Homemade Rivnut Repairs

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major masingil

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Oct 5, 2022
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Situation:
The upper bottle cage nut on the downtube of my bike is spinning freely. I need the downtube for my battery mount. I was able to remove the loose screw and battery plate without damaging anything. I am a fairly capable bike mechanic, but I don't have rivnut tools or any experience with rivnut installation. I'm confident I could drill a specific size hole in the correct location. I dont't want to F up my downtube by being an idiot. There is 1 local bike shop. They are cool and good people. They are very busy with Spring bike repairs. They told me they needed to check to see if they had the right rivnuts 7 days ago, then I called 2 days ago and got the ole, "I'll call you back."

Riders can any of you share thoughts or experiences with rivnuts, DIY or other? Are they difficult to do well? Is it advised to drill a 3rd rivnut for securing the battery plate? Is it not advised to drill additional holes in your downtube?
 
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major masingil said:
Situation:
The upper bottle cage nut on the downtube of my bike is spinning freely. I need the downtube for my battery mount. I was able to remove the loose screw and battery plate without damaging anything. I am a fairly capable bike mechanic, but I don't have rivnut tools or any experience with rivnut installation. I'm confident I could drill a specific size hole in the correct location. I dont't want to F up my downtube by being an idiot. There is 1 local bike shop. They are cool and good people. They are very busy with Spring bike repairs. They told me they needed to check to see if they had the right rivnuts 7 days ago, then I called 2 days ago and got the ole, "I'll call you back."

Riders can any of you share thoughts or experiences with rivnuts, DIY or other? Are they difficult to do well? Is it advised to drill a 3rd rivnut for securing the battery plate? Is it not advised to drill additional holes in your downtube?
Click to expand...

You can do it :)

Put your battery cradle on, mark for the third hole, drill it then rivnut it.

Here is a cheap rivnut toolkit and another link to other rivnut toolkits....







 
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HumanPerson said:
You can do it :)

Put your battery cradle on, mark for the third hole, drill it then rivnut it.

Here is a cheap rivnut toolkit and another link to other rivnut toolkits....







Click to expand...
Have you done them before? Would I need to use a size bigger if the original one has stripped? I'm pretty sure I'll be able to drill the old one out so as not widen the original hole. The videos on YouTube make it look really easy. I just want it to be right
 
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Yes, we've done a few modifications on ebike builds and regular bikes for drink holders and like you, we did the extra
rivnut for the battery cradle :)

You can do it.

Don't get into a rush, just go slow and sure when you're drilling the old one out :)

Be sure to makr the 3'rd hole and same thing, just go slow, you can do this (y)
 
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As far as needing a special tools for installing Rivnuts. Get yourself a threaded bolt that fits the Rivnut you are installing, thread a nut on the bolt thread up the bolt then thread the bolt into the rivnut. Insert the bolt/nut/rivnut into the hole. Put s wrench of the head of the bolt to keep it fro rotating, then with wrench screw the nut down onto the rivnut. Continue tightening the nut until you can no longer tighten any more, then unscrew the bolt from the rivnut.

This works but is kind of a pain of you have a lot of rivnuts to install, but works fine for one or two.

Check this Youtube to see the method being used...
 
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HumanPerson said:
Yes, we've done a few modifications on ebike builds and regular bikes for drink holders and like you, we did the extra
rivnut for the battery cradle :)

You can do it.

Don't get into a rush, just go slow and sure when you're drilling the old one out :)

Be sure to makr the 3'rd hole and same thing, just go slow, you can do this (y)
Click to expand...
Is it a good idea to add a third mount during the initial Ebike build for the battery cradle?
 
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1Tuna said:
Is it a good idea to add a third mount during the initial Ebike build for the battery cradle?
Click to expand...

Some do some don't.
The way i figure what i'm gonna do is really how/where the ebike will be rode..make sense?

Really depends on what you desire really..
 
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I installed a Grin Technologies Double Bob battery mount. They also have a triple but the double fit my Hailong3 battery just fine. Yes, the hose clamps can be an eyesore. The black shrink tube helps a bit, but the battery sits quite securely.

IMG_1463.jpeg
 
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major masingil said:
Thanks, I'll check those out
Click to expand...
To elaborate … the battery sat too low on my downtube, so the bottom half of the Grin mount attaches to the bike cage mounts and I only added one of the two hose clamps to the top of the Grin mount. In the pic you can see there is no hose clamp on the bottom half. I could have added the second clamp, and I may when I start off-roading. As is, it feels secure.
 
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I ended up buying a hand rivnut setter in 5mm and bought stainless steel rivnuts and cap screws. Instead of drilling out the stripped rivnut, I tried resetting it. If feels secure, but I imagine I just kicked the can down the road a bit. I needed a right angle drill, and I also purchased some short drill bits. It cost about $45 for stainless hardware and the setting tool. The drill bits were $60ish. The rt. angle drill head was $25. The drill bits are really nice, totally recommend to anyone looking for a nice set of stubby bits. The Rt angle drill worked well. The chuck key for the drill was junk. The trick with the hand setting tool is you need to be able to keep the bolt from spinning while you are tightening the top nut. If the bolt spins while you're trying to set the nut, it is just screwing in more deeply and not pulling up on the ferrule of the rivnut. I made a couple practice rivnuts in a different bike frame until I felt like I understood the system. I recommend those extra practice steps.

