Originally Posted by
Pir0
I've just bought the bike, I honestly don't think it has been maintained as it was only ever used in winter.
The bolt that goes from the top of the stem into the steerer appears to be quite seized. I intend on upgrading the forks at some point so this is necessary anyway. How would you recommend going about dismantling the headset? Especially with that seized bolt.
Any and every bit of help is appreciated. Thanks a lot guys.
i think you have a quill stem, so that means the bolt on top of the stem is the expander wedge bolt. if it is seized (doesn't turn), you should probably take the front wheel out, flip the bike over and pour some penetrating liquid down the steer tube. hopefully that will free up both the threads on the bolt and the expander wedge itself from the steer tube.
once you are able to turn the bolt, if the stem is still stuck, loosen the bolt about 10 mm and then whack it on the head with a rubber mallet. that should allow you to remove the stem.
once you have the stem out, you can start working on overhauling your headset.
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127
good luck