allen key and front derailleur hanger

Sprool
Sprool Posts: 1,022
edited April 2014 in Workshop
I found the front derailleur hanger on my 2-month old Canyon Carbon bike was quite loose, whilst tightening it up with a ball-ended 2.5mm hex key the ball end snapped off and its lodged in the socket of the fixing bolt. I tried drilling it out with a tiny dremel bit but its not even biting into the surface.
Any tips or tricks how to dislodge it?

Comments

  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    Is the bit of hex key proud of the bolt head- i.e., could you get a hammer and punch on it from the side? Otherwise, is the bolt head itself proud enough that you could file flats on it and turn it with a mole wrench/pliers/etc? I guess it isn't too tight if you already turned it a bit.
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    no, it's snapped off flush with the bolt, nothing available to punch, file or grip :(
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,928
    I guess the bolt is bitten in clockwise so you want to try anti clockwise to loosen it. Or is there the option to drill in from the back?

    other than that, hot/cold to make the allen key expand/contract relative to the bolt? Without melting the bike obviously.
  • jimothy78
    jimothy78 Posts: 1,407
    File flats onto the bolt itself to extract it , and just replace the bolt.
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    its a good principal but the bolt is so flush with the down tube it would be impossible to do without icing grooves into the carbon, the bolt itself is only 1-2mm deep.
  • Matthewfalle
    Matthewfalle Posts: 17,380
    Do you have enough bolt/allen head on show to Dremel several cuts into the side - you can then gently prise these open enough for it to fall apart.

    Then just replace bolt and allen.

    Alternatively, if its now tight enough to hold in place and doesn't need touching just leave?
    Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am

    De Sisti wrote:
    This is one of the silliest threads I've come across. :lol:

    Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honour :D
    smithy21 wrote:

    He's right you know.
  • Sprool
    Sprool Posts: 1,022
    Matthewfalle wrote:
    Alternatively, if its now tight enough to hold in place and doesn't need touching just leave?
    It bugs me but I'm favouring this ^ until I'm forced to do something, I think it's beyond my ability to drill out the ball-end with the available tools in my garage.
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    Alternative is to cut the bolt, with a Dremel or similar, between the two halves of the clamp. You might want to use only light pressure and perhaps stick a small screwdriver or something between the bolt and the frame.

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