Cleat problem - I seem to have stripped the allen key hole!

Pretre
Pretre Posts: 355
edited May 2008 in Workshop
Not sure if the title quite explains it - seems that when I fixed my Look Keo cleats to the shoes I tightened it too hard & now one of the 3 screws won't come out as the place allen/hex key goes in has stripped & is now round instead of hexaganol. :(
Any ideas how I can get the screw out? There isn't a lot of room to grab the head of the screw with anything like pliers.

Comments

  • over-the-hill
    over-the-hill Posts: 144
    Not sure if I can help but I've done the same on an SPD cleat if that's any consolation. One thought was to get an allen key very slightly bigger and file/sand it down until you can jam it in the hole.
  • aracer
    aracer Posts: 1,649
    A couple of options depending on what the screw is like and how much space you have.

    1) use a dremel to cut a slot in the head of the screw and use a screwdriver.
    2) drill the head of the screw off (thread is M5 IIRC, so a 5mm drill would be ideal). Once you've done this and removed the cleat there should be plenty of bolt to grab with pliers and unscrewing should be easy now there is no tension on it - this even works with screws that have corroded in place IME, so you should have no problem.
  • thexvw
    thexvw Posts: 135
    Couple more options :-

    1. Use a spline or Torx bit, (similar to allen key except with many more points). Find the one slightly bigger and hammer it in. I have used this a few times in the past and it usually works).

    2. If that fails, last resort would be to drill it out. Use a bit slightly smaller than the threaded part and drill down the middle of the screw. (The screw normally then collapses and comes out).

    3. Use a screw or stud extractor bit, if you have them, sometimes using a normal drillbit with the drill in reverse works as well.

    Good luck
  • frontmech
    frontmech Posts: 4
    Use a drill. Something around 5mm will do it. Give it some oil to keep it cool. Ideally you would use soluble oil but otherwise some thin chain oil.

    Clamp the shoe securely. I have used a bit of wood in a vice as a last; this is not super-secure but good enough for this task. Another version is a long bit of 2*1 threaded up in the shoe; then get someone else to stand on the wood to hold it down. Check your Health and Safety.

    You can go more macho and use a grinder but the heat may/will melt the sole of the shoe.
  • i had the same problem a couple of weeks ago and not having a vice or anything to clamp the shoe into so i could use a drill (no way was i going to try and hold it in my hand) this is what i did:

    remove the two other screws then lift the cleat away from the sole of the shoe and then turn it (anticlockwise). I found that there was sufficient grip between the cleat and the underside of the head of the screw that as i turned the cleat the screw turnmed with it and hey presto the screw came undone :)

    bit heath robinson but i hope this helps
    pm
  • cyclingfury
    cyclingfury Posts: 676
    Thumbs up for Portuguese Mike's solution. That's exactly how I overcame the same problem last year.
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