[psuambassador]

I'm trying to replace the road handle bar on my bike. The problem is it is a quill stem and the stem has only one bolt. There doesn't seem to be enough room to get the bars out unless I bend the whole thing back. There's got to be an easier way. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

 

[wim]

- Disconnect the brake cables.
- Take out the handlebar binder bolt completely.
- Start feeding the bar through the stem. As soon as you feel resistance, back off.
- Rotate the handlebar slightly, then try to feed it through again.
- If a no-go, back off and rotate the bar in the opposite direction.
- If this fails, wedge the stem eye open a tiny bit with a large srewdriver as a last resort.

I've had to rotate some bars through a full turn or more to get them out of a recalcitrant stem.

 

[ultimobici]

I'm trying to replace the road handle bar on my bike. The problem is it is a quill stem and the stem has only one bolt. There doesn't seem to be enough room to get the bars out unless I bend the whole thing back. There's got to be an easier way. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

What stem is it?

If it's one that the clamp thread is accessable from the back, then take the bolt out and thread it through from the back with a coin in the gap. As you tighten it it will spread the clamp enough to remove the bars without too much stress.