[Closed] Formula R1 *fail* 🙁

could you use an easyout?

It's Ally and it appears to be only M4 thread. Ie approx 4mm dia.

You will have to be [b]VERY[/b] careful and use something like a 1-2mm dia drill. Then find something like a small precision screwdriver that will just fit into the hole, but may need a tap in, then see if you can undo the screw with the scredriver.

good luck, you will need it. 🙄

How tight do you reckon you got it? The tighter it was, the harder it'll be to get out. If you're not sure what you're doing it generally makes sense to take it to someone who does, you could have at it with an easy-out but there's a pretty good chance that'll end up the way it usually does, ie, with the broken end of an easy-out stuck in the bolt making things harder for the next guy.

It should be possible to get it fixed, or to fix it yourself, but there's various methods and most are a one-shot deal. Also will depend a bit on what the bolt's made of.

I reckon it'll be very loose in the hole, afterall its not tightened against anything now is it. See if you can get something small into the hole and try and unscrew the remains, you wont have anything to locate against but if its slack you should still be able to get it out (ive done this a few times with bolts where the heads have snapped off)

Small molegrips on any remaining thread would be my chosen way to try and deal with this. Failing that can a slot be dremmelled out in it and a screwdriver applied?

Formula have often made bolts & fittings out of a cheese like material, I have B4s on my bike and have collected several calipers as spares usually from the 2nd hand ads on STW, nearly all have had a broken bolt or bleed screw somewhere.

If it's broken off flush or under the top of the hole then some of these tricks won't work (well... You can still dremel a slot onto it but only by cutting into the mounting too!)

araldite a smaller bolt onto the remaining part and unscrew?

I reckon it'll be very loose in the hole, afterall its not tightened against anything now is it.

Ditto, unless it's bottomed out.

Does it have a split clamp? If so, you can remove the back half of the clamp and get to the broken bolt. I've used blu-tack before to get enough purchase on the broken end and wind it back out. I hope you are lucky too!

Sooo... I've popped into the garage and on the shelf at the back I found an easyout kit that I must have bought years ago and never got to use. It has an M3/M6 'screw' 🙂

I also found a tapping set that my father gave to me years ago. It just happens to have an M4/0.7 tap (or is it a die - I forget which is which). Hopefully I shouldn't need it.

As for tightness... well, I didn't *think* I'd put it in that tight, it certainly didn't feel at the limit I was just turning and heard a 'ping' sound. Uh oh... I know what I did wrong. Tightened on side too much before doing the other and so put massive pressure on the second bolt. Done it before and broke the clamp. In future I WILL do this more slowly.

Right, I'm going to go and have some fun with the easyout. The head is square... now where to find something that might hold that tightly.

your supposed to tighten the top bolt up fully and then tighten the lower on these brakes.

The rear clamp has the word 'up' written on it so you know which way round to put it and which to tighted first.

You tighten the top bolt to 2.5-3Nm, not fully tight, before doing the bottom bolt up to the same torque, if you go by the book

Personally I alternate between top & bottom bolts until they are tight enough to just move when you hit them firmly with the palm of your hand & the gap between the clamp is equal top & bottom. Never had any issues on any of the dozens of R1 brakes I've fitted over the last year doing it this way

Well, that was fun with the easyout. I think it is too big for the bolt and is starting to get very close to eating away the sides of the hole 😮

So I drilled a little bit further into the bolt and have put in an Allen key with superglue (which apparently glues metal to metal). I'll give that a couple of hours to set and see if I can unscrew that way.

If that fails then it is down to the LBS to beg for forgiveness and ask for them to assist.

I've also noticed that I've got R1 on the handlebars, yet the calipers are RX. I can't find anywhere where this combo can be bought as a set. Apart from cost, why would someone do this? (Bike is 2nd hand).

Lol @ Ralph

The R1X is a OE brake. R1 lever with RX Caliper, comes standard on a lot of Lapierres and id imagine on a few other formula speccing manufacturers bikes too. Those bolts are made out of the finest softest cheese though 😀