For over a week now I've been chasing problems around my bike, it's like the most frustrating game of Whac-A-Mole ever played. The rear brake is stubbornly refusing to work.
First, the bars. A new (to me) pair meant the twin upper Gyro cable woudn't quite reach. So I bought a longer replacement.
Next, it was the levers. I bought new ones as the old ones weren't sprung and the brake felt 'dead'. Problem number one, the twin cable wasn't compatible. So I ground a recess into the rear one and now they are.
Then, the inner cables were too long and wouldn't pull the Gyro up. Not wanting to raise the stem any, I used some solderless nipples to shorten them. Ironically, I dropped some solder in there to make doubly sure they'd stay put. This meant cutting a slot into the top plate, but that's no biggie and I've done more than one of those.
But still the rear brake felt wrong, the right arm wasn't moving freely. Maybe some grease on the posts would help, so off it came.
Unfortunately, the screw-in post came out instead of the allen bolt. And that's where I am now.
Heat hasn't worked. There's a slot at the bottom, but under force it either climbs off of the screwdriver tip or twists it. I don't want to ruin the threads by gripping or clamping it. Second to last resort would be grinding down two flat areas so that it can sit in a vice, which will cost some threads. Last resort would be 'ruin and replace', but that would mean sourcing posts and it won't be easy. It wasn't a walk in the park getting the current ones (for a 2011 T1 Ruben).
Any ideas, tips, cunning plans anyone?