I’m having a hell of a time getting these spacers off of the steerer tube. I had the issue first with the stem, and thought it’d be limited to that, but now with the spacers. There are two “choke points” in the middle and top captured in the picture.
What’s the best way to remove these? Not too worried about damaging the spacers as i’ll be replacing them. Thanks.
by mtngoat20
9 Comments
You have a compression plug installed? If so remove it. If not you could just get a rubber mallet and beat it off!
If it’s an alloy steerer and not a carbon steerer, then I’d be tempted to get something like a [socket extension](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61W8DahegwL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg) and give the spacers a couple lovetaps around and just gently tap them up, making sure you don’t focus on one side, and instead work your way around each one.
I say a socket extension because a flat blade or screwdriver is a bit to easy to gouge into the steerer.
I would see if it is out of round perhaps. Depending on how ‘stuck’ it is I would likely file the lip off the top or if that is weirdly a compression nut on a steel steer remove that.
Some 600 sand paper on the middle section should help get things off/on and not do any damage to the fork. (If it’s steel)
That looks like a metal steerer, not carbon. Give this a try: Slide them back down, and gently sand the steerer tube with emery cloth where they’re sticking. You may also have to very lightly dress the top of the tube with a fine single cut file to remove any lip as well. Just go for a few seconds at a time; you’re not looking to do anything more than remove a couple of thousandths of an inch to get the clearance you need.
If you have the materials on hand, you could also try differential heating to free them. Use a hair dryer or heat gun on low to heat the spacers until they’re uncomfortable to the touch. Then hit the steerer tube with freeze spray or just turn canned air upside down and spray it. The warm spacers should slide right over the chilled steerer tube.
Get one of those clamp on crown race removal tools along with a rubber mallet.
Looks like a metal steerer, but am not 100 percent sure. I’ve worked with metal steerers maybe a 100 times, but have NEVER seen them so deformed that they hang up a spacer. Yes, by definition the steerer is deformed, so there is something very wrong. I’d be more concerned about that issue than getting the spacers out.
If it’s a carbon steerer, this typically happens when the compression plug is installed, swelling the steerer a bit. Just remove the compression plug if it’s in there.
Use heat on the spacers. They are aluminum and will expand a little. If you flip the bike over and use a torch on them, they might just fall off
Piece of wood agains the spacer and a dead blow hammer with some oil. I like Kroil. Oh, and talk sweet to it, then dirty switch it up a bit. You never know what kind of bike you’ve got.
Is it metal or carbon? Did you or someone cut it shorter at some point? Depending on how they cut it it can mushroom the top slightly especially on metal steerers. Slide the spacers down and run your fingernail up the steerer and see if it catches a little bit of a lip at the top. It even looks visible in the picture. Just use a metal file and file the lip flat with the steerer. I use pipe cutters sometimes and I ll have to file the edge to get rid of it otherwise the stem and spacers have a hard time getting over it.
If it’s carbon, you can use a fine-ish sandpaper to clean up the edge.