iron_panda Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 (edited) Hey guys, I went to put a spacer on my headset today but couldn't get the stem off as one of the allen screws have been stripped Just wondering if anyone knows a way of getting it out? I've seen a few suggestions on YouTube but they all seem to be for cars and generally bigger, manageable screws. Thanks for any help! Edited January 7, 2017 by iron_panda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gage-mann Posted January 7, 2017 Report Share Posted January 7, 2017 Either try to use a grub screw which will be the clean way to do it or drill the bolt completely out and heli coil the stem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Anscombe Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 As said above really man ,or cut a slot in the bolt and use a hefty flathead screwrdiver 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daviesdt Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 I thought you were supposed to drill and tap the bolt with a counter threaded hole, screw in a new counter threaded bolt and crack it that way? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daviesdt Posted January 8, 2017 Report Share Posted January 8, 2017 Like this if you are stuck, bet your local bike shop have the right tools for this and could do it for about£20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Anscombe Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 if its flush,then the above advice/video will sort out the problem,But if you have the bolt head exposed ,get a hacksaw ,saw grove deep enough for hefty fla thead screwdriver.......You can do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Dark Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Tap an oversized torx bit into the the allen key head 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigjames Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Always found the Torx bit method to work the best, just make sure it's in all the way and square. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron_panda Posted January 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 On 1/9/2017 at 2:37 PM, Alex Dark said: Tap an oversized torx bit into the the allen key head Had a look at the torx bits I have and the largest one is a tiny bit too small for a good fit but thanks for the suggestion! I'm sure I know some one that has a full set of torx bits. On 1/9/2017 at 1:34 PM, Dave Anscombe said: if its flush,then the above advice/video will sort out the problem,But if you have the bolt head exposed ,get a hacksaw ,saw grove deep enough for hefty fla thead screwdriver.......You can do it It's half flush. The stem has a space manufactured out for the bolt to recede into it I think at the risk of scratching and/or damaging the bike I think I'll take it into my local shop and get them to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Heard Posted January 23, 2017 Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 ive had this happen to me multiple times. drilling the bolt out is the easiest way but you have to be extremely careful when getting close to the inside threads. alternatively, depending on how stripped it is. you could try super gluing an Allen key in the bolt head. never tried this but could potentially work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron_panda Posted January 25, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 On 1/23/2017 at 11:26 AM, Jack Heard said: ive had this happen to me multiple times. drilling the bolt out is the easiest way but you have to be extremely careful when getting close to the inside threads. alternatively, depending on how stripped it is. you could try super gluing an Allen key in the bolt head. never tried this but could potentially work Yeah in fear of tearing apart the stem I think I'll avoid that method hah. I'll see if I have a spare allen key laying around. I have a set but it's a case of ruining 1 I ruin the rest as they're all screwed together. Thanks for the help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Heard Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 8 hours ago, iron_panda said: Yeah in fear of tearing apart the stem I think I'll avoid that method hah. I'll see if I have a spare allen key laying around. I have a set but it's a case of ruining 1 I ruin the rest as they're all screwed together. Thanks for the help! No worries. As I said never tried it before but it's a bodge that might be worth a go. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Czar Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Your best bet would be easy outs, you can get them at a small enough size in a set, and should fit in the Allen key hole quite nicely. Failing that I'd go with the Torx method, I believe a torx 27/30 would be the right sort of size for a stripped Allen key, (provided its a 5mm head) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron_panda Posted January 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Success! The torx bit worked! @Julius Czar Never heard of the easy outs til you mentioned them. Looks like they can come in handy for all sorts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daviesdt Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 This has been one long running stripped Allen bolt saga! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julius Czar Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 On 30/01/2017 at 9:43 PM, iron_panda said: Success! The torx bit worked! @Julius Czar Never heard of the easy outs til you mentioned them. Looks like they can come in handy for all sorts. Believe me, they've saved me more times than I care to think! Turns a nightmare job into a fairly simple one in most cases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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