Originally Posted by
Otis
But something you may want to try before destroying the shifters is to drill a tiny hole in the end of the handle bar above the expander just big enough to fit the tube from the can of PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench.
No need if the other end of the bar is open (not always the case, of course). I let it soak in PB long before I tried the destructive method.
The lever body and the threaded cone were (and remain - in pieces) fused together permanently. As with some seatposts, some bits are simply far too stuck to salvage.
-Kurt