Trblmakr1536

I need advice on a situation I am having with an old Bianchi road bike I received from a friend's relative. The bike itself is in fairly good condition. I'm doing a complete overhaul seeing as most of the parts are rusted, weathered, or in a condition that is unfit to ride. I've made great progress stripping the bike all the way to its frame until I hit a snag. I was trying to remove the "stem", I believe that's what's it's called, you know, the part that connects the handle bars to the "fork", and on my bike it's all held together with a long "hex" screw. Well, it seems that it's either really tight or just really rusted because I can't get it to move an inch. I've looked up various solutions, but none have worked for me. I'm getting so frustrated because this is the only thing keeping me from proceeding with fixing this bike up. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Dan The Man

Did you get the hex screw out? There might be two other screws to the side of it that are clamping the head tube. If you are having trouble with the hex tube, try soaking it in a penetrating oil using an old rag over night.

Trblmakr1536

No, unfortunately I haven't gotten the screw out yet. I looked to see if there were other screws holding the hex screw in place, but there was none. I'll try the penetrating lubricant, although I'm not geting my hopes up about it only because I've used about half a can of WD-40 on it. Thanks for your help though. I'll keep trying.

Rex G

Welcome to Bikeforums! Please do note that there is a "Bicycle Mechanics" forum right here on Bikeforums; if you have not already seen it, you may want to ask there. It is quite possible that the people best able to answer that question may concentrate on that part if Bikeforums. Some forums don't like multiple posts on the same subject posted in more than one place, but around here, it is OK, especially for new members. Good luck on your problem-solving!

sfswanson

sounds like you have a quill stem.. loosen that screw a bit then tap it with a mallet, it holds the stem by way of an expanding wedge inside the stem. it needs to lossen then go down to release the stem
unscrewing it all the way will not alow you to get the stem off