# KCNC Ti Pro Lite Seatpost Recall



## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

Pitwalk is the German distributor for KCNC. They have recently seen some failures of the KCNC Ti Pro Lite seatpost bolts, not caused by abuse or improper installation. Based on this, they are sending new bolts to customers who bought the posts between June and August.

See attached pic posted by Nyquist in my other thread. I suspect this is the failure Pitwalk is trying to prevent.

I know a few KCNC vendors read this board, so I hope they'll explain how/if they will deal with this issue for their customers.

http://www.pitwalk.eu/product_info....auben--2-Stueck--fuer-Ti-Pro-Sattelstuet.html


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## Nyquist (May 12, 2005)

Thanks for the heads up EuroMack. Mine was purchased through German eBay (don't think he was a KCNC dealer), so not sure who I'd approach for replacement bolts. Perhaps KCNC directly.

Still, maybe I'll stick with my nice high tensile replacements just for peace of mind!


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## elephant (Mar 21, 2006)

I am concerned. I am a bigger rider and I use this post. But I bought mine a year ago, so maybe I do not need to worry. What are the replacement bolts you are using? High tensile steel?

Thanks for any help.


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## Nyquist (May 12, 2005)

I had mine for about a year before it let go. It's a matter of fatgiue, not failing due to a large impact.

Yup, high tensile steel bolts. I had to skim down the head diameter a fraction for the bolt heads to locate in the pin of the seatpost.
I managed to use bolts that were 5mm shorter than the stock ti ones, so weight gains are minimal.

Let me know if you need pics.


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## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

I don't have one to measure, but I think they are M5x35 and M5x45 Socket Head Cap Screws. You can find them at Home Depot in USA, Canadian Tire in Canada, or any good hardware store. Take the ti bolts and yokes with you to check length and ensure that the threads mate.

Check the box labels to ensure that your new bolts are Grade 10.9 or 12.9. Lower grade socket head cap screws are rare, but better safe than sorry.


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## O'Doyle (May 19, 2007)

I replaced my bolts and the connection with the guts from my M2 racer post. Which were actually a lighter gauge bolt, but I haven't had trouble, and my post is on a road bike.
but thanks for the warning


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## njtroncoso (Nov 7, 2007)

*Creaking issues?*

Has any of you that actually uses this seatpost for MTB had any issues besides the one in question here (the bolts)?? Any creaking noise? I'm about to order one but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone that has it that rides it on the trails, not the road.
Thanks.


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## Some Guy (Mar 27, 2005)

Mine's been fine for about 4 months. No problems at all. Four months isn't a long time though .


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## Nyquist (May 12, 2005)

njtroncoso said:


> Has any of you that actually uses this seatpost for MTB had any issues besides the one in question here (the bolts)?? Any creaking noise? I'm about to order one but I'd like to hear the opinion of someone that has it that rides it on the trails, not the road.
> Thanks.


Mine has been on my Yeti for about a year. Apart from the suspect bolts, the rst of the components seem fine. The anodising isnt as durable as say on a Thomson though. And mine creaked before i greased all of the interfaces. All is well now. I just got a 2nd post for my road bike too.


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## sebastian21 (Apr 26, 2005)

Whoa you guys are lucky, I had this seatpost on my old scalpel for four months and the day before of a race,I was pre-riding the course and BOOM!! the bolt cracked just like the one in the picture. Im not a heavy rider.. after the race, I email them they sent me new bolts but i didnt feel comfortable, so I sold it....


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## elephant (Mar 21, 2006)

Mine creaks. I will get new bolts this weekend.


