Bolt stuck in water bottle mount

azul_fahrrad said:

I have an aluminum frame bike, the bolt for one of the water bottle mounts will not come out. There is a threaded ring set in the seat tube of the frame. When I turn the bolt in either direction, the ring turns with it. I have not found a way to grip the ring without risiking damage to the frame.

Has anyone else ever seen this situation and if so have you found a solution?

Try this (no guarantees, of course) ...
[INDENT]Take a SMALL, flat-bladed screwdriver (heck, even a pocket knife) ...
[INDENT]And, wedge the blade between the lip of the threaded bushing & the frame ...
[/INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Hopefully, you will be able to loosen-and-remove the bolt ...
[/INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]Reset the bushing with some JB WELD (or, other "grey" epoxy if that's what you already have on hand).
[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]

Yes hopefully....

If that doesn't work,

If you take it to a bike shop, they will use pliers to hold the boss and unscrew the bolt, then they will drill out the old boss (usually destroyed in the process) and use a fancy type of rivet gun to put a new boss in (securely).

Prevention is better than cure, however, and in this case you can use some grease (thick stuff) on all metal/metal threads. It will help prevent seizing, which is a major cause of these sorts of issues.