it's an old bike [dunno if pics are necessary

the stem won't budge, she's rusted in!

on other bikes which were tough, i would squirt WD-40.. turn the bike over, squirt more WD-40, place a steel bar through the bottom of the fork and whack the hell out of it with a heavy hammer.. with success. even broke the tightening nut on a few, but she came off

not this one though


any ideas?

I've read good things about Kroil brand penetrating oil. You may need to leave some to soak for awhile before trying to break the rusted connection...

Destruction of the stem may be required. My LBS has clamped the stem in a vise before, and used the leverage of the frame itself to twist rusted stems loose.

Kroil works some minor miracles...so does PB Blaster...but you need to soak it...and then let it sit for a couple days...

Wd-40 is pretty useless for that task. Liquid Wrench at a bare minimum, PB Blaster or Kroil (harder to find) are the weapons of choice. Soak joint and let the chemicals do their work at least overnight.

start here: https://www.google.com/#q=stuck+bicycle+stem

By the way, WD 40 is good for removing glue remains from stickers, light lubricating situations like door hinges, etc. It is not a penetrating or rust desolving chemical and is almost always of little help in removing rusted stems, nuts, bolts, etc.

Everyone has their personal favorite, mine is PB Blaster.

For stuck situations, I clean the area as much as possible so that the blaster can get right to the rust. Wait a few minutes, tap the stuck item with a plastic tipped hammer, and then try to remove stuck item. Reappy chemical and repeat process from time to time. Can take 24 hours or more if you want to avoid damage.

Links above are more informative, but ditch the WD as a first step and get a penetrating oil.

There are rather destructive methods to rid one of a stuck post. Is the stem steel or AL? How about the fork steerer?

Try the already mentioned method before going to the next. Andy.

If penetrating oil does not work, I remove the handlebar and in its place I clamp a 3 foot long one inch diameter steel bar. With a donor front wheel in the fork and the wheel between my knees, I try to twist the stem, being careful not to twist the fork.Sometimes this extra leverage is enough. If it is not enough, I swing the bike upside down in my repair stand. It is important to have a rigid repair stand. I have the Park FRS1 frame repair stand which they no longer make. It has the regular repair stand mounted to the top of it. With the bike upside down, I hit the bar next to the stem alternating sides each time I hit the bar. This technique usually removes very stubborn stems. A mechanic at a shop where I work recently told me that he could not remove a stem. At this shop, I do not have my special tools, so I loosened the stem bolt and hit the stem bolt knocking the stem further into the fork, that was all that was necessary to break it loose and remove the stem.

i like the idea of tapping down the wedge nut first, and to think i was belting it with a steel bar the other way :insert embarrassment emoticon:

thx for the link

thx guys, some handy tips posted

i'm yet to buy stuff that's better than WD-40, i usually use what is at hand.

soaked in vinegar sounds like the go

Andy, it is all steel - stem and fork steerer



edit: or maybe not vinegar, seeing as the stem is made of steel, not alloy?

Usually I loosen the bolt, then gently tap it down to free the wedge. I'm not sure I've encountered any that were so stuck that they wouldn't come out once the wedge was free.

I had success recently using janatorial strength ammonia, I let it sit for 2 weeks. Out in the shed. It was also unusually cold, not sure if relevant but different rates of contraction....

I had an aluminum seatpost stuck in a newer steel frame.
WD 40 didn't work.
PB Blaster didn't work. Letting it soak didn't work.
A home-made hammer rig had potential but didn't work.
Dry ice didn't work. The theory was that aluminum expands/contracts more than steel, so cooling it should loosen it somewhat. Maybe so, but not enough to matter.
What did work is carefully sawing it out. I sawed the post lengthwise using a hacksaw blade, being careful not to cut the frame. Took about 4 hours.
So, the advice above is all good and fine, but no guarantees that what worked for anyone else will work for you!

the seat post is stuck too {steel**

i want to get that old design BB off so i can pour vinegar down the seat pole, but the lock nut is also rusted in. what a rust bucket

haven't given up on it yet {i'm assuming the lock nut is right hand thread? [keep forgetting]

bunnings didn't have any of those products

they had an array of WD-40

but i come across Reducteur H-72 super releasing agent


i got the lock nut off after 30 seconds of application, also on another bicycle i had trouble with

very impressive shyte!


things are looking up