Richard Sachs Seat Post Binder Bolt-A Collaboration Years in the Making

September 2, 2021

We are excited to announce a collaboration with Richard Sachs, the renowned bicycle framebuilder. Richard is a longtime friend of Horst Engineering. He is a past sponsor of Team Horst Sports, so this is not the first time we have partnered with one of the foremost craftsman in the cycling industry.

For more than 15 years, the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team has set a standard of excellence that is hard to beat. Richard’s personal history in custom bicycle framebuilding dates back to 1972. Simply put, he is one of the preeminent voices in the world of bicycles. Richard approached us about manufacturing a custom seat post binder bolt that would be worthy of the frames that he wished to install them on. He shared examples of the imported stock inventory that he had used for years, but wished for something that raised the bar. He also wanted it to be produced locally.

Our team worked with Richard to build more than a bolt assembly. Through a collaboration that includes SILCA and NixFrixShun, Richard put together a “survival kit” for his loyal customers and for other craft builders. The custom seat post bolt binder bolt assembly that we built for Richard will become the new standard for lugged frames, and we expect that many enthusiasts will upgrade now that his vision has become reality.

To bring Richard’s design to life and make something better than anything previously built; we used aerospace grade stainless steel and our best processes. Consistent with the work we do on fasteners for aircraft, rockets, and submarines; we precision machined both the bolt and nut complete from solid stainless steel bar stock. The pitch diameter of the bolt was held to a super precise tolerance prior to cold forming on our dedicated thread rolling equipment. Rolled threads result in a part that is 30% stronger and has a superior surface finish. Similar processes are used to manufacture our patented Cross Spikes™ product line. The care put into this one component demonstrates that whether you are making parts for airplanes, or for bicycles, the details matter.