How to raise these handlebars??

[black'n'yellow]

However you have a few things in your favour, 1 - the length of stem in the head is usually quite short and 2 - you have a lot of leverage available via the 'bars for a firm twisting action. Try not to use the wheel for the other half of this.

quill stems usually extend a good length into the steerer. If this is a case of galvanic corrosion (which seems likely), then twisting it with enough force to release it will probably end up snapping the stem first.

If all else fails and the wedge is firmly stuck in the steering tube then remove the front wheel, into the bottom of the head tube insert a drift (large screwdriver may do, and then hammer this upwards which should free the wedge. Make sure that you clean and grease the wedge and inside of the steering tube when re-assembling.

The fork in the pic has a lugged crown - it's very unlikely there will be an opening at the end of it.

 

[tyred]

I wouldn't hammer the wedge from the bottom. That would make matters worse.

Turn the bike upside down and fill the steerer with diesel and leave sit for a week and try again. It's helpful if you have a shitty old wheel you don't care about as you can wedge it into something so it can't move and then do the twist and pull thing.

 

[Fnaar]

Thanks all for your advice. Haven't had time to have another go at it yet, but as and when, I will report back.

 

[Pottsy]

I'm with Uncle Mort. Then move this to the 'what have you fettled today' thread and bask in the glory.

 

[PpPete]

The fork in the pic has a lugged crown - it's very unlikely there will be an opening at the end of it.

I have several lugged crown forks - all of which have an opening at the bottom of the steerer tube. But you certainly don't want to be hammering anything from that end unless you've got the wedge out.

 

[gwhite]

quill stems usually extend a good length into the steerer. If this is a case of galvanic corrosion (which seems likely), then twisting it with enough force to release it will probably end up snapping the stem first.




The fork in the pic has a lugged crown - it's very unlikely there will be an opening at the end of it.

Really? News to me and I've worked on a few hundred of these over forty years.

 

[gwhite]

I wouldn't hammer the wedge from the bottom. That would make matters worse.

Turn the bike upside down and fill the steerer with diesel and leave sit for a week and try again. It's helpful if you have a shitty old wheel you don't care about as you can wedge it into something so it can't move and then do the twist and pull thing.

Never in my experience and I've freed quite a few over the years having worked in a pro workshop.