I overtightened the triple clamps on my bike because I put anti seize on them not knowing that wet torque and dry torque were two different things, I realised this when I went to take them off and they wouldn't slide out of the clamps.
I got them out of the clamps and hammered in some screwdrivers and chisels into the gap where the bolts go in the clamps to try and loosen them but they're still way too tight to slide the forks in and out. I'm able to get the forks in by wedging screwdrivers in the gaps and then putting the forks in, then removing the screwdrivers, but ideally I'd like to not have to do that.
So I have two questions; one, what is the best way to widen the triple clamps back to their normal size? Two, would the clamps being so tight have damaged the forks? I know they wouldn't perform properly at that tightness, but would that have actually caused any lasting damage or should they be fine once properly torqued?
I posted this in a Facebook group a few days ago and the only answers I got was that the triple clamps weren't aligned, but I can assure everyone they are definitely aligned lol
The facebook advice isnt too bad actually, have you tried to loosen the stemnut and see if they slide in just as bad (one leg at a time)? Its really common to have the forks tweaked out of alignment resulting in this issue. I would be very surprised the antiseize torque is enough to permanently deform the triple clamps. People make this mistake all the time without issue. Are the bolts still perfectly straight?
I wouldnt expect fork tubes to be damaged by this increased clamp force either, but you can easily bench test with the spring out and see if they slide smoothly. If they are out of round, the bushings will drag.
If they really are deformed I guess you could try to hammer in a wedge, perhaps enter the bolt from the other side if the design allows this, and put some sheet metal or something in the slit so it will force it apart when you tighten the bolt. I wouldnt dare to say if they have weakened if they are deformed
Another thing you could do, to build on Luigis advice, is completety remove the top and bottom triple clamps. Individually test each triple clamp hole on the fork legs. If they are tight individually it confirms they may have deformed/tightened. If they are loose there could be an issue with triple clamp alignment. Possibly a bent steerer tube or something?
I think the bolts will break before you deform the triple clamp. I tested this when I was a kid. Dad was stoked.
I think worst case scenario, over tightening could cause your fork movement to bind slightly.
The forks tubes are pretty snug to the clamps on some bikes.
Hold the fork on the lug side and rock it back in forth to open the clamps slightly. If you try to remove a tight fork by twisting or pulling/pushing then it's likely to get little scratches on the fork tube anodized finish.
^This
The bolt tension difference between lubricated and dry pinch bolts isn't anywhere near enough to permanently damage clamps or fork tubes unless something else is really wrong. You should be fine; take everything apart, check it all individually, and put it back together.
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I'll try this next time I have to take the forks out, I just got them level yesterday and it was a massive pain in the ass to do. I'll add though that at first before I was wedging screwdrivers in the clamps I couldn't even get the forks to the bottom of the top clamp, the bottom clamp was that tight.
Upper and lower clamp mis-alignment is the only thing that would cause the fork to stick in the clamps. You can’t over tighten to the point that they bend without crushing the tube. Did you try loosening the clamp stem bolt and wiggling the forks?
Yes, the upper steering stem nut isn't even fingertight and it makes zero difference.
possibly bent triple clamp.
OK then its time to dig a bit deeper, you can take of the top clamp off and see if it accepts the fork tubes smoothly off the bike. Same with the bottom ones, you could leave those on the bike to test. If both slide fine, its an alignment issue. Otherwise, the clamp could be jacked up as you suspected.
Check for any lips or obvious damage on the clamping surface. Fork tubes are still good, no excessive pit corrosion or anything that could explain it? Forks go through the stroke smoothly, no binding that might indicate out of round?
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