Stuck stem?

[Alex11]

Quill stem is stuck in an old Dawes 70s racer.

Any ideas?

 

[accountantpete]

Undo the bolt so that its head peeks out above the stem and then give it a good whack (taking care to avoid hitting the stem).

 

[Alex11]

give what a whack?

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

The bolt.

 

[Alex11]

OK I'll give it a go. Why will this work (if it does) ?

 

[compo]

The fixture the bolt screws into has a tendency to seize with rust and/or corrosion. Undoing the bolt a few threads and giving it a good smack can release the seized wedge. Some stems have a wedge and some a taper that pulls up inside the stem to expand it. Both types can seize.

 

[Alex11]

Hi I did what you suggested - undid the bolt a little, whacked it with the hammer, something seemed to loosen or come free. I had a look through the bottom of the forks and it seems there is a piece of metal with a threaded hole in the middle, presumably for the bolt to go into?, which is loose inside there.

What next?

 

[accountantpete]

If you still have the bars attached - you need to pop the forks in a vice and then gently turn the bars. There should be a bit of movement.

 

[Alex11]

Brute force with the hammer did it! It's out and so is the wedge thingy ma bob