I have heard many different people give different answers for this question so I decided to ask around and see what people said worked for each specific bolt on your bike.

Don’t use red loctite on your bike…but I just finished my blue..

To make sure I was giving out the correct information I had to go to a few sources. The first person to come to my mind was Lorien out at Sooke Mountain Cycles as he is one of the best mechanics in town. But I wanted to find out what the Internet had to say on this subject as well, so I put up a thread in the /bikewrench subreddit, and the Tooltime forum on MTBR. This is the end result, a master list of what bolts you should grease and what you should use Thread Locker.

• Stem binder bolts – Grease
• Headset Preload Bolt – Grease
• Seat Post bolts – Grease
• Seat Post Collar bolt – Grease
• Rotor Bolts – Thread Locker
• Cranks 8m Bolts – Either
• Chainring bolts – Either
• Bottom Bracket Shell – Grease
• Splined BB Interface – Grease
• Square Taper BB Interface – Dry
• Pedal Threads – Grease
• Flat Pedal pins – Thread Locker
• Caliper to brake bolts -Thread Locker
• Caliper to frame bolts -Thread Locker
• Pivot bolts – Thread Locker
• Shock Mounting bolts – Thread Locker
• FR/R Axle threads – Grease
• Derailleur limit screws – Either
• Water Bottle Mount bolts – Grease

Pinkbike did a great post a few years ago on how to properly use thread locker, so if you have any questions about thread locker basics check out their post.

Also make sure you are following the manufacturers recommended torque values, especially if you are working with carbon and suspension pivots, you don’t want to mess with your new expensive gear. Pinkbike also just released a great post on torque and so if you have any questions their post is a great resource.

So there you have it, a complete list of bolts on your bike and what you should use on them. Thank you to everyone who helped me compile this list, you are all awesome!

Did I miss anything or have a differing opinion, if so please let me know in the comments.