How do I remove a stuck bolt holding my bike's kickstand in place?

Submitted by S_Orbital t3_10omeu2 in DIY

Hi all,

I'd like to replace the kickstand on my bike since the old one is rusted through. However, the bolt is stuck and when it is twisted, the entire stand moves rather than the bolt. I have tried to hold the stand in place to undo the bolt instead, but it won't budge. I have also tried penetrating oil. I'm not sure that I've got any choice besides breaking the bolt, because I think any significant force would round off the bolt. I've attached a picture to show the situation at bay. It's too tight in there for bolt cutters or a saw. I also don't have any power tools and doubt that I could get any in there either. What do you suggest that I do here remove that bolt? Any help would be appreciated.

Note: I don't live in the US so I do not have access to all tools or products available there.

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https://preview.redd.it/ajhrde43j2fa1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=e91765151c5cdad2775a0fce35ce6ba0789d78a3

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Comments

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Supreme-Bob t1_j6fix4f wrote

Steps to try

  • Penitrating fluid
  • Pipe on your wrench/allen key to make handle longer for more leverage
  • Blow torch to heat it, this helps to free the rust
  • Angle grinder to just cut it off
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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6frfmw wrote

If op is asking how to remove this simple bolt they def don’t know how dangerous an angle grinder is in untrained hands. Pls use common sense when recommending things.

12

GargantuanGorgon t1_j6gmsx0 wrote

You're getting downvoted but you deserve better -- everything you're saying about this is the voice of reason and experience. Perhaps a popularity contest is not the best way to determine the relevance or quality of an idea.

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[deleted] t1_j6frm8i wrote

[removed]

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6fu9jc wrote

Well, I work on a lot of old bikes and have never once needed an angle grinder but I’m sure you’re an expert.

Just like I’m sure

-You won’t have difficulty getting even a small grinder in that tight space

-Op, who based on the question is clearly inexperienced won’t overcut into the relatively soft and thin frame, and that kickstand area is where three structural members join (actually four members)

-Op surely has the correct cutting disc and face shield, right?

But ok, your advice to use a grinder is Aces.

−10

Supreme-Bob t1_j6fv51h wrote

So then you'd know you should be able to flip the bike upside down and cut the bottom bracket off from the underside, right?

Yet you have no issue with the blow torch idea (grease, paint, rubber, fire, etc.)?

I'm here to give ideas and try to be helpful, not hold hands.

You have a great day now.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6fvxrb wrote

I know

  • The bottom bracket, pedal arms and wheel are in the way, even from underneath

  • even if you remove the wheel the irregular shape of the bottom half of the kickstand makes grinding difficult and will lead to skipping the disc in inexperienced hands

I’ve done this exact repair several times. You haven’t a clue what you’re talking about or how to do this repair efficiently, safely, or without risk of collateral damage.

Further, not sure where you got the dumb idea that I agree with the torch idea. If you could read I actually said it was unnecessary.

Have a great day yourself.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g6y3c wrote

Thank you for the suggestions! I think the easiest thing to try first is the pipe to gain additional leverage. Given all the things that I have tried, my strength has been one of the limiting factors. Other options such as power tools or heating aren't practical in my case. I'd like to avoid spending singificant amounts here.

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AltruisticMonkey t1_j6g8kbe wrote

To follow up with this, I've found heat followed by penetrating oil while it's still WARM (not hot) to help. I think it helps the oil penetrate better. Let sit 24 hours. Hope that helps, good luck!

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wiga_nut t1_j6jw7ua wrote

In lieu of a angle grinder a simple metal hack saw blade would do the trick and be safer, if you can't get the bolt to turn

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Starstriker t1_j6hyger wrote

Whack it with a hammer to loosen some of the rust inside, then oil.

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rolltododge t1_j6fk5m1 wrote

also, metal gets pliable/compliant when hot so it's easier to get stuff moving.

downvotes? metal expands and gets much softer when it gets hot... and thus a hole in a piece of metal expands making it easier to remove things that are stuck..

