Smack it with a hammer

Astute readers will have noticed that when we were working on the handlebars yesterday they were still attached to the rest of the frame.

I had halfheartedly tried to remove them before I started by unscrewing the bolt that holds them on, but when they didn't pull out, I deemed it not-worth-any-effort and just cleaned them up still attached to the bike.

I did leave the bolt loose so I could get around it for better cleaning, but that was the extent of it.

(loose bolt)

But, with still more cleaning up to do on the handles and especially the stem, and at some point probably wanting to adjust the height to get a good fit for A, I figured it might be worth a little Googling to figure out what the trick was (beyond just giving it up, which isn't really much of a trick to begin with).

And I found this video (How to remove the stem and fork, from HowToFixBikes.ca--sounds about right doesn't it?) and it turns out the trick is...smack it with a hammer.

Turns out that's what's required to disengage the wedge that holds the handlebars in--once it's out you can see it but completely hidden until then, like some sort of secret handshake for the "I know what I'm doing" bike set.  So here's the wedge:

And here are the handlebars (looking like the Godfather's minions have struck):

And, now that that mystery's been solved, it's time to get more work done.

Handlebars

Scorcher today, but we were lucky enough to have a cool night last night and a passing thundershower this morning, so A and I took advantage and did a bit of work on the bike until it got too hot.

A finished up the rear wheel while I tackled the handlebars. 

Started by removing the break handles and shifter and loosening the handlebars from the stem by removing the bolt there (I could have gotten it all off, I suppose, if I removed the handle grips, but they were stuck well, which is how we want them, and really I just needed to be able to twist the handlebars and slide enough to get around them all the way).

They were looking kind of old and rusty, which am mounts to a whole lot of "no kidding" since the whole bike is old, and also kind of rusty:

See the small spot to the left of the stem--that's the shine of progress you see there!

But with our usual blend of aluminum foil and white vinegar, with a whole lot of rubbing, we ended up with finger ruining black sludge but also some better looking handlebars.

Right handlebar pretty much done:

 

Followed by left handlebar, also pretty much done:

There's still a little bit of rust on the left handlebar, but the sun is beating down now and, remembering that this is supposed to be a fun mom-and-daughter project not a chain gang, we called it done for today.

The whole thing is a bit cloudy, not cleaning up quite as shiny as the wheels did.  I may try the tinfoil a bit more or pick up some polishing compound and see if that helps, but either way at least it doesn't scream out "BEATER" the way the it used to--so it's unmelting next to the AC for now and shiny brite happiness just around the corner.