Stuck seat post

[Holdsworth]

As the title say really, my seat post is stuck fast into the seat tube and it doesn't want to budge. Quite a pain really as my new SPD pedals have added some height to my feet position which I fell may be causing me some quite bad knee pain.

I have tried taking the allen bolt and nut out completely and gently forcing the two sides apart but it won't budge. WD-40 hasn't helped either and brute force by twisting or pulling on the saddle hasn't worked. I would like to try the heat method but I have no access to a blowtorch to do so, unless a fag lighter will suffice

When I first got the bike last August I had the saddle height adjusted easily, so I assume it has seized up over the winter months for whatever reason.

Has anyone got any suggestions that may help?

 

[Zoiders]

All the usual witchcraft involving combinations heat/lube will be suggested no doubt further into the thread but for now put down the heat gun before you scorch the paint work.

Try a kettle, a plain old kettle and some boiling water on the seat tube first and give it wriggle.

If you have a braised and threaded seat clamp the other thing to try as well is to take the bolt and thread it from the other side, place a penny inside the clamp slot for the bolt to push against and then wind it open a bit until the galvanic corrosion breaks, don't go mad though.

Other than that it's simply give it more WD40/GT85/Plusgas etc etc penatrating oil or what ever you have handy. Take the bottle cage bolts out and use the straw to get inside the seat tube with it as well, you will need to turn the frame upside down of course and be prepared to wait for it to get a good soak.

 

[raindog]

I can't believe a few millimeters of extra height on the pedals will give you knee pain. Are you sure your cleats are positioned correctly?
Sorry, this hardly helps with you seat post of course.

 

[Holdsworth]

All the usual witchcraft involving combinations heat/lube will be suggested no doubt further into the thread but for now put down the heat gun before you scorch the paint work.

Try a kettle, a plain old kettle and some boiling water on the seat tube first and give it wriggle.

If you have a braised and threaded seat clamp the other thing to try as well is to take the bolt and thread it from the other side, place a penny inside the clamp slot for the bolt to push against and then wind it open a bit until the galvanic corrosion breaks, don't go mad though.

Other than that it's simply give it more WD40/GT85/Plusgas etc etc penatrating oil or what ever you have handy. Take the bottle cage bolts out and use the straw to get inside the seat tube with it as well, you will need to turn the frame upside down of course and be prepared to wait for it to get a good soak.

I have just had a go at using boiling water but no luck. The clamp is not a threaded one either, the bolt threads into a nut, so I couldn't use your penny suggestion either. I have tried squirting WD-40 through the bottle bosses whilst the bike is resting upside down but that hasn't done anything. It seems that it truly is stuck fast

I have heard Plusgas is good for seat posts so I'll have a look around for a supplier.

I can't believe a few millimeters of extra height on the pedals will give you knee pain. Are you sure your cleats are positioned correctly?
Sorry, this hardly helps with you seat post of course.

You wouldn't have thought so but I have heard it mentioned in the Clipless FAQ that saddle height should be taken into account when fitting SPD pedals. I am sure that the cleats are adjusted quite near to where they should be, I have had a look at the way my feet point when I have them dangling when sat on a table. The right one, which has the knee pain, points slightly outwards so I have orientated the cleat so that the shoe points slightly outwards when in the pedal. To me it feels as if the knee is coming up too high in the stroke at the 12 o'clock position which makes me think that the saddle is not at the right height. It could be that before, my non-clipped in feet were in a different position and were compensating for the incorrect seat height somewhat.

I would be grateful though if I could be pointed in a good resource for setting up the SPD cleats

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Mole-grips / or a pipe wrench and some elbow grease is my suggestion. You could also try placing a screwdriver between the post and the tube and tapping it a few times with a hammer. It may well open up the tube enough to free the post.

 

[slowmotion]

I would be grateful though if I could be pointed in a good resource for setting up the SPD cleats

I found this article useful....


http://www.bikemagic.com/maintenance/fitting-spd-cleats/7004.html

After a day getting used to riding with them, I made a minor adjustment to one cleat because I thought that one foot was at slightly the wrong angle.

 

[HLaB]

I would be grateful though if I could be pointed in a good resource for setting up the SPD cleats

I found that lateral positioning of the cleat was important too, this is quite a good article for adjusting cleats.

 

[colly]

There is a useful thread here which would be worth looking through. Some good advice in it.



https://www.cyclechat.net/

Best of luck, you might need it.