dooodstevenn

i stripped one aerobar clamp bolt on my bike, and now cannot take them off my bullhorns now, any ideas?

pdedes

drill it out. or use one of those reverse bits to dig into the head of the bolt and extract it.

nitropowered

You need to get some new tools. Either A: you are over torquing the bolts making it hard to remove, or B: your Allen wrenches are rounded out and are causing you to strip the bolt heads

Grumpy McTrumpy

a fresh allen wrench is a good thing. they don't last forever

you can use a dremel to cut grooves in the bolt head to remove it with a flathead screwdriver

DannoXYZ 

Did you strip the threads or the bolt-head?

I find if you grind off about 0.5mm from the tip of an allen-key, it gives a nice sharp edge that grips very well. Also best to clean off any crud that's accumulated inside the bolt-head as well.

KiuBWhy

Try an easy-out, as someone else mentioned. They work wonders.

Will G

Craftsman makes bits designed to remove stripped bolt and screw heads. Three different bits for $20.

https://www.epinions.com/review/Craft...t_120395959940

liquefied

This. You can get one for less than $2.

W Cole

These guys are correct. You must either be using the wrong size allen keys or they are worn out. Make sure not to mix your metric and standard keys together, some sizes are so close that you can't tell the difference.

Also, I'd recommend staying away from the ball end keys, its easier to strip a bolt when using them.

kendall

Agree, ball ends are best used AFTER the bolt is broken loose, not for tightening either.
Also, hex keys don't last forever (as mentioned) but if you grind a bit off the end every now and then they'll come close.

Question for the OP, how badly stripped is it?
If it's just rounded enough for the 'right' key to slip, you can sometimes drive an allen from the wrong type in and remove the capscrew. (if it's metric, use a fractional) If that doesn't work the easyout is the best response.

Several steps can help eliminate the problem in the future:
Make sure you use the proper size tools, if there is any 'wobble' in the fit you will strip things.
Use anti-seize.( google the galvonic table, the farther apart they are the more likely they are to become 'welded') steel and aluminum don't play well together and corrode FAST, the anti-seize helps insulate them making later removal a breeze.
stainless steel on stainless steel jiust plain SUCKS (galling) stainless on aluminum works well IF you use antiseize, or another means to insulate it, otherwise it will show rust.
When removing a long assembled part, hit the head of the bolt/screw with a hammer which will loosen any corrosion and allow at least a fighting chance to remove the bolt (works 80% of the time).
Primary rule is to NEVER EVER start turning a bolt then take a break, once you get it moving keep going till it's off, once it cools from the friction of turning, it will never come loose again

Ken.

grahny

All horrible, horrible suggestions. You need to replace the entire bike with something like a pinarello prince with super record. It's the only solution at this point.

Braden1550

Add a Ridley Dean so you're not cluttering the pretty prince with a bolt on aerobar.

DataJunkie

This is gods way of telling you to ditch the aerobars.

fogrider

its always a good idea to replace the whole bike...but what good is the bullhorns without aero bars? pull of the bullhorns and put on some road bars.