Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if I
damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.

How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
machine shop?

I'm in NYC and am all ears to any specific advise on who to bring it to.

Thanks for the help.

John Spellman wrote:
> Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
> wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
> lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if I
> damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
>
> How do I free it?

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Sheldon "Unggggghhh!" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------------+
| If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough! | --BOB Simon |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

"John Spellman" <spelly@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:a86277c7.0310292027.2ec98bb3@posting.google.com...
> Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
> wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
> lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if I
> damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
>
> How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
> machine shop?

The Mad Monk probably has a solution (and avoidances) for you.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Pete

In article <3FA0988D.4030807@sheldonbrown.com>, Sheldon Brown <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com> writes:
>
> Sheldon "Unggggghhh!" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------------+
>| If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough! | --BOB Simon |

I dunno, mebbe you've already heard it, but a good tune to listen to sometimes, is "Brute Force &
Ignorance", by Rory Gallagher.

In the old days, when there were vinyl albums, it was on his "Photo Finish" vinyl album.

There's some pretty good mandolin'ing in there, and other nicely & sensibly-expressed
seatpost-pulling provocations & incentives. It's just an inspiring tune.

Good ol' Rory Gallagher. I dunno why, but his tunes are so cyclistic. I think so, anyways.

cheers, & Unggggghhhh!
Tom

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[point] bc [point] ca

"John Spellman" <spelly@ix.netcom.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:a86277c7.0310292027.2ec98bb3@posting.google.com...
> Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust.

I tried every Sheldon Brown advice, no one worked. The only device that worked was a drill. Use a
26mm cutter: it has to be wider than the inner diameter of the seatpost but narrower than the inner
diameter of the seat tube. Cut your seapost then introduce the cutter in it. It would be better to
be in a workshop and have the adequate "background" to perfectly align the drill and the frame. If
you are careful enough, the frame won't be damaged and you'll extract the drill with the rest of the
seatpost lovely coped with the cutter.

Not easy at all, to be honest.

Ciao Maurizio, Bologna, Italy

In article <AX2ob.76863$vO5.2803399@twister1.libero.it>,
"Maurizio" <soppa@lippa.com> writes:

> Not easy at all, to be honest.

Wouldn't it be a ***** if holding the bike up by the seatpost with one hand, and giving the top of
the seat tube a well-placed, sharp-but-not-destructive rap with a big, ol' rolled-leather mallet
with the other hand, accomplished the same goal?

Vibrations in metal can work in inscrutably wonderful ways, when given a fair chance to do
their stuff.

How often do things really need to be reamed-out?

cheers, Tom

--
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[point] bc [point] ca

Thu, 30 Oct 2003 00:29:58 -0800, <66iqnb.1g.ln@bud.garden.local>, tomk2003@hotmail.com (Tom
Keats) wrote:

>How often do things really need to be reamed-out?

I think that depends on how they often drive. But the big 'ol rawhide mallet sounds like a good
idea anyway.
--
zk

John Spellman <spelly@ix.netcom.com> scribed in
<a86277c7.0310292027.2ec98bb3@posting.google.com>:

> Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum.

> How do I free it? Blowtorch?

Nooooooooo aluminum expands faster than steel, so heat will just make it stick tighter.

Some liquid nitrogen or even solid carbon dioxide will cool it enough to break the bond as the ali
shrinks more than the steel. don't hit it when frozen, it will crack

swarf, steam and wind

--
David Forsyth -:- the email address is real /"\ http://terrapin.ru.ac.za/~iwdf/welcome.html \
/ ASCII Ribbon campaign against HTML E-Mail > - - - - - - -> X If you receive email saying
"Send this to everyone you know," / \ PLEASE pretend you don't know me.

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003, Maurizio wrote:
> "John Spellman" <spelly@ix.netcom.com> ha scritto nel messaggio
> > Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust.
> I tried every Sheldon Brown advice, no one worked. The only device that worked was a drill.

Instead, I duplicated Mike's technique. All I needed was a 'hack-less' saw, and a little over an
hour of labor, and I freed an otherwise beautiful Colnago frame.

Sergio
______________________________________________________________________ ______
From michaelsergey@hotmail.com Thu Oct 30 10:04:31 2003 Date: 4 Apr 2003 12:04:50 -0800 From:
Mike <michaelsergey@hotmail.com> Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech Subject: HELP! "Frozen"
seatpost. IT'S OUT!

First, thanks for the ideas and encouragement.

