Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
It was nice of so many of you to share your stuck bolt removal tricks, tips and hacks with RoadBikeRider reader “Dave.” His bike came with unlubricated steel bolts and one bottle cage bolt was frozen in the frame.
He explained in detail in our last Tech Talk. Have a read if you missed it; with all the comments, there’s now a wealth of knowledge on getting out frozen bolts: https://www.roadbikerider.com/stuck-bottle-cage-bolt/.
Dave’s Success Story
What’s interesting is that Dave used a different and novel approach to removing his bolt. It’s pretty clever, showcases his skills as a mechanic and is something worth sharing. Here’s his write-up and a photo he provided.
“Thanks for your response and all the great ideas from RBR readers, Jim.
I thought I would share my success… I was able to PATIENTLY mill down the bolt head to get sufficient flats to get a hold with Channellock pliers. You can see in the picture below when I first got it to move.
See also the tape and metal shield to protect the frame from the Dremel tools I used to carefully mill it down. (No scratches!) Of course this was the lower seat tube bolt so space was limited by the downtube 😊.
The bolt was still very difficult to turn but after about 3 full revolutions I could use a regular plier to turn it.
Fortunately, the frame threads were in pretty good shape. I expected to have to chase with a tap but running a new bolt in a couple times cleaned them up pretty well.
I then went through every threaded fastener on the bike and applied/reapplied anti-seize. As soon as I can find matching stainless steel fasteners, I’ll replace all the black oxide ones.”
Thanks a lot for the follow-up, Dave, and congrats on the clever solution and happy result. FYI: an awesome source for everything hardware – and where you can choose from an array of stainless metric fasteners is https://www.mcmaster.com/screws/.
Would You Want This On Your Bike?
Changing subjects, going into one of the biggest road races of every year, Paris-Roubaix, which took place Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17, the leading tech story seemed to be an invention called Scope Atmoz.
Approved by the UCI (the governing body of pro cycling) barely in time for the cobbled classic, this potential “game-changer” – as some claimed – is an adjustable tire pressure system that lets racers fine-tune their treads as they pound out the watts. Yes, you read that correctly. It lets you change your tire pressure as you’re riding.
Designed in the Netherlands and selling for about 3,998 Euros (the prices I found varied so they could still be finalizing it), the device adds 300 grams (not sure if this per wheel or both) and lets the rider inflate or deflate tires at a rate of 7.3 psi a second.
When we received this product news at RBR headquarters, we were undecided whether it’s a game-changer or not. If it piques your interest, do us a favor and drop a comment telling whether or not you’d be interested in such a device for your tires and why (let’s assume it will come down in price so we can afford it).
Here’s the company website to see photos and learn more: https://www.scopecycling.com/product/atmoz/.
And here’s their video showing the product:
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. He has been a pro mechanic and cycling writer for more than 40 years. He’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Check out his “cycling aficionado” website at http://www.jimlangley.net, his Q&A blog and updates at Twitter. Jim’s cycling streak ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
YES !!! Funny, just the other day while on a patch of rough road I was thinking something like this would be great to have and that someone should invent it.! Given what we have learned and come to accept about tire pressures vs road surface, it always seems a compromise to use squishy fat tires, even though some or most of the roads are really smooth pavement. I know that when I am on really great surfaces, I much prefer narrow tires and high pressure; it just gives that wonderful ‘frictionless’ feel to the bike. But when you hit some chip/seal or even rougher pavement, how great it would be to let out some air, and then put it back in when the road turns glass-smooth again. As for the added weight: it’s folly to think that adding a pound or so to your setup could possibly make any difference.! We have been brainwashed by the industry to think that 50 or 100 grams are so important to the functioning of the machine – that is just inane marketing hype. Unless you are in the TDF racing against Pogacar up Alpe d’Huez, it makes absolutely no difference to your activity on 2 wheels. SIgn me up for one of these gizmos.!
how much time does it add when you puncture and need to change the wheel, OK for the liesure cyclist but may be an issue in a race?
As friends were following Paris-Roubaix, the big comment being made was the rash of flats occurring. Everyone was blaming tubeless tires. Could it have been this new system? Were they over deflating? Would be interesting to learn more..
curious, filing 2 sides would have been enough to grab with channellocks or vise grips…
..why did you do all 4 sides?
wle
Atmoz: Impressive, but you know the expression “Cheap at half the price?” Make that > 95% in this case, which will never happen. I see this as a highly specialized product targeting a select group. It sure is whiz-bag, however.
For certain, it’s an interesting and useful for the elite racer who has a team who pays for his/her equipment. But at today’s exchange rate, $4,300 seems a bit expensive for the recreational road rider. I’ll pass on this.
Love the concept, but hate the price. Even at 1/10 the price, it would be too much.
Larry – I tried to cut flats top & bottom to get better access but I could not really get the dremel in to the bottom of the bolt (the top & bottom flats were actually done with a big mill file taped on one side to protect the frame) So, i switched to the sides where I had better access.
On the variable pressure device – I have experience with them on the military trucks (FMTV) that I engineered. They work GREAT in that world but reliability is a concern. rotating pressure seals in crummy environments… But, those tires used beadlocks to allow really low pressures. I’m not sure how much pressure variation you could actually accomplish on a bike – and our truck had on board air compressor to reinflate. It’s not much help if you only can let air out.