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choochoopants t1_j6hgjpg wrote

Yes metal expands when it gets hotter, but you’re not applying heat to “make the hole bigger.” When metal expands, it expands in all directions, not just out. You’re also not trying to soften the metal. Given that your next step is to apply torque, it would be counter-productive to make the metal pliable.

Different metals expand at different rates when heated, and this difference will cause the rust bond that has formed between the nut and the bolt to break loose. That’s why heat works.

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anokyen t1_j6g88uc wrote

If the entire stand will turn, then it looks to me as though your best bet would be to remove the tire and fender and then try to turn it enough to fall loose from the frame. It also looks like you might be able to slip a saw bade in at that point and cut that top retainer on one side so that it could then fall free. Good luck.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g901g wrote

Thank you for the suggestion. Although at first glance it seems that it'd work, twisting the stand simply turns the bolt in its place without undoing it. In fact, I went and bought a handsaw to see whether I could slip it in to cut the bolt, but unfortunately there was no good opening where I could slip it in. If I'm not able to free it through cheap and easy methods, then I'll probably leave it as is. If it ain't broke.. (yet)

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Bobaref t1_j6h3auy wrote

Just my 2 cents worth, but now that I know you have a saw… remove the rear wheel and fender, then cut along next to the frame towards the bolt. It looks to be aluminium, so once you get to the bolt, you could take a flat blade screw driver and “lever” it apart. Good luck Edited to add: if strength is an issue, you can hammer a wedge “flat blade screw driver” into the cut made by the saw. Again, good luck

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jungerfrosch t1_j6i43vv wrote

It is slower, but you can cut using just the blade. If the fender and tire are removed you should be able to fit the blade in to cut the bolt. Hold the blade so that the teeth cut when you are pulling(as opposed to in the saw frame where feet cut when pushing)

Alternatively if you can get to it with the saw you could cut through the nut(splitting it in half) from the bottom side.

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Sir_Fluffy_Butt_McDo t1_j6fjxqk wrote

Hammer blow to stick part. Or try to tighten it a little bit, then loosen

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g6nnv wrote

Tightening and loosening I have tried to no avail. Unfortunately, hammering is not feasible given my setup, which is basic hand tools and the public bike shed as my work area.

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Senrabekim t1_j6gtpeh wrote

Allen key up top, wrench on the nut below. Maybe hit it with some WD-40 if you have access to it. Let that doak in for 15 minutes or so. Wear a leather glove especially on a hand pushing an allen key it wont dig into your skin and hurt so you can push on it harder. If you are having trouble getting in there take the wheel off to give yourself more room to work.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6ft70f wrote

Never hammer a bike frame.

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Sir_Fluffy_Butt_McDo t1_j6g0clb wrote

Not frame but bolt

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6g1ryt wrote

Wow. You seriously don’t see how the impact from the bolt gets transmitted to the kickstand bracket, to the bottom bracket area of the frame which is in turn transmitted to the two light duty, usually low grade aluminum, wheels… all of which bends easily upon impact.

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CrossP t1_j6g2i7v wrote

I'd be worried about the welds on the tube frame.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6g4i3c wrote

Yup, hard on the welds too. If you’re hammering anything on a bike, especially with the wheels on the ground and not in a proper stand, you don’t know what you’re doing.

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wiga_nut t1_j6jvv0x wrote

Lol reddit hates your cautious attitude but you're 100% right

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bill_gannon t1_j6kk3hy wrote

Lol no they aren't. It's a bike not a puppy. A few love taps on a stuck fastener isn't going to bend the frame or break a weld.

