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Worst Stripped Threads Experience
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while working on the bike, the feeling goes something like this......

i've got to make sure this is snug.... i can crank down a bit more.... maybe just a quarter turn..... fump!.... oh no..... oh no! NO! i can't believe it.... maybe if i just leave it..... maybe it's not really stripped.....

but then the next quarter turn reveals the truth you were hoping weren't so..... slips right by and it's over. stripped threads, expensive trip to the shop, and worst... the ride i was just getting ready for is buried. really broken bike, i mean it's really screwed (pun intended).

so, as i sit here, i'm going to share my progression of stripped threads, and i'm hoping you guys will share yours and make me feel better.

it started 20 years ago with general kid stuff on the bmx ride, but mostly stripped bolts from using using pliers and hammers.

3 years ago, it started getting expensive..... during that time....

1) even with all the warnings on this site, aluminum nugget inside p3 seatpost - i was able to tap & rethread no cost, except for lost ride that day....

2) seat clamp assembly on p3 - $30, but i upgraded to the current version - actually happy i have the new one, but still....

3) zepp stem clamp - $120....

4) and today was the grand finale..... the campy record 10sp crankset has 4 chainring nuts & bolts, and the 5th actually threads into the crank arm. but really, crank it down as hard as you want. argh.... upped the ante to $220. i thought i could get it retapped, but the hardware store said they didn't have anything to repair metric threads that were that fine. the guy kind of holds it and says wow, this is nice..... too bad.... looks like it's about 40 or 60 bucks?

so, can you guys let me know where i'm headed? what's next? i'm always careful with the water bottle threads right in frame, but i guess i could get started on that.

It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day - Homer Simpson
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Re: Worst Stripped Threads Experience [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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Sounds like you need a torque wrench for bikes. Several are out there, and it is a cheap solution to your problems.

The only thing is that the torque ratings are not always readily available. Sometimes, they are not always published.

Until you get that torque wrench, remember this: if it gets to where it's snug, it's tight. No need to torque it a bit more.

And don't feel badly, I lunched a frame earlier this year because I forgot which way the bottom bracket threads in. Thank God it was a cheap frame...

Maybe a really good shop could helical coil your crank. I am certainly sorry to hear about that...
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Re: Worst Stripped Threads Experience [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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You might be albe to have the stripped thread Heli-coiled,finding a shop with the correct might be hard but i can be done.
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Re: Worst Stripped Threads Experience [randall t] [ In reply to ]
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With that bolt there is really no reason that you can not just drill out the threads and re-tap it, english or metric. You dont need to worry about the looks of it as that bolt is hidden from any normal view also...I would bet that if you take that to a automotive repair place they will just tap it out for you - then hit the hardware store and get any flat head bolt that will fit in the threads.



Oh...and jeesh you idiot...get a torque wrench...you are to strong for your own good.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?
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Re: Worst Stripped Threads Experience [TheMonkey] [ In reply to ]
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Now I don't feel so bad after stripping out the bottom bracket/crankarm bolt when swapping cranks. I was just following Frank's instructions for installing PC's to get the bolts really, really tight. $60 later (new Ultegra BB and crank bolts) I was back in business. Now I have the torque specs for the cranks from the Shimano website printed out and in the box with the Powercranks instructions so I always have access to them when I swap cranks.

You do, however, give me a great idea for how to justify that new P3 I've been dreaming about... "Honey, I swear I need a new bike- this frame is trashed!" (then, after a suitable amount of time has passed, I get the current one fixed and use it as the trainer) :-)
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