Bib Hanger Design/Reliability Issues

Okee Dokee.

My tighting bolt will need to be replaced in another month. I’ve logged more time with it then my car.

Hanging 18 pounds right now to conditioning the skin after a hella long break.

Mr. F.,

The hex nut that receives the top screw on your Bib needs to be free to pivot in its well. This is because the angle of approach of the top screw varies depending on the tightness of the hanger and the bottom screw settings. Epoxying the hex nut within the well prevents this necessary movement and is probably what’s responsible for placing undue stress on the threads (at least, since you glued it).

I am frankly not sure how you can remove the epoxy without damaging the plastic shell of the hanger. You might want to check the epoxy label.

I actually like your C-clamp solution. I always disliked the top screw arrangement of the Bib. The wing nut is too small, it irritates my skin, it requires too many turns, takes too long, etc.

The problem I see with your arrangement is that the clamp does not appear to have a really firm hold on the hanger. It looks like it might pop off. Please look at this carefully.

Regarding your proposed modification, you might consider adding material to the hanger rather than taking material away. Perhaps you could build up a pair of epoxy footings, on either side of the hanger, to receive the C-clamp’s feet. Using more material rather than less adds to rather than subtracts from the strength of the hanger.

Because the C-clamp grips the sides closer to the bottom hinge of the hanger than the usual closure, more force will be needed to achieve the same tightness (approximately twice the force). The hanger must be able to bear that additional force. I don’t think you want to thin out the walls of the hanger at the contact points. They really need to be heavier, not lighter.

Mr. F.: Another idea is to wrap a hose clamp around your hanger. It is critical that no tools be required to operate the clamp (what happens if you can’t find the damn thing?). Consider trying a Turn-Key clamp. I use one with my Wenchette. They wear out after a couple of months but provide faithful service until that happens.

You could wrap the clamp around the entire hanger. It would probably be necessary to grind down the plastic on top of the hanger to provide a “well” for the strap of the hose clamp to sit in. You might want to grind out some “channels” at the bottom of the hanger as well. You don’t want the clamp to slip.

I thought about using the side screws of the Bib (where the strap is attached) to anchor the clamp. That would allow you to cut the clamp essentially in half (with nothing looping around the bottom). But on second thought I’m not sure those side screws can support the force of closure.

Bib said he used his hanger with 45#. That means that each side bore 22.5#. I think the tightening force may be much greater than 22.5#, especially if you use very tight hanger settings. It’s best to err on the side of caution.

BTW, I think Big Girtha may be doing exactly this. You might want to ask him about it.

By the way, here are some pictures of the problems I had with my hanger. You can see that the well that holds the hex nut has eroded away. Xeno says Bib has fixed this in newer revisions, so it may not apply to new hangers.

One point I should mention: I replaced the original wing nut and top screw with stainless steel because the tin alloy was irritating the skin on my hands. That may have contributed to the wear I was seeing on the top screws. I don’t know whether it could have contributed to the wear of the well.

It’s the washer well, not the nut well that Bigger has changed.

Do you think bib special orders his screws from NASA or something, there is nothing special about them. Just go down to your local Lowes or Ace hardware store. Mine strip out all the time, so I have a package of extras. The screws are #8-32 X 2-1/2”

That’s right, Inoxia. But some folks outside the US can’t get screws in those sizes and aren’t sure what an appropriate substitute might be.

I broke a few starters from tightening before Bib changed the design, but I’ve never stripped a bolt on one.

I applied Loc-tite to the nut against the bolt head to eliminate the annoyance of it coming loose. They should come that way. I lubed the bolt threads where the wingnut rides. I’ve used several lubricants: graphite, silicone spray or a little WD-40. Doesn’t take much. Try some lube if you’re stripping bolts.