i need to put some new cleats in my winter riding boots, but all 4 bolts are more stuck than a very stuck thing...
these are good boots too, so i don't want to write them off.... help me brave forum, before i round the bolts off, what can a chap do?! 🙁
Drill the head off, remove cleat, extract remaining stud with mole grips.
Are there not another 2 holes on the cleat "bracket" that you can use so that you can drill the bolts out ?
Failing that ..Im also interested as I have two pairs of shoes suffering the same condition ..
Have you tried a Torq bit in the allen key hole?
Although I find when I remove cleats that it is always a good idea to ensure the allen key hole is free from mud from past disasters.
When I reassemble I also use a little copper grease on the threads it helps on the removal 😉 Bit late to state this now though.
BR
JeZ
1 - plenty of penetrating oil or failing that wd40 and leave overnight. Use a good/new hex hey the following day.
2 - If that doesn't work, then as simondbarnes said and drill the head off.
simondbarnes
Drill the head off, remove cleat, extract remaining stud with mole grips.
Worked for me in the past, only thing I'd add is drop a bit of WD40 into the threads and leave 30 mins or so to soak.
Carlos
A large screw extractor should get a good purchase in the bolt hole. IME these have about a 50% success rate. About £3.50 for a set from screwfix.
If you have a dremel/multitool, you could cut a slot into the top of the bolts, then unscrew with a flat screwdriver.
I say this every time, but I spend 30 seconds backing the bolts off after every ride so they don't seize. I know all the 30s add up to more time probably than the time spent drilling a pair off, but it doesn't feel like it when faced with what you are facing right now.
A bit of penetrating oil and try a cordless drill with allen bit. Start with low torque and crank it up until it shifts it, the vibration should help move it without stripping the head.
A bit of grease or low strength threadlock on the next bolts to avoid future pain!
3 options. Listed in order of painful ness.
1. Scrupulously clean bolt head and as much around the cleat as possible. Try penetrating oil if you wish but degrease the bolt head before you progress further - minimise risk of tools slipping. Get a a hex key in very good condition and use this to undo. I have had some success using a cordless drill with care. If the bolt rounds - it’s worth trying a Torx key to see if that will undo the bolt.
2. The Dremel a slot method mentioned above.
3. Drill the head of the bolt method again as above. For this, I would always go mains powered with a good quality metal bit. It can take a long time...
I still used to get bolts seizing with grease and copper slip. Since moving to threadlock - it’s never happened.
A 17.99 halfords impact driver will remove the bolt without drilling.
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Never failed me yet and I used to get 10 or so customers a year in a similar situation.
Always always easier to deal with before you round them off although you can get purchaae on a dremmeled slot but more prone to jumping out.
Impact driver might be just the thing I need for a stuck bolt on a Spesh-specific shock mount (and a handy tool for the future).
Seems like you'd need to have the item held in a vice for it to work?
Done a quarter turn of rounding out already though. Still worth a go?
Have you cleaned out the bolts he full depth using a sharp pick.
If not you might still get purchase.
I only used vice for really stubborn ones. Wrapping shoe in towel/rags but generally they gave just putting them upside down between my feed and going at it. With a lump hammer(needs a bit of weight so your dad's old woodworking claw hammer won't be the best thing)
But it's a handy tool to have no doubt use mine alot in many applications - so often forgetting about is the manual impact driver . Allows application of percussion /pressure and torque at the same time
Hot air gun, carefully, and whack them with a hammer usually works for me. As has already been said, remembering to check them and regrease with copper slip every so often helps.
I'm sold cheers trail rat
Drill it out. Just remove the insole before hand. Then replace the cleat nuts (the plate bit) if you ruin the existing ones but as someone else said just use the other 2 holes if need be.
Simples.
A 'friend' had this problem 5 mins before a ride after fitting new pedals and used an angle grinder to cut the cleat in two in about 5 seconds then they came out easy as you like.
Some tips for drilling.
1. Clean out the hex heads properly first by using a small drill bit like a dentists drill to get all the shit out. Then try and remove using a hex again as it will go all the way in, obviously having previously soaked in WD40 to loosen the thread. Always do this before using a hex as it massively reduces the likelihood of rounding.
