How Not To Remove Frozen/Seized Quill Stem From Bike Fork 

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Lol the surgery was a success but you killed the patient

Bravo on the cut-away; I really like it. I think I'll build one for my own classes.

RJ as always has the amazing solution to almost bike-related headaches, already subscribed

Great video, loved the fact that you cut the thing in half and showed how it looked like from the inside.

You are for sure one of my favorite bike mechanics

This stem removal instruction video was very helpful. Thank you!

Very clear explanation of a tricky problem, thanks!

I have a hearing problem, so I watched your video without sound. No captions were available. Either way, this is a good … a VERY good video for this problem. Thank you for the cut away on the fork. This was a lot of work and it makes it very clear for the audience. I Ebay bought a ‘56 Schwinn Corvette that must have had someone who took it apart for shipping with a large hammer and steel tube, even taking out the bottom race. You de man. And so quiet, too! 🌴Love from theUS Virgin Islands Schwinn Chicago vintage collection.

Perfect demonstration. Thank you.

Glad i watched this first. This was going to be my next coarse of action.

Great demonstration RJ!

RJ - Thanks again for the help. On mine, the wedge and post were both seized. I was able to get the post loosened up with a soak of PB Blaster for a couple hours. But, the wedge was still frozen. I had a little upward movement and side to side on the post. I turned the bike upside down, soaked the wedge with PB Blaster and then gently tapped it out with a long screwdriver and hammer (Very gently). I knew I had some play as the post was moving up and down. It came out fairly easy. I remain undefeated at 1-0.

Huh, sometimes YT algo works I guess. Yesterday I saw your videos on frozen stem. I was thinking of using this method today. I didn't start on it yet. And suddenly this video pops out :) Thanks.

very well explained, thanks!

Awesome channel, thank you so much for putting the time into these :)

Nice demonstration!

Really helpful & straight forward videos, nice work bro

Thank you! It's useful

Thanks.I always want to know how Quill Stem works...this video makes me understand

Great presentation and explanation

Thank you for the very useful info.

Good Point!

not the situation I have, but the info that the headtube is tapered was new info to me and explains why the quill end is lodged after being tapped as everyone instructs to do .. I didn’t realise it was bonded as it apparently is, so will be trying the ‘bottom up’ method to see if it loosens .. good video btw thx

Thanks for illustrating why you don't do this! Lots of backyard/shade tree mechanic ideas out there that usually make things worse, not better. Do bike shops no longer care or know-how to deal with issues like these?

Do a How to, repaint an old frame ..

Hammer tap worked perfectly! I cannot believe I was struggling for much too long before viewing this!

Tapping down works great thank you!!

Thanks for your help. Great video

Well done Bud !

pretty useful. regards from Argentina

Brilliant. Just stopped me wrecking a frame.. Thank you.

Another great video!!!

More disections like this pls, its pretty interesting

Great video👌🏻

As always your videos are super sir👍

Lever through the bar clamp and apply rotational force. Worked on one for me. *Edit* with a piece of wood through the arms of the fork to isolate the rotation to only the stem or vice versa.

Really helpful 🥰

Thanks.

Nice nice very very useful thank you so much. My confusen sold.🙏

When removing the stem I had to use a thin pipe to take it out. In the first place I should left the bolt in the handlebars to turn it around. When I took out the bolt,I couldn't put the bolt back in,so I had take the route that you suggested. Anyway the handlebars is back in its right position.

Good info. I HAVE used the bar from the bottom to remove a stuck wedge, when the stem has come out.

First!

Brilliant .......

GENIUS!!!!

Thank youuu so much it’s been 20 years since I’ve had a bike ang just bought a 1985 gt that had the stem stuck and wouldn’t come out . Did like you said tap it in and came out like nothing . Thank you

El primer comentario en español, saludos desde México +RJ The Bike Guy

Great video. Thank you. What about cutting the stem off and trying to knock it off from the top of you are not to bothered about the stem?

