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Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:52 pm
by Psychedelicropcircle
Hi I’ve changed the standard gear change for a 5 speed one. Has been fine first 9 months I’d say. Then it’s slowly seized up to the point it’s rock solid. Anyone else had this problem ? Wondering if it’s slightly out size wise. I’m carefully oiling & heating to see if I can free it up.

So annoying these brettas :oops:

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 1:28 pm
by Warkton Tornado No.1
This phenomenon rarely occurs with single men. If you are in a good relationship with an active love life, then there will be a tendency to lose the ability to fully move the wrist, particularly the left if normally right handed.....

Seriously, lack of maintenance, lubrication or the bike has been dropped. If the cables are free to move @ t'other end (so it's not them) ease off the pulley in the headset & get the twist grip bar out complete, clean out the c@ck, relube/apply lube this time & reassemble.

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:14 pm
by Storkfoot
In the past year, I have had a Casa 4 speed one that was wrong. But, I realised that straight away as it was binding badly.

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:14 pm
by dickie
Once you've freed it up, mate them properly with some fine grinding paste. It makes a real difference.

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:16 pm
by Psychedelicropcircle
It’s all stripped out! The gear change is seized solid on the handlebar! It’ll be meeting it’s end this time tomorrow via a dremmel if it doesn’t free up! I’d rather replace than risk frying the paint / breaking the HSB

The ole 4 speed will be reappearing :x

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:49 pm
by dickie
I had one seized once. I knocked it round by holding the headset bottom in a vice and hitting the lever mount with a hide faced mallet

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 11:12 pm
by Fast n Furious
A good basting with WD40 and some gentle firm tapping back and forth with a mallet usually works unless it's been like that for decades.

It helps to have a second pair of hands to wrestle with the headset and absorb some of the shock whilst you try and knock it free.
It sounds like yours has "taper locked".
Before trying to mallet it back and forth, try tapping around the entire casting to try and weaken the lock. ( Similar to how you would break the taper on a car's track rod end using a hammer blow)
Recommend using a hair dryer here to limit potential paint damage.

Good luck.

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:36 pm
by bookertmgs1
Can you not use hot water from the kettle ? then use pentrating oil ?

Leave to cool - repeat the process and then then start a light tap with a rubber or hide mallet

Reading your post it sounds as though its fairly recent - so just needs encouragement. As someone else suggested bit of work with grinding paste would help after you have got it off

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 8:03 pm
by Psychedelicropcircle
The area that has the gear numbers on it had split from the tube. = f*^ked :x

Dremmel time!

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:04 pm
by gizmo
I've had a couple of the 5 speed which have been tight and one wasn't even square at the end. They were exchanged straight away and the replacements were spot on. Pot luck but you would think they would all be identical

Re: Gear handlebar seized

PostPosted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 8:13 pm
by Wack
gizmo wrote:I've had a couple of the 5 speed which have been tight and one wasn't even square at the end. They were exchanged straight away and the replacements were spot on. Pot luck but you would think they would all be identical
I had the same ,with the tube not square to the casting so pressed it out and refitted correctly with adhesive.