Bicycle Mechanics - Stripped T25 Torx rotor bolts

So I get my new wheelset yesterday and attempt to transfer the rotors from the old wheelset to the new one, sounds easy enough, right?

The original wheels are OEM and the bolts are on tight. I was using a Topeak Hexus (yeah, I know, stupid move) and ended up stripping the heads of a couple of the bolts.

So here's the question, is it likely that the LBS can fix my personal fubar? Or will I have to buy new rotors? I had wanted to salvage the hubs & spokes.

So here's the question, is it likely that the LBS can fix my personal fubar? Or will I have to buy new rotors?

Oh yeah, but man...is that gonna cost ya. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


Kidding.

It depends on just how seized and stripped they are. I'd start with the sharpest and tightest-fitting T-25 you can find, plus a little penetrating oil. If there's no purchase, next I'd take a moto tool and cut a slot in the head for a large screwdriver. Still no joy? You can grind or drill the heads completely off and remove the rotor. If done carefully the rotor will still be usable, and vice grips might be able to grab what is left of the threads to salvage the hub. If not, I'd go to an easy-out type extractor, drilling a hole in the center of the bolts.

If they charge you hourly shop labor for all that...yeah, it could get expensive.

It would depend a lot on how competent the mechanics are your LBS are. As you have probably learned by now, the cost of not having the correct tool is often much greater than repairing the damage caused by being impatient and using the wrong one. But a lesson learned the hard way is the one that is easiest to remember.

If you want to fix it yourself, you'll need a couple of tools. the first one you'll need is an electric drill or Dremel tool, and a small drill bit. The next tool you'll need is a screw extractor (sometimes called an "easy-out"). You can find either of these tools at Home Depot or major auto parts stores. If you already have an electric drill, you can probably get the drill bit and screw extractor for much less than what your LBS will charge you for the job.

If you decide to do the repair on your own, use the width of the threads as a guide as to what size drill/screw extractor you need. The diameter of the drill should be small enough that you could drill through the center of the screw. There should be easy-to-follow instructions on the screw extractor package.

Put some penetrating oil on the heads then go out to your hardware store and go buy a new T25. Don't get those cheap ones, get a quality one.

After you return try that, if it doesn't work, try slotting the head like stated above to try to use a large screwdriver. If that doesn't work, grind off the head. Once the head is off, It should be easy to get the remaining screw out since there no longer is tension on the threads.

I have had success with forcing a T-27 bit into stripped rotor bolt heads. Failing that, I think slotting is your best bet. It's pretty difficult to accurately drill out a steel M5 bolt in preparation for extractor use, let alone 6 of them; the bit required is very small in diameter and you may run through 2 or more, and the torque associated with rotor bolts (especially overtightened ones) might shear the flats off the extractor. Good luck.

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/3867/picture4r.jpg

Thanks, I actually printed the responses to this thread so I can figure out how I want to proceed. I'll start w/ the T27 and go from there. I have a drill but the posts suggesting running through multiple bits hurts my wallet. Haven't decided if this is personal. My rig is hanging there without its wheels looking forlorn.

Edit: This is why BF is cool, Zinn & Park aren't going to help you here. Maybe in the next edition Zinn can have boxes that start something like "So, you've effed it up, now what?"

You remind me of the expression:

The difference between an amateur and a professional is that the pro covers up his mistakes better. We all make them.

I'd go for the screw extractor. On shoe cleats, I've used the drill the heads off with success. Just buy multiple drill bits before beginning.

I would use a cutoff wheel to grind a slot in the face of the stripped bolt then use an impact screwdriver to remove the bolt.

Oh yeah, but man...is that gonna cost ya. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


Kidding.

It depends on just how seized and stripped they are. I'd start with the sharpest and tightest-fitting T-25 you can find, plus a little penetrating oil. If there's no purchase, next I'd take a moto tool and cut a slot in the head for a large screwdriver. Still no joy? You can grind or drill the heads completely off and remove the rotor. If done carefully the rotor will still be usable, and vice grips might be able to grab what is left of the threads to salvage the hub. If not, I'd go to an easy-out type extractor, drilling a hole in the center of the bolts.

If they charge you hourly shop labor for all that...yeah, it could get expensive.

I just had this problem. I ended up hammering a T30 into the head (do this with the an inflated tire mounted so you don't tweak the wheel). That did the job.

I've only had one Torx bolt strip on me. I think I managed to do this by being too aggressive with a the cordless drill. I have however had a problem torquing the heads off the bolts. Which I then removed with a pair of needle nose pliers.

That reminds me, I need to buy some fresh T25 bits.

I called Topeak about how their tool performed and the rep said that maybe the bolts had Loctite on them. That sound legit to you guys, on OEM Formula hubs?

Sounds like a reasonable assertion, perhaps quite a bit of loctite. The tool should have been able to remove them despite this. The bigger contributor to your problem is probably overtorque. Correct me if i'm wrong, but appropriate rotor bolt torque is 55 in-lbs, not much more than a stem. The rotors were probably installed in Taiwan with a cordless drill, which often results in issues like those BearSquirrel describes. If you're shearing the heads off the bolts, you're using like twice the necessary torque. Take it easy! Topeak's tool should have held up, but in a situation like this I'd be absolutely shocked if a tool company admitted fault.

I called Topeak about how their tool performed and the rep said that maybe the bolts had Loctite on them. That sound legit to you guys, on OEM Formula hubs?

I've never had pre-installed rotors on a wheel, but imagine whoever installed them could have overtorqued them (or used the wrong type of Loctite, but they should have used a threadlocker). Did the tool deform? Or do you think it's not actually a T25 size?

I've never had pre-installed rotors on a wheel, but imagine whoever installed them could have overtorqued them (or used the wrong type of Loctite, but they should have used a threadlocker). Did the tool deform? Or do you think it's not actually a T25 size?

Bit on the Topeak Hexus is T25, the bit's splines deformed where it contacted the bolt head. Allegedly, Topeak is sending me out a new bit.

Okay, so the T25 Torx came yesterday, I was able to get all of the bolts off, I had to work, though, and they came loose with that pinging sound you get, and yeah...looks like the OEM did put a drop of blue Loctite on there (hooray for the lesson of doing the work with the proper tool & not acting like a teenager on a first date) except one. The one I had really wrenched on and had pretty much stripped the head on...no go for trying allen wrenches. So I went to the LBS (*insert plug here Iron City Bikes (http://www.ironcitybikes.com/)) 15 minutes before they closed. Not only did they say they would do it (I would've been cool if they just made up a ticket) but the owner (who was in the middle of working what could've been a decent sale) did it himself in the event that the rotor got hosed. He used an angle grinder to get it off and it cost me US$4 for 6 rotor bolts & they almost didn't charge me for the labor, when I insisted, he charged me US$3.

I mounted the rotors & tires on the wheelset and it's on my rig...I should be good to go for this weekend once I sort out a bit of rotor rub in the front.

Life is good.