Genius 👍

This video is exactly what I needed! Thank you so much! My stem is now free

Thanks for these videos it helps on, especially in not what to do… 🙈, found a useful way of get the stuck stem loose. I used the stem bolt and inserted it from the bottom of the fork and created my own little puller that helped free the wedge that was seized into the bottom of the stem 😊

thanks for the tips, just got mine out by using oil, hammer and all that, letting it sit over night, then I resorted to flipping it over, standing on the handle bars, and wiggling the fork until it could spin freely. The quil itself was frozen even though the wedge was free! Then I had to dig the wedge out cause it had fallen completely off

God bless you for likely saving me from destroying my bike!

Hi RJ, appreciate the explanation! Could you link in the description the other videos you mentioned on how to remove the stem a better way? Thanks.

Really useful video, I think this has helped me understand why my handlebars are crooked and can't be fixed -- I think the wedge has seized into the frame. The stem itself came out easily. I'm soaking it with some multi use spray at the moment (don't have any penetrating oil). Next I'll turning it upside down and hitting it to make the wedge come out the top... If that doesn't work I'll try soaking it in vinegar...

Good vid! +++

I had to cut steer tube once because the stem would not go. I lost the stem and the fork. Salvaged the Medici frame though.

I agree do a painting video. What spray paint should we use...rustoleum? Primer?

I just watched a GCN video about servicing bearings and noticed they now have a Park Tool grease dispenser similar to yours. Trendsetter.

I use PB Blaster. Apply liberally, let it soak two days, apply again, then strike the underside of the stem with a dead blow hammer (a hammer encased in rubber with loose shot inside the head) while placing my weight on the front forks.

Thx for the explanation, great to know but how to get it out then? 🤔

Great explanation. Thank you. I did not mean to push it out. Because even if there is no wedge, flat bottom. Pushing will or hammer from between the fork will actually make end of soft alum even "enlarger" the flat end. Cause it even harder to get stem out. Similar to push cylinder back in bicycle chain that little widen piece end. Cause cylinder to stay in place. I remember you had video using sling hammer borrow from AutoZone. Using pulling force to pull out stuck seat post. That is great idea. However the only thing I don't like about sling hammer is metal surface on alum soft metal surface cause damage to alum stem. I think metal as piece of clay or rubber band. When push on a cylinder, it flatten, make it fatter. When pull clay cylinder to make cup handle it make cylinder slim. Same principle apply to metal rod in miniscule way. But will help. Sling hammer is only few lbs force. I did lots research in this topic while out of work. How to use off shelf tool to removed seize seat post or stem. But I made a improved version of your sling hammer method. The biggest challenge I have with pulling force. It required enough material to give a good grip. Like the chain. The chain is as strong as the weakest link it can provide.

I was trying to get a stem out of a vintage bike after soaking in vinegar and releasing the quill. I made a jig which resulted shearing the steerer tube right below where corroded stem is located. The thing basically exploded. The AL stem stayed stuck in the other half of the steerer tube. Guess I’ll do a threadless fork conversion.

So I have question about quill stem safety. I believe I heard from you somewhere, that quill stem bolts can break unexpectedly. Would a genuine titanium bolt make a quill stem a little bit safer / stronger?

Any more card trick vids on the other channel?

Instead of coming up from the bottom opening, take that same rod you have and shape the end to fit in the inside bend of the stem. While keeping it as parallel as reasonably possible, nail it with a 3 lb hammer as hard as you can. The stem will get marked up, but those quill stems are available from an assortment of suppliers.

The 'operation is a success but you killing the patient'.. So useful..

Rj do a bike check video

3:19 haha nice one RJ

What is the best method

Thanks, dad

The pavement 😆😆

You need the patience of a saint for this. On a previous video, I gotta admit, my mind was wondering as I found myself fantasizing about throwing the bike off a 6 story building (without wheels of course) just to see if the quill would eject upon impact. That thought left my head just as fast as it entered knowing that there’s a high probability that I would be staring at a mangled frame with the quill still in place mocking me from six stories below. Enter fantasy # 2- strap the bike on a wide oak tree and shoot the top of the quill with a shotgun using #00 double-aught large game shells. Again, a poor idea, but it’s getting more fun isn’t it? Yeah this one is all about admitting defeat but scoring some gratification. Still….another bad idea. I’m currently facing this dilemma. I think I’ll try some leverage. I’m going to put the fork on a bench vice (protected with soft wood of course). Once the fork is secured, I’ll use a 3 foot metal pry bar and place it in the drops (handle bars) in such a way where I can put tremendous torque in either direction. I believe this will work, and will work quickly. I’ll post the results whether good or bad, but I’ll refrain from letting my mind wander to gratifying fantasies that won’t do squat for removing the stem.