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## Rufudufus (Apr 27, 2004)

I read a good article online (Wikipedia maybe) about Russian companies selling a lot of improperly smelted titanium to earn foreign currency. Always makes me suspicious when I see cheap titanium off-brand products. Not that I'm dissing KCNC, I'm just not familiar with them.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*not Ti is the problem..*



Rufudufus said:


> I read a good article online (Wikipedia maybe) about Russian companies selling a lot of improperly smelted titanium to earn foreign currency. Always makes me suspicious when I see cheap titanium off-brand products. Not that I'm dissing KCNC, I'm just not familiar with them.


it's not the bolts material that is the problem but rather the supplier that made the bolts: you can clearly see in the pictures above that they have a terrible finish. another problem is that the inside hole of the allen key got made too long. means at the base of that hole there is not enough material to take the stress which makes the head eventually collaps under load...anyway - i hope my english was good enough to explain it's not the titanium beeing too weak, it was the manufacturer of the bolts machining them bad in one series.


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## Rufudufus (Apr 27, 2004)

nino said:


> i...- i hope my english was good enough to explain it's not the titanium beeing too weak, it was the manufacturer of the bolts machining them bad in one series.


No worries, you explained it clearly. I can't tell anything from the finish, but I've read enough of your posts to believe that you know your stuff when it comes to Ti.

If you have to read that last sentence a couple times to make sense of it, that's my fault, not your English.


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## Nyquist (May 12, 2005)

Just an Update - the UK distributers were useless when I contacted them regarding the snapped bolt, so I emailed KCNC directly. They put a new bolt in the mail straight away, which I thought was pretty good customer service considering mine was an ebay purchase, and I had no receipt.
The bolt has now arrived, but I think I'll carry on using the high tensile bolts I replaced the ti ones with.


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## Ausable (Jan 7, 2006)

A seller based in the UK confirmed that the new models will have heavier bolts - from M5 to M6. I never had any issues om my other similar posts (Extralite and FRM) that use M5 bolts, but those bolts were steel. 
I just received my older-version Ti Pro Lite and will probably replace the FRONT bolt with a steel one. The rear bolt is very lightly loaded since my saddle is clamped at the most rearward position. The weight gain will be minimal, maybe 3 or 4g
fab


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## racingmanxc (Aug 7, 2007)

I´ve ordered the new version of the Ti Pro Lite at my bike shop.
Have anyone tried it?


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## snoop945 (Dec 7, 2005)

check this out: http://hkci.servebbs.net/forum/frame.php?frameon=yes&referer=http://hkci.servebbs.net/forum/

This incident not applicable to Ti-bolt but the linkage-pin !!

Guys, just becareful !!


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## Some Guy (Mar 27, 2005)

I'm still using mine with stock bolts :/.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

The front bolt on my KCNC Ti Pro Lite broke today... it was an M5 bolt... not the new M6 ones... 



I just emailed KCNC, and I'm awaiting a response. Luckily I was able to find the yoke in tall grass...


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

I just bought one from Light-Bikes a few weeks ago and I think it still has the m5 bolts.


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

Cheers! said:


> I just emailed KCNC, and I'm awaiting a response. Luckily I was able to find the yoke in tall grass...


Please let us know how this works out. I have this post with the 5mm bolts, and I've already broken it once. I bought replacement parts out of my own pocket. I would like to replace the suspect parts before it breaks again (and possibly injures me more seriously than last time).


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## Motomatt (Sep 8, 2007)

I e mailed 2x never got a reply


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

Motomatt said:


> I e mailed 2x never got a reply


I have yet to receive a reply. I might need to call them. I tried emailing fairwheelbikes.com whom are the USA distributor for KCNC in North America now. No reply yet from them. I also emailed the store I bought the post from and got a prompt reply saying he will see what he can do.

I ground the head down of a steel bolt to use in the mean time.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

In the US, if they don't respond, you can contact the CPSC which will force an official government recall based on the company's recall if they are not responding. I'm sure you'll get a response at that point.


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Jerk_Chicken said:


> In the US, if they don't respond, you can contact the CPSC which will force an official government recall based on the company's recall if they are not responding. I'm sure you'll get a response at that point.


