Allen bolt heads worn

BGT

Bottle cage bolt heads are worn. Any tips on how to get the bolts off? Thanks

seamus

If you google it, there are a few tips you can try. One is to take one key that's half a mm smaller, and a 1mm allen key and put them in the slot together. That can sometimes let you turn it.

You can also file down the side of the bolt into flat edges that will let you put a spanner on it and turn it.

Just make sure you bin the bolt when it's out.

dobsdave

Use correct allen key, with thin material over the head, ie piece of latex glove.
or flathead screwdriver hammered in between 'corners'

Wishbone Ash

Did you try pliers/vise grips to grab the outside of the bolts? (You may have to cut away the cages first).

iwillhtfu

You probably won't grab them with a pliers but if you use a snips/side cutters it'll grab it with one side in the Allen key hole and the other on the outer edge.

Fireball XL5

Use a hacksaw to cut a straight line across the top. Then you can use a normal screwdriver to unscrew.

JBokeh

Whack a torx key into it, or if you've a chisel you could put it at the edge of the head and smack it around with a hammer

Stephenc66

+1 for the torx key

Eamonnator

JBokeh wrote: »

Whack a torx key into it, or if you've a chisel you could put it at the edge of the head and smack it around with a hammer

Back in the the day there was a MTB mechanic, of whom it was said, that he could do any job on a bike with two tools: a hammer and a big hammer.
In this case, I'd be inclined to use the smallest available weapon.

BGT

Thanks, really appreciate all the tips. Tried screwdriver down the side and latex to no avail. Think the hacksaw cut for screwdriver might do the trick, tomorrow's project! Interesting to see if the guy my father described as not having hands to wipe.... Can sort this. Mention of hammers etc reminds me I should have mentioned carbon frame and cage😱 Thanks again

Wishbone Ash

BGT wrote: »

.. should have mentioned carbon frame and cage😱 Thanks again

If you are not replacing the cages, why not leave them as they are? (Just wondering!)

BGT

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

If you are not replacing the cages, why not leave them as they are? (Just wondering!)

Trying to get pump holder off for the new machine 😜

iwillhtfu

BGT wrote: »

I should have mentioned carbon frame and cage😱 Thanks again

I wouldn't put a hack saw blade anywhere near a carbon frame tbh. Knife through butter springs to mind.

If you have an old set of flat bladed bits try get one slightly larger than the hole and tap it in you might be lucky or as abover a slightly larger torx head.

dev100

Leave the hammers in the tool box . Farmers and mechanics tool use either a long nose vice grip or small standard vice grip all u need to do is lock on to the head and turn . These bolts won't be excessively tight . You could drill the bolt heads off but get someone who is mechanically minded to do that for you .

Wishbone Ash

dev100 wrote: »

.. use either a long nose vice grip or small standard vice grip all u need to do is lock on to the head and turn..

The carbon cages are in situ and he wishes to retain them so there may not be enough exposed bolt to grip on (depending on the design of the cages).

dev100

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The carbon cages are in situ and he wishes to retain them so there may not be enough exposed bolt to grip on (depending on the design of the cages).

A pic would be nice but a small long nose vice grip should do the trick if there's enough room for a bottle there should be enough room for a bit of fettling.

pot p

Drill small hole in centre of bolt, get an "easy out" and remove the bolt. There are 2 types of easy out, 1 type hammers in, which I probably wudnt use if the bike is carbon, the other treads into the hole in an anti clockwise direction removing bolt.

dev100

pot p wrote:

Drill small hole in centre of bolt, get an "easy out" and remove the bolt. There are 2 types of easy out, 1 type hammers in, which I probably wudnt use if the bike is carbon, the other treads into the hole in an anti clockwise direction removing bolt.

Depending on the bolt type they generally made from stainless and correct me if I'm wrong but usually those screws are m5 /m6 . Stainless isn't nice to deal with plus it's a small size anyway so unless the poster is good at drilling on centre stay away fron that l. An easier solution just the drill the heads off once you have popped the heads off. Once the heads are off He can do anything he wants them . The the thread left over can be unscrewed by hand as they no longer will be tight.

Although if he can get in with a drill he ll as easy get in with a small vicegrip

NiallBoo

I've used the hacksaw method before and it works well.
You'll probably need to use the back of the hacksaw blade in the slot to turn the bolt because the slot will be too small for a screwdriver.

A plumbers wrench will work better than a vice-grips if you're going down that route.