Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Q&A: Removing an old 10-speed's fork

Q: Hi Jim,
I'm at a bit of a stand still on a bike I'm working on, an old Fuji Gran Tourer. I'm trying to remove the fork from the frame. My goal is to powdercoat the bike, and turn it into a commuter bike. I've done the obvious (or at least I think I have) for removing the fork.
- I removed long threaded bolt that keep the stem connected to the fork.
- I took off the nuts just above the upper bearings, and it looks like I
didn't need to.
- I've tapped on the fork with a hammer (with increasing force as its given
me more frustration)
- I tried coming up from the bottom of the fork with a thin pipe, tapping the wedge from there
No luck yet. It's as if the stem feels welded to the fork. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kyle

A: Hi Kyle,
I think your problem is that you removed the stem bolt. Put the stem bolt back in the stem and thread it into the wedge that's still stuck in the bottom of the stem and holding the stem tight in the fork. Don't tighten the stem bolt. Just put it in and screw it into the wedge a few turns. Now take a block of wood and rest it on top of the stem bolt and then hit the block of wood with a hammer. This will knock the wedge out of the bottom of the stem and once that happens the stem will break free from the fork and you'll be able to take the fork out of the frame. Note that you never need to completely remove a stem bolt, unless it's damaged and needs replacement.

Hope this helps,
Jim

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