2. If you decide to drill out, get a sharp bit and drill sloooowly and press quite hard - you'll start seeing the metal pulling away. Drip some oil on (olive oil is fine) to keep cool. Do not razz it as everything heats up and smooths off.
theotherjonv
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<p style="margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent; line-height: 1.2em;">I say this every time, but I spend 30 seconds backing the bolts off after every ride so they don’t seize. I know all the 30s add up to more time probably than the time spent drilling a pair off, but it doesn’t feel like it when faced with what you are facing right now.</p>
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That is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard, just grease them properly and take care when extracting them
yeah, a lesson sorely learned here... copper slip the bolts 1st.... and this is the 2nd time i've done it, though both sets of cleats went in at the same time, and my other shoes saw much much more use and were binned last year...
right, good ideas above, wish me luck! it'll be next week before i'm able to look at them again
That is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard, just grease them properly and take care when extracting them
I was a bit shocked too 🙂
<span style="color: #444444;">That is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard</span>
Grrrr! when people say shit like that.
1/ It works. Takes no time and prevents problems, yet you treat me like some kind of freakshow. I've greased cleats properly and had them seize and wasted literally hours getting them out. There's enough evidence above that others have had the same issue.
<span style="color: #444444;">I still used to get bolts seizing with grease and copper slip. Since moving to threadlock – it’s never happened.</span>
2/ There's a picture going around of a guinea pig with a pancake on its head. That is way more bizarre than someone doing preventative maintenance. I request you to withdraw your 'most bizarre' comment and replace it with 'well I don't do it but I can see why he thinks it's a good idea'
Most bizarre my arse.
No time equates to 0 seconds ....
Are you the guy that builds a bike in 15 minutes from the "how long will this take thread"
Every ride seems excessive but it makes sense to loosen them now and then.
Not that I bother.
😀
I've used a hacksaw to remove the cleat and molgrips to remove the bolts.
Nowt wrong with a quarter turn a couple of times a year for those that can be bothered. BUT be sure to remove/drill out the shit first to get good purchase with a decent quality hex tool.
<span style="color: #444444;">No time equates to 0 seconds ….</span>
I did say that all the 30s probably adds up to more than the time taken to drill them out.
But I did also say that it doesn't feel like it when actually faced with the job of getting stuck cleats off.
It's just part of the post ride routine for me, same as giving the chain a quick wipe and my shoes a once over with a brush / wet cloth - so in that context it is 'no time' because the time's already budgeted. Whereas - I need to change those cleats - better allow 3 hours in case I need to drill them off after I've rounded the bolt heads is just pure pain in the arse.
TBH stuck cleat bolts are one of the reasons I only ride flats for MTB now (rare XC races excepted).
every ride is excessive- even my commute into work?
Once per month is reasonable- I do this now - when i remember.
Copper slip does not always work - to be fair winter boots after 6 years of use though with no maintenance.
No, but I commute maybe once or twice a week in summer, and I back them off when I get home again where my good allen key set is kept.
Seriously, YMMV and I accept that every ride / day is excessive, but once in a blue moon isn't often enough either, even if you do use grease or copperslip........ and by making it part of the routine I don't rely on doing it every month 'when I remember'.
WD40, then get an old screwdriver hex bit, insert and bash hard with hammer a few times. Then stick said bit bit in a drill (lock it out) then leverage provided by drill handle should be enough to shift it. Mine made a crazy loud cracking noise when they finally came free!
All the above re grease dremmel vice etc, but sometimes tightening them undoes the fact that they’re backed up and then they just wind free! Try it it’s counter intuitive but has worked for me several times.
I kept failing to unclipped yesterday (luckily mud is soft), realised my left cleat was loose. The bolt had pulled through the countersunk cleat plate! Never had that one before.
had to drill one out last week, decent sharp drill bit at a slow speed and probably didn't take much longer than a minute with the cordless. removed the cleat and what was left of the bolt came out with pliers
