Originally Posted by
browngw
I had to scrap the blue sports. The alloy stem was seriously stuck and all of my tricks could not budge it. I sawed it off hoping I could get a blade in and saw it out but no go, that SR stem (which I wanted for another bike!) was staying. Generally I'm happy for the extra parts but I have no Raleigh projects on the horizon. Some swelling of the steerer tube was evident, maybe from corrosion.
I've never had a stuck stem or seat post on a British bike. Some were a little difficult to get out.
Other brands are usually problematic.
The easiest disassemble I ever had was a 1930 Hercules...
Even the cotter pins slipped out with one tap.
They were obviously using better alloys back then and knew
how the would react with each other over time.