Help with handlebars

[Mave]

OK, be kind! I've bought a very very cheap bike (for my wife!) with what I think is a quill shaft stem arrangement. For whatever reason (transport?) the handlebars are in line with the front wheel so I need to rotate them back. I have no idea how long they were in their current position.

I've loosened off (and then removed) the long Allen bolt from the top of the stem. I can get the lower wedge section to move up and down the fork if I tap it with a long drift from above / below, but despite lots of plus gas and encouragement there's no indication of the handlebars themselves wanting to move relative to the forks. Am I missing a trick? Is there anything else holding the handlebars other than a potential fit and corrosion? This is what the stem looks like from above...(looking down at the wedge with a threaded hole in it)

[dogbucket]

A quill stem only uses the sliding wedge at the bottom, so sounds like its stuck in the steerer.

[Watchman]

Put a different bolt into the hole - doesn't have to be long - and smack it smartly with a hammer a few times. Different bolt because you don't want to damage the proper one.

If that doesn't work, turn the bike upside down and spray Plus Gas into the steerer tube from the wheel end. Leave for half an hour then try again.

[Mave]

Thanks guys. To be clear, I can move the bit with the threaded hole in it up and down, it's the bit above it (which I understand is the handlebar itself) which won't move inside the fork. I've tried plus gassing it from both end over a few days, next stop is soaking it in vinegar or coke!

[Watchman]

The handlebar is the bit you hold.

The stem is the bit that holds the handlebar.

[Mave]

Thanks, on this bike the stem and handlebar are welded together, it's the stem being stuck in the forks that's the problem rather than the wedge, I've managed to get the wedge moving. Cheers, Mave

[Watchman]

You could try a bit of heat - blowtorch aimed up inside the fork steerer... maybe. You may need to check the head bearings and regrease afterwards if you manage to get it decently hot.

Otherwise just brute force. With all the Plus Gas in there by now, it'll need a few blows with a hammer and/or just some brute force to move it. See if you can hold the fork shoulder in a vice, rather than the legs (which will twist).