Freerojo

I am trying to remove the stem from a 1995 Cannondale RT2000 and not having any luck. The steerer tube is chromoly and I have soaked it as much as I can with PB Blaster for 24 hours already. I just attempted whacking the stem from underneath with a mallet (with the bike upside down) and not even budging. Advice?

Andrew R Stewart 

Is the pinch bolt and it's wedge freely moving about. This type of binder is much like a quill stem and unlike the far more common pinching clamp type.

How much do you value the stem? It can be removed by destructive methods. Andy

Freerojo

I was going to replace the stem. Want to save the fork though. How?

Freerojo

What is the method?

Andrew R Stewart 

So I take it the wedge bolt and wedge are loose? If so remove the bolt, you might see the wedge against the steerer now. Clamp the stem (or attached handle bars/length of pipe) into a bench vice or repair stand jaws. Then slot the stem as it wraps around the steerer. I would use a hack saw if I could position and secure the stem/fork solidly. The slot will likely have to spiral around the steerer a bit given the need to avoid cutting into steerer and/or headset. With the steerer end of the stem sticking straight up ghost cut with the saw and note the stroke and clearances, placing a sharpie line of the stem as the blade's path might help. Hack away along that line a bit at a time and then move down the line for a bit again. Work your way around the stem making a partial depth cut first taking care of those clearances. Repeat and note the depth of cut and the steerer's surface. Before you cut all the way through stop. Try prying the two sides of the cut apart now. If you've cut down most all the way through the stem's thickness the remaining amount will crack/break with little effort. Usually once the stem is cracked through it will also break it's bond to the steerer. If not enough to remove the stem you can repeat the slotting in another path and ultimately break off a section.

The trick is to not hack into the steerer. This is why you go slow and work around the cut bit by bit. If you're skilled with a hack saw in the time to write this you'd be done with that part. If not so skilled... Andy

cyccommute 

While I agree with this, there are other things to try before going this direction such as removing the wedges before you start hacksawing. The wedge may be stuck up against the steer tube like a wedge of a quill gets stuck in a threaded steer tube. From the picture the wedges are still in place. I would loosen the bolt so that there is a gap between the bolt and the stem then smack it with a hammer to loosen the wedge. You might have to use a drift (aka punch) on the other side since it isn't threaded.

The wedge, by the way will look something like these

Freerojo

Hi, thank you for your response. What if I cut the stem straight down through the bolt hole, will that give me access to this wedge thing that I could perhaps spread enough to lift off the stem?

cyccommute 

Perhaps but that's a lot of sawing. Remove the wedges first and then try to remove the stem physically. If that doesn't work, then try to hack through above the wedges.

Andrew R Stewart 

Thus my asking if the wedge and bolt were loose in post #2 . Of course using the system as it's designed is far earlier on the logic ladder then destructive methods are. Andy

Andrew R Stewart 

The only potential with trying to hack saw through the actual wedge is that it's likely steel and I'll bet the stem is Al. So starting the cut in the Al stem will be fairly easy. But when the blade encounters the wedge there will a change to the sawing effort. Some care to keep the blade cutting straight/along the intended path will be greater, especially if the wedge has an angled surface where the blade starts to cut into it. Lastly if you cut off the stem's extension then holding it/the fork will be far harder for the remaining efforts. Andy

Freerojo

That worked. Thanks!