Bicycle Mechanics - Stem installation woes

Does anybody know of any tricks to slightly (and temporarily) loosen up a stem clamp?

I'm trying to size up my steerer tube, and while installing the stem, I realized that it seems to be removing slightly the coating on the CF steerer tube. Luckily, I stopped right away, so the affected area is way above the potential cut.

(Yes, the stem *IS* intended to fit a 1 1/8" steerer tube, so that's not the issue.)

Reverse the clamp bolts so they enter the threaded side first. Place a small washer, penny or similar in the gap to blank off the holes on the far side and tighten the bolts against them. That will open the gap enough to slide the stem over the steerer tube with no problems.

If you have access to the back side of the clamp (by that I mean you can thread a bolt in backwards) you can install the bolt(s) from the backside and put something thin in the slot (a dime is usually enough) and use the bolts to expand the clamp just a TINY bit. It's probably best to do any expansion as part of installation so you don't go too far. JUST ENOUGH to let it move gently.

Good luck

Mel

Awesome, I heard about the nickel method but I wasn't sure exactly how it worked.

Thanks to all!

Gotta love simple tricks like this.... it worked like a charm.