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gordanfreman t1_j6g70m7 wrote

Ex bicycle mechanic here: first, take the wheel and fender off to give yourself more room to work. Penetrating oil may work if it's available. Heating the bits with a torch (avoid the frame itself as much as possible) has done wonders for stuck parts but may cause visual damage to the surrounding paint. All else fails destructive removal may be required: either drill the bolt out, cut the top/bottom plates on the kickstand (careful not to nic the frame), or if you can find something that fits: cut the bolt through the middle once the wheel and fender are out of the way.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g7y6z wrote

Thank you for the comment. I'm going to avoid the torch as much as possible. I think that I will try to gain more leverage on it with a pipe first. If that fails and damages the bolt, then I suppose destructive methods were inevitable. Unfortunately cutting the top part of the bracket wouldn't completely free the bolt as the top part would not fit through the hole in the bottom plate under it.

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flintknife t1_j6fr6lz wrote

Take the rear wheel off, get vise grips on the top plate, then turn the kickstand part instead of the bolt. If that doesn't work epoxy a hex head into it and put a breaker bar on it with vice grips on the kickstand.

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86tuning t1_j6g52fn wrote

if the kick stand turns, you may be able to remove it by turning the bottom enough to come between the chain stays. you'll obviously need to remove the rear wheel and the fender for the stand to come out. there is no chainstay brace to interfere with the stand sliding out between the chain stays.

you may also try to cut through the top plate of the stand with a hack saw. if you cut from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock in the photo, you'll be able to loosen the clamp enough that it will again come out the back.

if you're installing a new stand, use either blue loctite, grease, or anti-seize on the mounting bolts. loctite is best because it keeps moisture/corrosion from the bolt threads, prevents vibration from loosening the bolts, and allows for removal at a future date.

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tvan3l t1_j6hs2py wrote

A mechanic buddy of mine once showed me a trick to loosen bolts that are stuck:

Heat the bolt with a blowtorch or lighter until it's hot enough to melt candle wax. Then press a candle against it. The candle wax will melt, and the capilary force will pull the wax between the threads, acting as a lubricant.

Works like a charm.

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coci222 t1_j6g6v5g wrote

Pour some Coca-Cola on it. My grandfather was a crafty mechanic.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g81ss wrote

Certainly a more active measure than staring at the problem hoping that it fixes itself

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coci222 t1_j6g8hvi wrote

My Grandpa could fix anything. He was a mechanic in the Pacific theater during WW2 and then when he got back he made a side business out of it while working for the railroad. Most amazing person I've ever met. Miss him tons

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g9ooy wrote

I suppose we've all got that person who's got the magic touch. He sounds like quite a character! Sorry about your loss.

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bill_gannon t1_j6fn20j wrote

Ask a local garage to weld a small nut to it.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6ftcmv wrote

No. If they are taking it anywhere take to to a bike shop who has removed a billion stuck kickstands.

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bill_gannon t1_j6fu31q wrote

Maybe, if there are any, as a last result.

Generally garages with welders are a lot easier to find and cheaper. We did a lot of times for many different situations.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6fuvqe wrote

Generally absolutely not.

Welding shops don’t want some kid with a bike hanging around for a $10 job. But even if in your fictional world there was no bike shop within a million miles, any car mechanic would know how to twist the bolt loooooong before breaking out a welder.

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DrunkenCodeMonkey t1_j6fofum wrote

Really? Love the idea, but given the tight space i would have assumed that drilling out the nut and replacing it would be easier.

Am i ignorant of some cool welding technique?

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bill_gannon t1_j6fp7ta wrote

They just put it the middle and zap it. You don't need crazy shear strength and the heat will likely loosen it.

Also reach in with something flat like an extension and smack it a few times with a hammer first. That has a way of breaking things free.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g6c51 wrote

Being in the Netherlands, bike repair shops are abundant, however, they don't seem to be willing to deal with a job like this. I have asked around already. Might consult a car mechanic if I have no other feasible options remaining.

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jimjamjahaa t1_j6hgm8h wrote

> however, they don't seem to be willing to deal with a job like this

that's unbelievable... it should be a 5-10 minute job for a bike shop with all the tools at their disposal.

