Does anyone know if there is a “trick” to loosening the collets so that you can adjust the extensions on the Zipp Vuka Aerobar?
I’ve loosened the collet draw bolt a few turns and tried push and using a rubber mallet to tap it, but can not get it to move?
Some people use a piece of wood and tap on that with a hammer (Not mallet)…I use a tack hammer with a very small head and tap on the collet bolt. Of course my way dings up the collet bolt, but I got another pair from Zipp as a warranty replacement.
Bob
Did you remove the cables and housing? It’s a b!tch to tap them out with the cables and housing still in. With them out, the collets should come out with a good hard smack from the heel of your hand. This way is actually recommended in the manual.
By the heel of your hand, I mean the part of the palm just above the wrist, in line with your pinky finger. Martial artists use this part to bust bricks, and you would be surprised how much more effective, better and safer it is for the Vuka to do it this way, as long as the cables are out. If you hit too hard and break skin or even draw blood, no worries. You’ll heal, carbon fiber won’t. A BandAid costs a few pennies compared to a $1200 aerobar.
Whatever you do, don’t use the part of your palm below your thumb. It’ll hurt like Hell. If all else fails, LIGHTLY tap a piece of wood like a drumstick butted against the collett end.
Any other suggestions?
I have not removed the cables. Do you leave the “collett tool” and tap against it for additional leverage/support? I’ll give it one more try before I take it to the shop and let them break it and buy it…
I did talk to one of the mechanics who stated that he had to make his own tool to help tap out the colletts and that they are a bia’tch to tap out at times.
I brought mine back to the mechanic who installed it to have it adjusted slightly. I had tried to do it myself and gave up.
I watched him do it. This is a professional who has installed/adjusted these bars countless times and he admitted that it was a huge pain and just takes a lot of time and patience. It took him a good 10 minutes to get them loose enough.
I think I’ve come to the same conclusion. I would rather the shop damage them over me…
Use the collet tool to loosen the collet so the “bolt” threads itself away from the back of the aerobar, but still threaded into the compression sleeve. You should be able to see the plastic washer and it should have enough room on either side to move around quite loosely. Remove the collett tool. Then, using a wooden ruler or a shorter flat piece of wood, butt one end up against the bolt and lightly tap with a hammer, moving the piece of wood between taps to 12 o clock, then 6 o clock, then 3 and then 9, a star pattern similar to the pattern drummers tighten the skins on their drums or mechanics tighten/ loosen lug nuts on wheels.
You will notice the bolt being hammered further and further into the back of the aerobar. When it bottoms out, use the collet tool to loosen the bolt a bit more and repeat the hammering. The compression sleeve will slowly work its way out.
I’ve used this technique with much success trying to thread Nokons thru a set of Vukas. Two+ hours of trial and error. A helping hand is…well, helpful.
It is easier for Nokon cables to pass thru the internal routing of Vuka aero bars than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven…
Great! Thanks for the tip…I’ll give it a try.
Do I want to loosen the collet bolt so that I see a couple threads of the bolt or is that too much?
Also, when you re-install them, they should not be very tight, just barely snug. The design of the bars and collette will hold them in place. They are not designed to be that tight. This is why the tool they supply is very small so you do not have leverage to put too much force into wrenching them down.
Good luck.
Once you get them out, so graphite lube can help for making adjustments in the future.
You won’t see any threads at first. From what I remember the threads stop before reaching the head of the bolt. But I may be wrong. Still, if you see any threads in that little space before you start hammering, the bolt is probably too far out. Remember to keep the bolt threaded as much as possible in the compression sleeve at the start, that way you won’t strip the beginning of the thread at the end of the bolt. Also LIGHT taps with that hammer. Once the sleeve is loose enough, you can probably work it out with your hands. Good luck.
Please help! I got the collet loose, but now the bolt seems to have seized. When I turn it, the whole collet turns, and I have my first race on my P3 in 2days!
Also, when you re-install them, they should not be very tight, just barely snug. The design of the bars and collette will hold them in place. They are not designed to be that tight. This is why the tool they supply is very small so you do not have leverage to put too much force into wrenching them down.
Good luck.
I don’t follow you on this. If I don’t tighten the collett sleeve down pretty good (using a crescent wrench) then my bars move/slip while riding. Maybe I’m feeling slippage from the attachment of the extension to the base bar and I’m confusing it with the actual extension slipping in/out of the sleeve. I don’t know.
Are you saying that the bolt has siezed into the threaded end of the collet? I would suggest holding the collet with something very grippy, like a rubber can opener and try to loosen the bolt. It shouldn’t be siezed too tightly, as the threads themselves are quite big and difficult to cross thread.
Ok, so I finally had to saw off the bolt head with a hacksaw so I could get the collet out and bought a replacement collet and bolt from the importers. The new ones seem to be much better for some reason, so I replaced both of them.
WOW! I can’t imagine how that bolt could have siezed so badly. Was it rusted or cross threaded? More importantly, how did your race go? Sorry I couldn’t help. I hope all worked out well.
I’m not sure what happened, but it was definitely STUCK TIGHT! There’s no way I could have got it out.
The race went well - I came third and got some prize money 