stuck handlebars - elgin

[girlybike]

hi, i got this 1939-1940ish Elgin bike yesterday and i am trying to take off the handlebars or at least raise them for now, they hit my knees when i turn! and they look pretty crusty so i want to clean them up or put something else on.

i looked through the "how to" manual on here and didn't find anything. I googled and read about taking off the wheel & fender then going at it from the back. something about knocking out a wedge but i don't know if this applies to this type of bike.

the nut loosened up no prob but the handlebars wouldn't budge at all. Any ideas??

oh, here's my bike - http://www.flickr.com/photos/85466700@N00/sets/72157625023375530/
thanks!!

 

[udallcustombikes]

Put the bolt back in and thread it down so there is about 1/4"-3/8" gap between the bolt head and the stem. Then get a hammer and give it a coulpe firm whacks. That should drive the wedge from the stem and give you what you need.
This should give you an idea of what you are up against.

 

[deorman]

Loosen the stem bolt that goes into the fork so that just about 3/16"-1/4" of the shaft can be seen, shoot some penetrating oil (PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, or similar) in around the stem where it enters the fork, leave it alone for a while. Later, shoot in a little more, then whack the bolt head downward with a hammer. They can be pretty stubborn sometimes, it may take a few repeated efforts over a couple of days. There are other ways, but in my experience this is the best way to avoid damaging the steering head tube.

 

[girlybike]

thanks, i'll give that a try tomorrow!

 

[jerrykr]

loosen that front bolt that clamps the handle bars to the stem, the handlebars should rotate up or down without moving the stem itself. that will most likely give you the knee clearance that you need.

get yourself a hammer like this that you can beat on things and the hammer will take the abuse, not the bike part or the wrenches.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-lb-neon- ... 41796.html

A brass hammer is even better if you can afford it

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-lb-brass ... 42000.html

The idea is that the hammer is softer than what you are beating on, it dents rather than the part being hit.

Many rusted and stuck threaded fasteners can be unstuck by a rather small application of brute force to get them moving. You would rather not damage the part or the fastener in the process.

An impact wrench does basically the same thing.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-i ... 45252.html

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