RJ I bought a front caliper that nutted instead of recessed. I looked at the bolt and noticed that I could probably take apart the caliper and replacing it with another m6 bolt that is shorter. I was going to buy one at home depot. have you ever did that to a road caliper brake?

Thank god I saw this vid as it was going to be my next option an a 3 month battle I’ve been having.

niceeee

If you can get the stem out but the wedge is stuck, use the original bolt and a DIY spacer of sorts (washer stack, sockets, etc) to pull the wedge out. Not all steerer tubes have open bottoms, especially likely in hand-made and exotic bikes of yesteryear.

Hello! I have a question related to this issue. There is a wedge stuck in my butted 531 fork, and it might be originally pushed too far into the butted section. Anyways, the stem is out, but the wedge remains. Is it in this case, okay to hammer out from the bottom? Since if its indeed already in the thicker section of the steerer. Thanks.

If the stem is not rare or valuable, just smack it sideways with a rubber mallot to rotate it in the forks. (First spray penetrating oil such as Kroil into the forks and let it soak overnight.) The stem should come out no problem.

Put the set bolt, through a large washer, thread it back into the wedge from the bottom of the fork, then tighten the set bolt to pull the wedge away from the stem, to relieve the pressure caused by the stem and wedge together. Then if stem is still stuck try your other methods to free the corrosion of the un wedged stem.

3:19 had a little refresher on this recently. XD

Alright RJ...

Well explained, "operation success but patient is dead" lmao

I always thought it was balance...but pavement makes sense too!

I use a burner to heat the fork tube, this way the heat causes the fork tube to expand slightly and the freeze breaks.

That's a Great explanation. Thank you for sharing 👍

I have a question. I am new to cycling and bought an older centurion Super Le Mans and was wondering on the bottom bracket.. I'm slowly replacing things with better quality components! Question is how to tell what bottom bracket I can switch to and tell what I have in it?

3:20 That pavement's harder than a '90s gangsta' rapper! 💯😎😜

I have a gmc denali with a rusted out recessed release allen head. I’m afraid I’ll strip it.

How to remove the actual stem bolt if it’s stuck in there ?

Just got a brand new Mt bike and expansion nut is loose after tightening it. The handle bars will move left n right after tightening the Allen bolt. My friend and I tried one off my other bike and tried different things. Can you help and tell me how to tighten my handle bars so they stay straight and tight please?

i'm sorry i'm beginner, in this video what hole size in your fork? and what adaptor/quill size you use too? thank you i want restoration my old bike and the bike adaptor is missing, mine the size hole of fork is 22,2mm so if i choose adaptor 22,2mm is safe right?

What you need is proper LEVERAGE, I put a crowbar in the fork to block it against the frame and turn the handlebar back & forth. Works every time even with aluminum corrosion. Holding the wheel between your legs is insufficient leverage and you risk bending it.

Had frozen stem before,did everything I saw in the Internet,nothing worked..what I did is loosen the wedge, and used the bike daily,not on high speeds of course..then one day it loosened.. 😁

if my handlebar doesn't go further down after I successfully loosened it does it mean it has reached its bottom? my handlebar looks as if it could go down further but it doesn't.

So in the situation that the wedge can come out the bottom, do you think cutting the same angle in the tubing and hammering that would still damage the steerer?

Now that fork is the perfect loaner fork

Was that fork already bent, or did you ruin a good fork? Awesome video btw!

Can you do a video about how to turn a Walmart bike into a 1950's full Campagnolo Italian bike worth thousands? Thank you.

I pulled out the stem but wedge is stuck what should i do?