stuck stem

[biggs682]

ok i have a stuck handle bar stem it wont budge , have tried all the normal evan managed to break an axle trying to twist so well stuck , soaked it with all normal stuff tried knocking it both ways nothing .

so my question is how easy is it to saw through the stem and drop the forks out and then either replace forks or try to remove it in vice ?

anybody ever tried sawing through an alloy stem a nice old spear point stem as well so double bugger .

 

[NormanD]

try heating the joint area with a hairdryer (on the hottest setting) then give it a hard whack (left or right side) with a rubber hammer (if you have one) or a large hammer and cover the metal with a thick old book before whacking (saves damaging the metal surface)

 

[Zoiders]

Is the expander wedge seized as well?

 

[biggs682]

expander wedge is in toolbox so not seized in stem .

tried hair dryer before on a stuck saddle stem blew all fuses in house and still didnt come out

 

[gbb]

Well Zinns recommendations are as follows..
Plenty of penetrant, allow to soak.
Upturn bike, plenty of penetrant into the fork tube, allow to soak.
If it doesnt free up, try coke or ammonia to dissolve any aluminium oxide.

After that, you're trying to clamp the fork crown in a heavy vice then man-handling the stem loose via the handlebars..
Or, discharge a CO2 cartridge into the quill, the freezing action may free it by shrinkage.

 

[uphillstruggler]

Well Zinns recommendations are as follows..
Plenty of penetrant, allow to soak.
Upturn bike, plenty of penetrant into the fork tube, allow to soak.
If it doesnt free up, try coke or ammonia to dissolve any aluminium oxide.

After that, you're trying to clamp the fork crown in a heavy vice then man-handling the stem loose via the handlebars..
Or, discharge a CO2 cartridge into the quill, the freezing action may free it by shrinkage.

Wow, this is why this site is so good.

Great response (if it works)

 

[biggs682]

run out of ideas and suggestions with no results so out came the jigsaw and i have cut through the stem so at least i can now take forks out of frame .

the fun starts with still having over 3 inch of stem stuck in forks , not sure if worth machining this out or just pick up another set of forks .

 

[gbb]

Good old engineering fix, now you're at this stage is to get a plumbers blowlamp and heat the stem above the steerer and hope the expansion and cooling frees one from the other.
I'd avoid heating the steerer directly, but can't really see any danger in trying the above.

 

[biggs682]

going to clamp forks in vice and cut several slots through the stem and then hopefully should be able to bend the alloy strips away from the inside of the steerer in theory , will keep you posted

 

[brockers]

Coke doesn't work (a myth apparently), not sure about ammonia, as the pharmacist didn't have any for me to try (but my guess is that that's a myth also). A bike shop or motor mechanic used to this kind of problem would use PlusGas as it's designed specifically for this kind of problem. As I'd think they would know what they're talking about, I bought some (after hacksawing through the stem first like you did). You'll have to turn things upside-down and rig up something like a plastic bag held by elastic bands to hold the surplus penetrant. Tip in PlusGas. Leave to soak for TWO DAYS. Place forks upside-down in vice/workbench and find a short steel rod about 6-8mm thick. (The smaller surface area will concentrate the force of the hammer blow). I had one lying around but had no idea where it came from. Poke into hole in crown. Then hit hard with a hammer. Then hit it again. And again. It WILL move. Imperceptibly at first, but you'll feel it.

A damned sight easier than all that fiddly hacksawing malarkey.

 

[biggs682]

after cutting some slots in old part of stem to try and collapse it amd that did not work , my last chance in my mind was to drill out the stem so ordered a 22mm blacksmiths drill bit gripped forks between knees and went for it , 2 mins later it has gone into loads of swarf all over garage floor and forks good to go , what a fiasco

 

[fossyant]

Yay !

 

[ASC1951]

ok i have a stuck handle bar stem it wont budge

The really annoying thing about a stuck stem is that it is entirely your own fault, for forgetting to free it off every six months. The seat posts are stuck on both my bikes.

OK, it is in exactly the right position, but what if I need to change cycling shoes?

 

[swee'pea99]

Coke doesn't work (a myth apparently), not sure about ammonia, as the pharmacist didn't have any for me to try (but my guess is that that's a myth also). A bike shop or motor mechanic used to this kind of problem would use PlusGas as it's designed specifically for this kind of problem. As I'd think they would know what they're talking about, I bought some (after hacksawing through the stem first like you did). You'll have to turn things upside-down and rig up something like a plastic bag held by elastic bands to hold the surplus penetrant. Tip in PlusGas. Leave to soak for TWO DAYS. Place forks upside-down in vice/workbench and find a short steel rod about 6-8mm thick. (The smaller surface area will concentrate the force of the hammer blow). I had one lying around but had no idea where it came from. Poke into hole in crown. Then hit hard with a hammer. Then hit it again. And again. It WILL move. Imperceptibly at first, but you'll feel it.

A damned sight easier than all that fiddly hacksawing malarkey.

I did *exactly* that. (Except I left the PlusGas for a week). It DIDN'T move!

 

[biggs682]

it was a moment of joy i must admit , but i had to wreck a glorious spearpoint stem so annoying