Conference noted::bicycle

    
    	Its easy, all Ya gotta do is:-
    
    a)	Losen up the pinch bolt that holds the bars.
    b)	Move the bars to one side by about an inch.
    c)	Saw through the bars at their centre (hacksaw), remove the two
	halves and leave them temporarily hanging by the brake cables.
    d)	losen up the expander bolt that goes down the stem into the
    	head tube.
    e)	Bash the top of the expander bolt with a 20 lb sledge as hard
    	as you can, just imagine you're splitting a big elm log.
    f)	Put the new stem in and torque up the expander bolt til summat
    	almost breaks.
    g)	Poke the two handlebar halves back into the stem and torque
    	up the pinch bolt til summat else almost breaks.  For extra
    	strength put a coupla dabs of crazy glue on the ends before
    	you put them in, or you could use 5 minute epoxy.
    h)	Make sure all your insurance policies are current.
    i)	Go for a test ride.
    

    	Others in this conference will tell you that the bars shouldn't
    be sawn in half, thats OK if you're willing to go to all the trouble
    of taking the brakes off and putting them back, but then you have
    to muck around with retaping the bars.  Oh, I almost forgot, don't
    try to braze aluminium bars back together... solder, maybe, but
    *NOT* braze....
    
    	Reg
    

 To remove the stem:

	1) Disconnect both brake cables.
	2) Remove the handlebar covering (tape/foam/leather)
	2) Remove one brake lever.
	3) Loosen the stem bolt that clamps the handlebar.
	4) Silde the handlebar out of the stem.
	5) Loosen the stem bolt that points down the steering tube.
	6) Hit the bolt with a hammer to drive out the clamping wedge.
	7) Slide the stem out.

 To install the stem:

	1) Insert the new stem and tighten the binding bolt.
	2) Slide the handlebar into the new stem and clamp.
	3) Install the brake lever.
	4) Cover the handlebar with tape/foam/leather.
	5) re-connect the brake cables.

I think I'm brain dead today...

Last Wednesday night I fell (clipped out on left coming to a stop, guy ahead
and slightly to the left stops short, I leaned right to avoid him...) and
knocked my handle bar and brake lever out of alignment.  No problem, I just
pushed everything back to approximately where it belonged and continued.
When I went to adjust everything last night, I realized that the handlebar
stem was loose in the headset.  I marked the height on the stem, loosened the
stem bolt until the stem was loose enough that it dropped to the headset,
and...uh oh, what do I do to tighten it up?  I know that just cranking down on
the stem bolt will cause problems.

Maybe I fell harder than I thought:-)

Bob

    Can you pull the stem all the out (if the cables will allow)?
    
    If you can, do it, retrieve the donut and rethread onto the stem.
    
    Otherwise, you should be able to pull up on the stem and get the donut
    "wedged" again so you can loosen and tighten to the desired height.
    
    If this doesn't work somethin's busted...
    
    Chip

>    Can you pull the stem all the out (if the cables will allow)?

Yep.
    
>    If you can, do it, retrieve the donut and rethread onto the stem.

donut?  I thought the stem worked something like...


		    A
		---------
		|	|
		|	|
		|	|
		|	|
		\	|
		 \	|
		  \	|
		   |	|
		   | |	|
		   | |	|
		   | |\ |
		   | | \|
		   | |
		   | |
		|\ | |
		| \| |
		|  | |
		|  | |
		|  | |
		|     \
		|      \
		|       |
		|	|
		|	|
		|	|
		|	|
		---------
		    B

And that parts A & B were slightly offset, producing a stem slightly larger
than the headset when they were tightened up.  Am I missing something here?

    
>    Otherwise, you should be able to pull up on the stem and get the donut
>    "wedged" again so you can loosen and tighten to the desired height.

Is this another way of saying what I said above?

Bob    
 

    Nope, my oversight... Some have split/threaded donuts, and others have
    the set-up you so graphically displayed.
    
    With your's, chance are the bottom section has come off the stem bolt.
    
    Sorry for the confusion.
    
     Chip

No, it's there, I just don't remember how to make it function properly.  Do
I turn the bolt so that the two halves are closer together before I put the
assembly back in the headset, and then tighten?

Thanks,

Bob

    Well, my answer in .7 was correct.  Now, let's see if I can be a little
    less braindead in the future.
    
    Bob

    Don't get too down on yourself. Sometimes the easiest remedy is the
    hardest one to find.
    
    Chip