You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Ok I’ll admit I’m stuck.
Today I’ve resurrected two bikes with a whole lot of work today and no dramas, that is until I had to work on my daughters Scott HT. bought second hand and not touched until now.
Blasted twin lock stuck on the front forks, so suspension no work at all. Looked like a new cable and freeing up was all that was required. Until I tried to get the twinloc cover off that is.
I strongly suspect that the previous owner had a go at the twinloc and that’s why one of the bolts is totally rounded off, the other not quite as much, so I was finally able to get that one out. Fekwit. The whole bike meeded a whole lotta tlc, so the bolt rounding off wouldn’t surprise me, as someone’s mechanical ineptitude has been evident all over this bike. To be fair, this is the first 2nd hand bike that I’ve bought that hasn’t been in really good condition, next time I’ll stick firmly to STW classifieds and not go near FB marketplace.
So STW, how do I get this blasted bloody bolt out please ? Without buggering up the twinloc cover etc, top of the forks or anything else.
I don’t want to spend much on this, as I suspect she’s under 12 months from growing out of it.
Pic below if that’s worked.
Two thinks that spring to mind.
Will a good bolt in the other side reduce the tension on the rounded one.
Do you have a good selection of torx keys? Find a tight fit and tap it in. It then drives the corners rather than the flats.
It’s a suntour part and is less than £10 on eBay.
I’d try a torx bit hammered in first but once the plastic cap is cut away it should be easy to remove the knackered bolt.
Nope, tried that.
The tension is still really good.
Tried torx keys too, I’ve got every combo of security bits to hand in the garage and 9 times out of 10 this works really effectively.
But not on this, it’s really rounded in there, nothing is getting any traction. It’s infuriating. I can’t even get something in to the tiny space to cut a groove into the top to chase it out slowly.
Onza’s solution is a good one..
Other things to try. Can you cut a slot in the head or is it recessed to much? If you can slot it a flathead screwdriver might get it out
if you drill the head off the bolt and get the dial off you could use grips to get the remains out, just be careful drilling.
If it’s just the cable you want to change you may get away without talking the cover off. The small hole to the left of the stuck bolt is the set screw that clamps the cable
These might work but that hex socket looks pretty far gone.
Have you tried to drill it out?
Fist of all, try hammering in a torx bit.
https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/amtech-16pc-torx-bit-set-553972770
If that fails then a left handed (reverse thread) drill bit can work a treat.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/1405254638
If it still doesn't work after drilling a hole then try a bolt removal bit
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302969246708
Cable isn’t broken (going to replace anyway) so I assumed the issue with the twinloc might lie under that cover.
I haven’t tried to drill it out, but on very close inspection looks like someone has had a good go at it. The other one was rounded off, but I was able to jam in a torx and get it out, slowly but easily.
@didnthurt thanks, will look at those.
Edit I will be drilling this out if all else fails, or breaking the cover and buying a new one.
I've found that when you use a regular drill bit, it will only tighten the screw even more when drilling.
The reverse/left hand drill bits can actually undo the screw as it drills, especially if it catches as it drills. Worked for me when I snapped a bolt in my carbon fibre full sus frame. Thank f&&k it did work as the frame would be pretty totaled otherwise.
Hope it all works out for you.
Weld a nut on top and get a socket on it. Failing that, drill the head off.
impact driver has worked for me on this kind of thing in the past.
Drill the head off.
‘Easy out’ reverse drill thing my mate swears by.
Slot in top is my go to.
Bolt on other side a great idea
Parks nice Allen key set have Allen extractors on one of the tips. Looks a bit like a twisted torx.
It try hammering an old flatblade screwdriver into it and taking it out with the same tip held in a. Impact driver. Also try tightening it a tiny bit first, sometimes a head is only rounded clockwise, if that makes sense
I wonder if hammering a strong torx in but then getting some long thin bars to give you a huge amount of leverage, then shock the bolt loose? A bit like when you get a tight car wheelnut then use a 4ft long pole to get huge leverage on it, you’d obvs need someone holding the bit in the bolt in really tight!
Agreed with someone above, I have a cheapie set of hex/torx bits but in there there are also twisted variations of them too and I’ve used these to get bolts that have been in Say a gate for 20 years and have rusted down.
That maybe another option
Invest in some easy outs. I spent hours buggering about with a stuck bolt before, then minutes once i had the easy outs ( https://www.screwfix.com/p/bolt-extractor-set-5-pieces/1112v )
I have to wonder if a lot of the posters on this thread looked at the picture of the bolt. It's a tiny little screw recessed into a plastic housing and it's totally mangled. The only hope of getting it out is to drill the head off, remove the plastic housing, then try to get the bolt out with some pliers.
I've very successfully used my Makita drill "in reverse" on this sort of problem - it's especially good if there's still "something" there for it to catch on, like a small flat or a single corner - try jamming the drill bit in at a slight angle before giving it a short blast - and make sure you use a drill bit that's a little bit bigger than the existing hole -
Personally I'd try to find an old flat screwdriver that is bigger than the bolt head but will still go in the recess, sharpen it up with a file and hammer it into the bolt head and see that works.
