The wimpy allen bolts on the fork clamp on my Deluxe came semi-stripped from the factory (or dealer) and I completed the stripping when I installed my new wheel. Anyone have a fool proof way of extracting these so I can install some new ones???? Much appreciated.

 

If your near a harbor freight go get some left handed drill bits....havent had much luck on the extractor kits. If you cant find the left handed bits just drill it carefully about an 1/8" then get a appropriate torx head socket and hammer the crap out of it (you may break the torx head but unlikely) until it wedges in, then with a whole lotta pressure SLOWLY turn it out by hand with a ratchet. Until I got my torque wrench I was in the same boat as you are with stripped bolts.

 

I'll have to give that a try - I do have all sizes of torque wrench but this bugger has a rounded allen head. I was hoping the extractor kits have evolved since the old days but guess not.

 

Reverse twist drill bits will sometimes catch the bolt and unscrew it but the extractor bits have always worked best. You just need to use the appropriate size for the bolt you're trying to remove.

 

You need a set of extractor bits. Use them with a wrench and use it slowly with pressure and it should exract the screw.

 

Any particular brand of extraction kit?? and where to buy??

Thanks,

 

Snap-on provided my last set. For a small fee.

 

I trust snap-on quality - any drilling required or just pressure and screw them in?

 

You can get comparable tools at the local Sears store, generally at a decent savings over what the Snap-On guys want for nearly anything.
Personally I would avoid any kind of tool like a set of extractors from Harbor Freight. They are good for a lot of things, but IMHO that's not one of them.
If the bolts are Allen headed you might be able to get away with hammering a Torx bit into the hole and using it to get the offending bolts out. Otherwise its drill and use the extractor.
Fortunately with Allen head bolts you have a ready made starter that will make drilling them easier. Just be sure your drilling as straight as possible into the bolt or you might accidentally go through the side into the tree.

PS if they really are stripped I have a bad feeling that its not the steel bolts that are actually stripped, but the aluminum or cast steel tree itself.
In thta case you have a bigger problem and that's either re-threading the tree for a larger size bolt, or getting a helicoil kit to fix the holes as they are. If I were in your shoes I would drill out the holes and re-thread them for the next larger size and replace the bolts with grade 5 or 8 stainless steel hex head bolts.

 

Thanks - Snap-on are good but super spendy. Fortunately, it's just the allen head - I was able to get them torque'd back on but right at the finish I felt the allen spin without turning the bolt.