The advice to take your time is important. Think things all the way through, these are kind of 1 shot deals. If you mess up you will probably have to make a larger hole. Make sure you find the center of the down tube and position the holes in spaces that will work for your battery tray. Drill slowly, like so slowly you could count the revolutions if you wanted. Start with a small hole and step it up. I used (4) bits to get to the final hole size. Try to make the hole you drill in the frame only as big as it needs to be for the rivnut to fit in it. I settled on 9/32 hole size for 5mm. I wouldn't use a unibit to drill the holes. They may accidently make the hole too big. Rivnuts are a little fussy when you start tightening them. You kind of need 3 hands to make the one I bought work. Make sure the setting tool is flat on the downtube. You want to get it pretty darn tight, but need to be careful not to over tighten. As you're setting them they turn stiffly until the flange has been set, then you feel a distinct change in how hard it is to tighten them. Once I found that point I cranked just a little bit more, like a 1/2 turn. Also, I might look at Plus Nuts instead of rivnuts if I were to do it again because of how big the crimped flange is compared to a regular rivnut. The official crimping tool would probably be easier, but the hand setter seems to have worked just fine and it fits pretty much anywhere. Time will tell. Once I was good with the new holes locations and learned how to use the tool correctly; it hardly takes any time to make them. 15min/hole, start to finish.

Once I had the new rivnuts installed, I slapped a layer of protective tape on the downtube where the battery tray touches the frame. Its an attempt trying to keep the tray from scratching the frame. Check to make sure the tray is flat on the downtube. I needed to add (1) flat washer to the top most hole.

Drill Bits: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LDD6EI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Rivnuts: https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Stainless-Steel-Insert-Nutsert/dp/B07K82DWWC?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
5mm Cap Screws: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0915X3D7Z/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A19KVTTJ6YOR7F&th=1
5mm Hand Setter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N420A2D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14685ELI1WW0A&th=1
Rt. Angle Drill: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074P66MXS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2K5DI8VX12AN1&psc=1
Protective Tape for Frame: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRT9M2VV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2ZFBMXNEICJ6E&th=1&psc=1
 

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major masingil said:
I ended up buying a hand rivnut setter in 5mm and bought stainless steel rivnuts and cap screws. Instead of drilling out the stripped rivnut, I tried resetting it. If feels secure, but I imagine I just kicked the can down the road a bit. I needed a right angle drill, and I also purchased some short drill bits. It cost about $45 for stainless hardware and the setting tool. The drill bits were $60ish. The rt. angle drill head was $25. The drill bits are really nice, totally recommend to anyone looking for a nice set of stubby bits. The Rt angle drill worked well. The chuck key for the drill was junk. The trick with the hand setting tool is you need to be able to keep the bolt from spinning while you are tightening the top nut. If the bolt spins while you're trying to set the nut, it is just screwing in more deeply and not pulling up on the ferrule of the rivnut. I made a couple practice rivnuts in a different bike frame until I felt like I understood the system. I recommend those extra practice steps.

The advice to take your time is important. Think things all the way through, these are kind of 1 shot deals. If you mess up you will probably have to make a larger hole. Make sure you find the center of the down tube and position the holes in spaces that will work for your battery tray. Drill slowly, like so slowly you could count the revolutions if you wanted. Start with a small hole and step it up. I used (4) bits to get to the final hole size. Try to make the hole you drill in the frame only as big as it needs to be for the rivnut to fit in it. I settled on 9/32 hole size for 5mm. I wouldn't use a unibit to drill the holes. They may accidently make the hole too big. Rivnuts are a little fussy when you start tightening them. You kind of need 3 hands to make the one I bought work. Make sure the setting tool is flat on the downtube. You want to get it pretty darn tight, but need to be careful not to over tighten. As you're setting them they turn stiffly until the flange has been set, then you feel a distinct change in how hard it is to tighten them. Once I found that point I cranked just a little bit more, like a 1/2 turn. Also, I might look at Plus Nuts instead of rivnuts if I were to do it again because of how big the crimped flange is compared to a regular rivnut. The official crimping tool would probably be easier, but the hand setter seems to have worked just fine and it fits pretty much anywhere. Time will tell. Once I was good with the new holes locations and learned how to use the tool correctly; it hardly takes any time to make them. 15min/hole, start to finish.

Once I had the new rivnuts installed, I slapped a layer of protective tape on the downtube where the battery tray touches the frame. Its an attempt trying to keep the tray from scratching the frame. Check to make sure the tray is flat on the downtube. I needed to add (1) flat washer to the top most hole.

Drill Bits: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LDD6EI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Rivnuts: https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Stainless-Steel-Insert-Nutsert/dp/B07K82DWWC?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1
5mm Cap Screws: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0915X3D7Z/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A19KVTTJ6YOR7F&th=1
5mm Hand Setter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N420A2D/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A14685ELI1WW0A&th=1
Rt. Angle Drill: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074P66MXS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2K5DI8VX12AN1&psc=1
Protective Tape for Frame: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRT9M2VV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2ZFBMXNEICJ6E&th=1&psc=1
Click to expand...
Good job mate :)
 
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