If not, as above, drill and pliers.
Or if the housing is only a few quid break that first...
I have to wonder if a lot of the posters on this thread looked at the picture of the bolt.
Good grief no. Just read the title then whammed the nuclear option in the reply box. Someone recommended welding a nut onto it up there!
The reverse/left hand drill bits can actually undo the screw as it drills, especially if it catches as it drills.
Impact driver is very good for getting purchase in such situations.
I did look at the pic and there is evidence of a hex still existing further down, hence why I suggested a torx bit.
Okay that's twice I've seen the suggestion of hammering in a flat head screwdriver.
Have either of you ever tried this approach? I'm going with a hard nope for both.
Drilling the head out then removing the rest of the exposed screw with pliers is the only real option. If it's rusted in then good luck is all I can say, hope you have a steady hand and a set of taps.
Drilling the head out then removing the rest of the exposed screw with pliers is the only real option.
Mole Grips would be better than pliers if you can get them in there..
If you can't get a drill in as per the process for the easy out things, can they still work? I have an awkward one rounded off in a bottle mount and can't get a drill in
Mole Grips would be better than pliers if you can get them in there..
If you look at the picture, the bolt is holding the plastic cover on. If you drill the head off the bolt, you can remove the cover and the shaft of the bolt will be sticking out from the top of the fork crown. Then you can get at it with pliers or Mole Grips, or whatever. Probably, once the tension is released from the bolt, it'll unscrew by hand.
The reverse drill recommended above gets my vote. Better than even chance you get nowhere near removing the head of the screw and it'll start undoing as the heat/friction from drilling loosens it and starts it unwinding.
If it doesn't, the head of the screw will pop off then remove the cover and pliers/whatever you have to hand to get the now-exposed remains of the screw out.
I've done this once on a similar sized bolt which had failed the torx bit trick. I cleaned the hole with a cotton bud and acetone, and did the same with one of the small socket set sized hex bits that was the closest size. Filled the hole with superglue, put the bit in it. Held if vertical and pushed firmly in for a few minutes. Then left for the glue to set for a few hours. Gently removed - was surprised it worked, no idea if I just got lucky, I suspect it wasn't that tight.
If you can’t get a drill in as per the process for the easy out things, can they still work? I have an awkward one rounded off in a bottle mount and can’t get a drill in
No, they've got a taper on them so they get tighter and grip better as they wind in, you need a fairly deep hole for them to work.
^^^
What he said.
For small bolts gluing in an old allen key or bit works pretty well. You don't need a massive amount of torque to get them out you just need grip on the rounded bolt head, Superglue or Araldite will do the job.
Thank you all.
Quick update, got the bolt out. Amazing what a brand new day and a fresh cup of coffee can do to help.
Went down armed with everything from the suggestions above, makita impact driver, drill, superglue, every box of bits I could find, my trusty old flathead that I use for everything bodgy, hammer, 2x mole grips, taps, drills etc.
I also bought some of those screwfix easy outs someone recommended above. Just in case.
Tried uploads of bits in the now mullered hole and found one that wasn’t quite a good fit and hammered it like a bastard until it finally went in and stuck. Molegrips attached and twist slowly. Result, bugger came out, obviously bolts ****ed now.
Underneath it’s all rusted and nothing is moving, so looks like a new suntour lockout cartridge, bugger.
Buy cheap, pay twice.
I've changed mind, the only way is to nuke the f&&&&r from space!
Reverse, reverse! I've spoken too soon 😱
Someone recommended welding a nut onto it up there!
What do you mean not everyone has a tig set in their garage?
Spark eroder anyone?
Easy out drill bit has worked for me on stem bolts. Apply pressure and it will bite into the head and unscrew at the same time. Used it a few times. It’s never let me down.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/screw-bolt-extractor-set-2-pieces/2951v
I’ve snapped some of those smaller bolt extractors in trying stem bolts. But the easy out has always worked where it can get access. Titanium bolts in a carbon stem are the work of the devil.
makita impact driver,
I meant this type of impact driver 🙂 I've used this method several times on motorbike master cylinder cover screws where a Phillips screwdriver has been incorrectly used on a JIS head - they're tiny little screws, but it takes one hit with an impact driver and it comes out.
Done the drill bit trick, but it was a tiny thread M1.6 i think, aluminium bolt into aluminium housing (don't ask, not my design!)
Had access to both sides so i ran a tiny bit in from the back, only drill i've got that will sensibly hold a bit that small is a dremel, wrapped the flute of the drill in tape so i wouldn't damage the thread.
One blip of the go button on the dremel, the bit cut into the end of the shaft of the screw, freed it from the housing and proceeded to unscrew it fast enough that i never found it. Just heard a ping and a metallic clatter. Gone for ever.
Apparently the slowest speed on that dremel is about 5000 rpm...