available.
Best, Ben

himespau 

Grinding the notch off the cheap $5-8 binder bolts from amazon or eBay (assuming they're the correct length) has worked well enough for me so far. Sure, they're not perfect or period correct and that grinding may get rid of some of the finish, but they've lasted longer than my Campagnolo bolts that I've paid 4-5 times as much for. Some of that comes from hitting them with the double whammy of being tall AND fat while also riding frame/seatpost combinations that always seem to be not quite a perfect match (for example my Colnago seems to be Columbus SP - no sticker - and fully lubed 27.2 posts need lots of force to go in an inch and no further and 27.0 posts slip a bit even with carbon assembly paste, things like that). Also, it was only after breaking my 2nd Campagnolo bolt in 1-2 years that I got a torque driver for tightening those. When Campagnolo bolts cost as much or more than my torque wrench, I could no longer justify not buying one out of cheapness.

El Chaba

Campagnolo seatpost bolts are just fine. If one breaks, it is the fault of bottoming out against the female side before sufficient binding torque to secure the seatpost was achieved….a problem with the frame’s compatibility or suitability for the bolt and not a problem with the bolt per se… Shorten the female side a little with a grinder and the problem is solved. Otherwise, the Simplex bolts are great and the Richard Sachs bolts have been reconfigured a little to avoid the bottoming out issue.

Classtime 

My 8mm binder bolt will never break. SS from Ace ftw.


When the lbs is out of Sugino binder bolts.

repechage

I have a Confente binder bolt that was on my Medici...

part of that saga.

Branded variously Confente and Rexart elsewhere I have found.
one of those things that Mario did not use as he got locked out.

SJX426 

The mechanics of failure are variable. I broke a Campy bolt once. I noticed that it was bending to accommodate the non parallel faces of the ears. I also think there is the issue of how much torque is really needed to keep the post from creeping into the ST. Overtightening is not a good thing in any case with any potential mechanical failure of the male side.

It appears the diameter of seat bolts is most commonly 8mm. The hole in the recently acquired Bianchi of 1971 vintage has a hole of 7.89 mm. I wonder what was in there originally.
P1050693 on Flickr

albrt 

I broke a Campy seatpost bolt recently. The bolt had an excuse - the seatpost installed by the prior owner was two sizes too small. I spent some bucks on the new seatpost and bought a nut and bolt at Ace Hardware for about $1.50.

I might buy a fancy nut and bolt at some point in the future, or I might not.

JohnDThompson 

IME, TA, Zeus, and Sugino binder bolts are less apt to break than Campagnolo.

bulgie 

Add Simplex to that list. I've used a few myself and sold a bunch to customers, never heard of one breaking.