raising stem and loose allen bolt

cheddar
cheddar Posts: 2
edited August 2010 in The workshop
Hi Everyone,

I bought a second hand bike for local commuting and was trying to raise the stem a little when I encountered a problem. For some reason, I am not able to tighten the allen-bolt back. I had only raised it by about less than 3/4 of an inch and even when I put the stem back to its original position, the bolt cannot be tighten. Can anyone provide some help. Thanks!

Comments

  • crankycrank
    crankycrank Posts: 1,830
    I'm assuming you have a quill stem as opposed to a threadless stem. The allen bolt screws into an internal wedge that that either expands the stem or if it has a wedge shape "wedges" against the fork tube. So, you have to pull up on the allen bolt to get the wedge to grip the inside of the stem so that it doesn't just spin with the bolt as you're trying to tighten it. If you can pull your allen bolt all the way out then you have completely unscrewed it from the wedge and will have to pull the stem out and retrieve the wedge from inside the steerer tube.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    or you have an Aheadset type fitting where you can not do what you are trying.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown

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