ivan_yulaev

Cleaning up my bike the other day, I noticed one of my Allen bolts was very tight. I tried to remove it, and ended up stripping the bolt :-( How can I remove the now-stripped bolt? Do most bike shops have easy-outs?

slvoid

Try a hardware store for an easy out, I think you answered your own question

Retro Grouch 

Before messing around with a drill and easy-out, try using a brand spanking new allen wrench that's the right size. You'll be pleasantly surprised how often that will work. Now throw your old one away. If you keep it as a "spare" you're just going to round out more bolts.

Avalanche325

Also, if you are using the brand new allen wrench, tap it with a hammer a few times to fully seat it before you turn.

KleinMp99

I dont see how this works though. The person never said they used the wrong allen wrench, and the bolt is obviously still very stuck in its place. In conclusion, using a new allen wrench in a bolt head thats already stripped will not do anything.

madpogue 

Cheap allen wrenches simply don't fit as well as good quality ones. As they wear, they fit so poorly that they wear the bolt head rather than turning it, jumping inside it in the process. There might, however, still be enough flat left on the bolt that a new, good quality allen wrench will still engage it. Once the bolt is out I wouldn't reuse it, however. Nor would I continue to use the worn-out wrench. And yes, I've had times when a cheapo wrench, like the ones in the compact multi-tools you carry in your seat bag, would jump inside a worn bolt head. Switching to a good quality single wrench like one of my Craftstmans did the trick.