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[deleted] t1_j6foqv3 wrote

[deleted]

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ilikegar t1_j6imgoy wrote

I learned the hard way that one pedal is always threaded left handed. sigh.

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tdipi t1_j6fu9jz wrote

Have you tried to tighten the bolt, then loosen the bolt, over and over again, try to get a little movement to let the penetrating oil work in.

Do you have anything to wedge against the top of the kickstand to prevent it from twisting

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g5sln wrote

Yes, I have tried doing so. I've managed to keep the stand in place to try to undo the bolt itself by simply holding it in place with my foot. That technique has worked well enough that the only constraint became how much tension I could exert onto the alan wrench I was using.

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redshift88 t1_j6fukj4 wrote

Google “easy out.” Buy one or a set and keep it in a safe place as you will be using it the rest of your life. Very handy tool that I use every year or two.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g7f83 wrote

Quite an interesting idea! It's a shame that I don't have power tools else I could have attempted it. I'll go with less destructive methods first and see if anything changes.

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Blackoutsmackout t1_j6fx6r2 wrote

You might be able to take the wheel and fender off, rock and wiggle the kickstand backwards then twist the top piece counterclockwise 90 degrees with a vise grip and have it drop out.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g7a4f wrote

There is welded-on material under the bracket that would prevent it from coming out of the bottom. The bracket also hits the frame while it turns.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6g5hg4 wrote

Thank you for all the suggestions! I didn't expect to get so many suggestions. I think the first thing that I will try is getting a hollow tube to increase the tension on the bolt. Unfortunately a lot of the suggestions are not practical in this case due to the limited amount of space to extract the bolt, or due to cost concerns.

​

And yes, I have tried to twist the stand instead of the bolt, but the issue is that the bolt is stuck in the stand itself, so twisting it simply twists the bolt without undoing anything.

Additionally, I have no power tools. If I did have any, the way I would go about it would be to grind the stand off, as anything else would not be able to work within the tight space.

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ntyperteasy t1_j6glg7r wrote

Remove the rear wheel and the fender - you will have much better access to the bolt. I think that will get you where you need to be.

A section of metal pipe can be used to extend the length of your wrench to get more leverage.

Is there a nut on the bottom? Can you get a wrench on that?

If you decide to use heat (a torch) then you must remove the rear wheel and fender and clean the grease off the chain, etc., or it will quickly catch on fire. I don't think this is a good DIY method.

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newaccount721 t1_j6gp37f wrote

Why are people being so mean to each other in this comment section? No need to shell out personal insults. The subject is pretty innocuous

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bananabreadvictory t1_j6gu2w3 wrote

Penetrating oil and tapping it with a hammer, will loosen the corrosion, when you get it move a little, turn it back and forth, never just in one direction ad more oil as necessary until you can back it all the way out.

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Scizmz t1_j6gwtw9 wrote

When you inevitably destroy the bolt and can't get it out, get like a dremel and some metal cutting disks and cut through the bar that the bolt is screwed in through.

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Se7enLC t1_j6gxasj wrote

Oof, that's a doozy.

If you have a friend with too many tools see if they have an impact driver with a 90 degree adapter.

I would be very very worried about rounding off that Allen bolt. Make absolutely sure any tool you use is perfectly seated and tight before you apply any force.

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jeffersonairmattress t1_j6h0h1o wrote

Turn bike upside down. Shield everything with bits of scrap steel, hit the aluminum kickstand piece underneath that the flat socket hex head screw is threaded into with the hottest torch you have, whack either the exposed end of the screw or the aluminum with a hammer, or whack the head with a punch and hammer, try again. You want to shock the steel fastener and loosen the aluminum oxide that is gluing it to the crappy alloy the kickstand is made of.

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oqp8 t1_j6h4mw1 wrote

Had something similar. After trying a bunch of ideas, ended up drilling the support around the bolt, the metal is likely much lighter than the bolt itself. In my case it felt like aluminum, so quite soft. The bolt was probably steel, I started out trying to drill the bolt and didn't get anywhere :) If you don't own power tools you can still try to borrow or rent. Get a metal drill bit with it (or buy one).

