# Stuck lock on grips



## bikeuphill9 (Apr 23, 2006)

Hey all.

Got a pair of bar ends today and can not remove my ODI lock on grips. One of the interior clamp bolt heads has stripped making it impossible to remove the grip. Any suggestions for removing the grip? 

Thanks.


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## i like downhill (May 15, 2004)

bikeuphill9 said:


> Hey all.
> 
> Got a pair of bar ends today and can not remove my ODI lock on grips. One of the interior clamp bolt heads has stripped making it impossible to remove the grip. Any suggestions for removing the grip?
> 
> Thanks.


either drill the bolt out or lay your bike down and pull with all your might while twisting it. hopefully it wasnt tightened down too hard.


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## Mountain biker 41 (Oct 13, 2007)

The all purpose tool called a hammer(jk)


Or am I?!(James bond voice, use your imagination)


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## bikeuphill9 (Apr 23, 2006)

Well... actually... one guy in my dorm did take a hammer to it without asking. Kinda pissed off about that. Dinged my bars up real bad. Didn't even budge the grips though, so I am going to guess that it is overly tight.


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## Trouble Maker (Mar 19, 2007)

It's a bolt (outer hex)? Depending on how stripped it is you may be able to hammer on a slightly smaller socket. This works best with lifetime warranty (craftsman) or impact sockets as this takes a lot of force. You can also go get something to remove damaged bolts.

www.harborfreight.com is a great place to get inexpensive tools that you might not use really often. I got a set of impact sockets from there for ~$20. I'm sure they may have an even less expensive version of some of the kits in the sears link, but their search engine sucks and I couldn't find them from the 1 search I did.


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## bikeuphill9 (Apr 23, 2006)

It is a hex bolt for use with an Allen wrench. Will give it another go tonight. Thanks.


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## damaltor (Dec 14, 2005)

If you've got a dremel tool or the like, try cutting a slot in the head of the bolt/screw and then use a blade screw driver.


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## Trouble Maker (Mar 19, 2007)

damaltor said:


> If you've got a dremel tool or the like, try cutting a slot in the head of the bolt/screw and then use a blade screw driver.


Forgot about that trick.

So it's an 'inside' hex. Well then obviously go the other way. Use a hex that's a little larger and try to hammer it in. I think you would be pretty hard pressed to use your average allen tool (think the short/long combo or a t-handel). I also have allens that work with a ratchet. You would probably need something like that if you were going to try to hammer a larger one into the bolt.

Forgot about the slot trick. This works much better if the head of the bolt is solid thought (think 'normal' bolt, outside hex). I'd be afraid that it would just snap the head in half if you tried that with an inside hex (allen).

Is it recessed or can you get to the head and use some pliers, or god forbid some vice grips.

I've never used lockon grips before..... I get the idea that most of them are like  this. Couldn't you find/get/buy a hacksaw and saw through the bolt?


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## bigmike00 (Sep 6, 2007)

One hint when tightening bolts like these, use a dead hand. I other words tighten very lightly. Its a round clamp do you really need 500 foot pounds of torque? No not all lock ons are like this. The only ones that are like yours are the ones put on by un-knowing hacks.:thumbsup:


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## bikeuphill9 (Apr 23, 2006)

Being at school, I don't have access to nearly the tool selection at home, so no hacksaw, drill, or drimal. As for over tightening the bolts, yeah I did, only after they came loose several times. Next time I will use lock tight or standard grips. Thanks for all of the replies. Looks like I will take it home with me this weekend to work on it there.


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## Trouble Maker (Mar 19, 2007)

Sounds like a good plan, the right tool can make any job 'easy' and a poor selection of tools can make any job hard.


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## ducktape (May 21, 2007)

I had the same problems as you, yep overtightened them, probably by not much but after taking them on and off several times one day ooops stripped bolt and one very stuck odi grip!

I took a drill to it and drilled the bolt out, grip came off but clamp was pretty much destroyed.

Needless to say I run standard Oury grips now!


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## ferday (Jan 15, 2004)

to get off the stripped bolt, i've found drilling it out works great.

lock-on clamps are ridiculously cheap, i probably have 8 grips worth of spares around the shop. for as often as i actually strip a bolt (once every couple years, with 5 bikes using the grips) it's not worth going back to standard grips.


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## anirban (Apr 20, 2006)

I second the Dremel tool idea. Ive had a friend of mine who had his lockon grip clamp bolt stripped out, and he used a dremel tool to cut off a slit in the bolt, then used a slotted driver to drive the bolt out.


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## powderhound82 (May 2, 2007)

*extractor bit*

Don't know if you resolved this yet, but I had the same issue and used an extractor bit to remove the bolt. LBS happened to have a spare bolt sitting around.


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## bikeuphill9 (Apr 23, 2006)

Wound up taking a drill to it. Ruined the clamp, but have since switched regular ODI grips. Perfectly happy with them as of now, but that is only with two rides with them on. Thanks for all of the advise.


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## Back-N-Black (Sep 22, 2009)

This is an old thread! Only one I could find though. Mine are not stripped but seized so am trying some PB Blaster and time. If it aint loose by morning I'm guessing cutting the screw with a dremel saw blade or drilling it out will do. Hope this helps someone.


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