Used a wrong sized hex key to loosen the stem screw and managed to completely destroy it in just 1 attempt. Can this be removed? I am surprised at how soft the metal was. I have never had this happened before.
by imclawday
Used a wrong sized hex key to loosen the stem screw and managed to completely destroy it in just 1 attempt. Can this be removed? I am surprised at how soft the metal was. I have never had this happened before.
by imclawday
12 Comments
if you have a star hex thats slightly larger than the original bolt, you can kinda hammer it in, and once the star points bike, carefulyl extract the screw. If that doesnt work, you might need a screw extractor tip for a drill.
Several…
Take it to your friendly lbs and have them do it.
Or the joy of attempting the following, choose wisely, be safe and good luck 🤞.
Extractor set.
Cut a slot, gonna need a Dremel/similar to do it.
Hammer a larger sized torq in there and try and turn it.
Drill it out.
Replacing should be no problem. But first u need to get it out. I saw a post the other day where a guy used superglue or epoxy to attach an old bit to the worn out screw for unscrewing.
That looks like aluminium to me. But yeah, I also think the epoxy idea might be best
Just get a replacement screw. Too easy. My concern is, why do product designers make such stupid decisions?
Why not make that a torx bit and a bit bigger to mitigate the risk of stripping? I have to wonder about those dimwits.
Oh yea, to get it out. Take a dremel and cut a slot into it.
Add some WD-40 or Liquid Wrench and just remove it with a flat head screwdrivers.
I did exactly the same thing on my tcr and replacing the screw wasnt hard
Screw removal tool will cost you about £5 and easier than gluing stuff up.
Undo the stem bolts, and twist the top cap, will usually bring the bolt up with it. Source: did this last night
Smash a bigger cheap star bit in then undo, shouldn’t be tight.
Just stick a flathead screwdriver in there that is a tight fit. Maybe hammer it a little and remove it.
Update – Thanks a lot everyone for the replies. I was able to remove the bolt easily by using a tight fitting torx key like some of you suggested. Glad that I didn’t have to cut the bolt.
Used an 5/32 hex key instead of 4 mm hex key to try and remove it initially thinking that they are the same size. Ended up stripping the bolt surprisingly easily.