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talldaveos t1_j6heh5d wrote

Besides heat, WD-40, and more leverage, the standard thing for removing rounded-out stuck bike bolts is to gently hammer in a slightly-too-large TORX bit which will bite (despite the damage), and unscrew.

You might damage the bit, but it's only a few euros spent - for a perfectly reliable technique.

Rather than here, you could try https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/

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SixHourDays t1_j6hkcnb wrote

get a friend to spot weld a nut onto the bolt head, then use wrench as normal.

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sethasaurus666 t1_j6ho9q6 wrote

From memory, you will be able to see the other end of the bolt. If so : Turn bike upside down Drill and tap a hole into the bolt Screw another bolt in and turn clockwise

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ShaunDSpangler t1_j6hvlpm wrote

Spray with penetrating oil and let it sit for a while...repeat...and try again. Is there a way you can get the kickstand/bike on a vice?

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HotVW t1_j6hxtwk wrote

If you have access to a welder, weld a nut on top of it. Weld it on the inside of the nut and take it off while it's still hot.

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jebidiaGA t1_j6ib1i2 wrote

Blaster PB penetrating oil and a bar for additional leverage...let that stuff soak in for 30 mins or so

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Handler777 t1_j6ih6bb wrote

Is the kick stand rusting or just the bolt? Kick stands are usually an aluminum alloy and don't rust. Anyway, it might be easier to just clean up the rust or paint it in place.

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Riderrod77 t1_j6jbh8b wrote

just drill the bolt out

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IBIKEONSIDEWALKS t1_j6kgjm5 wrote

Wheel off, fender out of the way, hammer+punch the upper bracket to twist it. Ezpz not expensive you're welcome

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michiganwinter t1_j6kqzoa wrote

WEAR SAFTY GLASSES!

Remove fender

WEAR SAFTY GLASSES!

Cut the bolt with dremel or oscillating tool. If you go the Oscillating tool route you are going to need a blade made for metal.

Either way it will take patience and time.

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S_Orbital OP t1_j6o25lo wrote

Update: the bolt has been removed through a combination of showering it in WD-40 and applying ungodly amounts of torque with a comically-long pipe.

​

Thank you for all of your suggestions! Considering the thread closed.

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imnotsoho t1_j6pcipg wrote

Look for a saw like this that will cut metal (this one says soft metal). Check HF, HD and Lowes. You will probably have to cut one handle off and improvise a new one.

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AnythingButTheTip t1_j6fompx wrote

A few love taps with your favorite puersuader (whack it with a heavy hammer), more penetrating oil, and then heat around the bolt. Theory behind heat is expanding what the bolt is stuck in, and not expanding the bolt to get that more stuck.

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6fsjs8 wrote

In this thread: people who don’t have a clue about bicycle repair.

Hit the bolt - great way to bend a frame

Use a snipe on a socket wrench - totally unnecessary and another good way to bend or break something if trying it alone

Flame or welding - again totally unnecessary

This damage is from a cheap or under-sized hex or other improper tool wrecking the head.

I wok on a lot of bikes and a proper oversized hex socket will still fit in that head but the op may be a child without the strength to turn it.

Hand drilling it out with left thread extractors will work like charm.

Power drilling increasing size pilot holes from underneath will also work.

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Blackoutsmackout t1_j6fwhgy wrote

If you are going to start off by saying nobody has a clue about bike repair here i'm going to ask about one of your suggestions. Do you really think a drill with a left handed bit will get into the space available behind the seat tube?

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GoodGoodGoody t1_j6fx64q wrote

I said hand drill, not power drill. And having done it several times, yes I do “think” it will fit.

And, I didn’t say “nobody” has a clue. I did however call out advice which is dangerous, inappropriate, or unnecessary.

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