So a bolt breaks on a light weight race part and we should get the government involved?
Did you ever wonder why are taxes are so high?

and fyi...I have one of these posts...but I bought it, like everyone else did, knowing it is not a " this is so tough you'll never need to buy another" type of part.

And it is always better to pick up the phone and call.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

The CPSC is who avoids the lawyer's calls. Not answering a customer in any nation, whether unlimited punitive damages or not, leave the company in some trouble. It might be a bolt, but the company must err on the side of safety, especially since they issued the recall.

And if you want to start a debate about taxes, the US taxes are low. Don't complain. I live in Germany (for two months). You have no reason to complain about taxes. At least here, I seem to get back, in the form of incredibly cheap health insurance, nice roadways and highways, no tolls (like in the US where bonds on tunnels and bridges are paid back, but the tolls are not lifted), and cheap everything else. Gas prices? They're $8 a gallon here! It makes going back for visits that much better. Hell, Levi's costs $200 and I'm not shitting you. The pair of Levi's I bought in the US two weeks ago on business was $44. The same one here is €120.


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## bdc88 (Sep 27, 2005)

I have emailed them about bolts and they were shipped within days and at my door step within a week. Jacky emailed me back and forth a few time with not one issue ever. Not sure why you are having issues getting ahold of them. I just went on their website and emailed directly from there. Perfect customer service in my opinion. 

I have also emailed KCNC several time about other items (not defective parts) and Jacky always responded back very quickly. Maybe on holidays?


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

I did the same thing. Went to KCNC website. Clicked on warranty and emailed them about my problem. I didn't recieve any response back. So I then emailed Giovanni at http://sales.light-bikes.com/. He said he will help me. I also emailed Fairwheelbikes.com who are the distributor for KCNC products in USA. I got a response back from http://sales.light-bikes.com and from fairwheelbikes.com.

Jason at fairwheelbikes.com said he would help me and asked me what size bolt it was (m5 or m6) and I replied back with my mailing address. Hopefully the bolt is in the mail already. In the mean time I ground down a 10.9 class SHCS M5x35mm to fit the counter sunk hole for the post leg to make it fit.


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## supersleeper (Feb 9, 2008)

What materials are used in these posts? Ti Pro lite? Does this imply titanium in the post or the bolts? Or are the bolts titanium and the rest of the post aluminium and scandium? I have read someware that the addition of a small amount of scandium to alu strengthens it a lot.
My 5mm bolts are still intact...


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## SUPASTAR2 (May 28, 2007)

How can you tell which bolts are M5 or M6?


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

SUPASTAR2 said:


> How can you tell which bolts are M5 or M6?


measure?

update: I just recieved a front replacement bolt from http://www.fairwheelbikes.com/

The new front bolt has a much nicer finish, and has two washers. A flat washer and a spherical washer. Maybe I'll swap it out later, I installed a 10.9 grade stainless shcs for the time being by grinding down the diameter of the head to fit into the countersink of the rod that goes through the post..


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## BlownCivic (Sep 12, 2006)

I got my replacement bolts and yokes from KCNC, but they appear to be identical to the previous bolts that failed. I'm not sure about the machining or metalurgy of the bolts, but I was left with the impression that they would be a larger bolt (M6 vs. M5).


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## geokite (May 17, 2007)

Fairwheel is sending me a M6 to replace my M5 bolts (the M5 bolts have a torque spec of 4 N.M, thats how you can tell).

They suggested making sure not to over torque them. I've never been able to get my torque wrench to work on that bolt because it is right next to the seat post. I've had to simply use an IKEA allen key (yes, from the furniture kits)

Anyone got any links or pictures of a torque wrench they use to tighten bolts that are right next to the seat post? I'm really scratching my head as to how any torque wrench could get that close, but then I've only been working on my bike for about a year now.

Thanks
Steve


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## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

http://www.restockit.com/3-8-Drive-Long-Hex-Bit-Socket-5-mm-(SKT45955).html


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