I was trying to loosen the bolt on my tri bike’s handle bars and just couldn’t get it to turn. I think it was more me being cautious than anything, but it struck me as odd that it’d be that hard to loosen.
Any tips or tricks? As I mentioned, I tried pretty hard to loosen it, but I was kind of nervous and didn’t put 100% effort into it b/c I was worried I might do some kind of damage.
Is that a symptom of sweat (and other gunk)? How do I prevent that from happening in the future, if it is b/c of sweat?
Will prob just take it to the LBS and let them do that, but it seems silly to take a bike in only to loosen a bolt.
It’s probably corroded from your sweat and from your drink. If it were me, I would probably spray it with some penetrating lube and try it again. If that doesn’t work, you could go to your LBS. Snapping the head off a bolt isn’t fun, especially if it is a titanium bolt. They are a PITA to drill out.
Try a couple drops of penetrating oil on the threads. Liquid Wrench or PB Blaster are the best as they are specifically designed to loosen seized fasteners but WD-40 or some other light oil you have on hand will probably work on a small bolt like that. You might have to go at it from the bottom to get at the threads and get good penetration.
If it is in a spot that is prone to get sweat dripped on in (the usual culprit in situations like this) a little grease or anti-seize on the bolt threads before putting it back together should keep them from seizing up.
EDIT: the following’s best done in conjunction with what previous posters have suggested - using a solvent; around our shops we used to call WD-40 “Magic Shit” for a reason
That is certainly a place for corrosion to set in on bolt threads because of the sweat issue. My solution may sound sort of silly (sillier than you needing to take it in to the LBS for a seized bolt - though less expensive) but in my years as a mechanic I often had luck with “shocking” a frozen bolt by whacking its head a few times with a hammer (no wood, or rubber mallet stuff - you have to really ring its bell). The theory is that this breaks the bond within enough of the corrosive crap that you can get it started. Could be worth a try… if the heads are recessed you sometimes need to use something like a fine awl or nail set to get into the middle of the hexagonal cavity. It’s quick & cheap - if it works! Regardless, you’ve nothing to lose.
Afterwards, some silicone or grease on the threads may help delay future corrosion.
