Stuck saddle post.
- Thread starter bobcat
- Start date
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smokeysmoo
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bolton, not very far from Nob End
ThePainInSpain
Active Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
I have just had the same problem whilst renovating an old Specialized. It has taken me a week to get it out.
Have a look at my thread 'Project................'
Have a look at my thread 'Project................'
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
You can try warming it up with a hair dryer, or something a bit more powerfull, but not to much or you'll burn the paintwork, plenty of wd40 let it soak for a bit and then put some heat into it. warm up the frame nice and slowly, make sure you get the whole lengh of the post warm,
It is almost always possible to removed stuck items from a bike frame, however the level of damage you need to inflict can occasionally be extreme.
Penetrating oil is a good first option. You can make a little cup around the top of the seat tube to encourage the oil to get into the interface between the post and seat tube. Give it a good while for the oil to work. You may find that after a week of no luck a post will suddenly free up.
After this I normally escalate to bench vise and twisting. I clamp the seat post and use the frame as a lever to try and twist the post in the seat tube. Initially I will try and pad the seat post to avoid the clamop jaws damaging the post, however as things get more desperate I will clamp the seat post directly.
The final option is cutting the seat post out of the frame. Cut the seat post off an inch or so above the interface with the seat tube and use a hack saw blade to cut a couple of length slots the whole length of the remaining post (including the section inside the frame. The slots don't need to penetrate the full depth of the seat post material, but the deeper you cut them the easier it will be to crush the remainder of the post with mole grips and pull out the mangled remains. This will take a long time so decide if you really need to remove
Patience is the most important virtue when remving stuck bike stuff. Allow plenty of time for oil to penetrate before moving on to brute force. Make sure the brute force doesn't round out bolts or bend anything that you want to reuse. Be careful when cutting or drilling stuck things out of the frame to minimise the damage to the parts you want to retain.
Penetrating oil is a good first option. You can make a little cup around the top of the seat tube to encourage the oil to get into the interface between the post and seat tube. Give it a good while for the oil to work. You may find that after a week of no luck a post will suddenly free up.
After this I normally escalate to bench vise and twisting. I clamp the seat post and use the frame as a lever to try and twist the post in the seat tube. Initially I will try and pad the seat post to avoid the clamop jaws damaging the post, however as things get more desperate I will clamp the seat post directly.
The final option is cutting the seat post out of the frame. Cut the seat post off an inch or so above the interface with the seat tube and use a hack saw blade to cut a couple of length slots the whole length of the remaining post (including the section inside the frame. The slots don't need to penetrate the full depth of the seat post material, but the deeper you cut them the easier it will be to crush the remainder of the post with mole grips and pull out the mangled remains. This will take a long time so decide if you really need to remove
Patience is the most important virtue when remving stuck bike stuff. Allow plenty of time for oil to penetrate before moving on to brute force. Make sure the brute force doesn't round out bolts or bend anything that you want to reuse. Be careful when cutting or drilling stuck things out of the frame to minimise the damage to the parts you want to retain.
ThePainInSpain
Active Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
This is what I ended up doing
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
Another "final option" - but only for aluminium seat posts in steel frames is caustic soda.
goo_mason
Champion barbed-wire hurdler
- Location
- Leith, Edinburgh
When I got the bike that I turned into a fixie, the seatpost was well and truly stuck solid in the frame. I drilled a hole through the exposed section of seatpost, stuck a large, thick screwdriver through the hole and then hammered it alternatively from each side to try and turn the seatpost a bit either way to unstick it.
It worked! Probably the only bit of good bodging I ever did to solve a problem.
It worked! Probably the only bit of good bodging I ever did to solve a problem.
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
Do a search on this site, it's been asked a few times.
Have you tried screaming obscenities at it, won't get the post out but it's great therapy?
Have you tried screaming obscenities at it, won't get the post out but it's great therapy?
Agreed entirely, it is a soul destroying process. I spent about three hours on my winter klein getting a stuck seat post out a couple of years ago. I only persisted as I knew the seat post wasn't inserted too far into the frame. If I had 300mm of overlap to cut through I may have reconsidered my options. If you have a sharp hacksaw blade, short insertion of seat post into the frame and soft aluminium cutting out a post is bearable. Decide how much you love the frame you are rescuing before you waste too much time.