How I got it out:

Since nothing else worked, I had to resort to "mechanical removal." I cut off the post at the
highest point possible, before it tapered to "aero." Whoa! This baby had 5mm thick sidewalls
(eventually tapering down to 3mm at the post bottom, I would see later. It was an old Shimano 600 or
Dura-Ace). There would obviously be no "curling this thing in on itself" after making a single
vertical cut through the post sidewall--not at over 3mm thick.

So I made SIX radial cuts (sort of like slicing a pizza), using a Sawzall WITH EXTREME CAUTION,
being careful not to cut completely through the post. I then deepened two of adjacent cuts further
using a keyhole-type saw that's essentially a handle which accepts Sawzall blades (invest a few
bucks in one of these--it's very handy, and it beats the heck out of trying to jerry-rig a hacksaw
blade for these kinds of jobs).

I then punched/pried the one section inward toward the post center. Once it was out of the way, it
was relatively easy to collapse the post in on itself by squeezing it down to a smaller diameter,
and out it came. No damage to the frame, and about an hour total for the job.

Patience really was a virtue here, and having the right tools helped a lot, too (when you need a
Sawzall, there's nothing that beats a Sawzall).

Of course, the seatpost I trashed was a 26.8, since I have only about a half-dozen 27.2's in stock!

Thanks again. Hope this helps somebody else in the future.

Mike

michaelsergey@hotmail.com (Mike) wrote in message
news:<1cb0b9.0304021841.22c2e58d@posting.google.com>...
> Well, I've finally encountered one I couldn't crack. Aluminum alloy seatpost stuck in an older
> Aegis carbon frame. Looks like there's a steel insert surrounding the post, 'cause I can see some
> rust. Usually, if after trying various brands of "rust-busters" and WD-40 with no success, I take
> out the propane torch and heat the post, let it cool, and out it comes. I've reasoned that simply
> heating and therefore "expanding" the post, only to let it cool again and contract, would buy me
> just enough "space." Combine that with differing expansion coefficients and rates, dissimilar
> metals, etc., etc., and you "break" the bond. I'm no engineer, but it has never failed me before.
> Well, not this time, even after trying all of the above repeatedly. LAY YOUR BEST RECIPE ON ME!
> Thanks, Mike

In article <3fb6d0f0.21382687@news.individual.net>, Zoot Katz <zootkatz@operamail.com> writes:
> Thu, 30 Oct 2003 00:29:58 -0800, <66iqnb.1g.ln@bud.garden.local>, tomk2003@hotmail.com (Tom
> Keats) wrote:
>
>>How often do things really need to be reamed-out?
>
> I think that depends on how they often drive.

Having to *drive* a seatpost /in/ sounds like sumpthin's wrong from the get-go.

> But the big 'ol rawhide mallet sounds like a good idea anyway.

It's one of my favourite tools. A 3-pounder, with good heft & balance. Not one of those dinky,
uneffective little tap-tap-tap units. The head on it is like half a Prest-O-Log. It can be more of a
maul than a mallet. But it's not for Brute Force & Ignorance. It's not a sledge hammer.

I think what the original poster really needs is a good bench vice, and maybe a coupla injected
squirts of Liquid Wrench left overnight.

It might kill the seatpost, but they're cheap and replacable anyways.

cheers, Tom

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[point] bc [point] ca

On 29 Oct 2003 20:27:57 -0800, spelly@ix.netcom.com (John Spellman) wrote: use 2 vice grips, REALLY
tight, so you can actually see the metal on the vice grips flexing.then twist it out
>Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
>wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
>lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if I
>damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
>
>How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
>machine shop?
>
>I'm in NYC and am all ears to any specific advise on who to bring it to.
>
>Thanks for the help.

John Spellman wrote:

> Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
> wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
> lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if I
> damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
>
> How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
> machine shop?

One fairly non-destructive and unmessy method, if you have a large chest freezer, is to leave the
whole frame in the freezer for half an hour, and get a towel ready in a bowl of very hot water. Pull
the frame out of the freezer (wear gloves!), wrap the towel around the seat tube and twist with all
your might. The temperature difference isn't massive so it may not work, but it will only take you
half an hour to find out.

Or just hand over the frame and the contents of your wallet to the local bike shop!

ggg@hhh.net schreef ...
> John Spellman wrote:
>
> > Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w pipe
> > wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road bike....Suntour,
> > lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage it. Don't care if
> > I damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
> >
> > How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
> > machine shop?
>
> One fairly non-destructive and unmessy method, if you have a large chest freezer, is to leave the
> whole frame in the freezer for half an hour, and get a towel ready in a bowl of very hot water.
> Pull the frame out of the freezer (wear gloves!), wrap the towel around the seat tube and twist
> with all your might. The temperature difference isn't massive so it may not work, but it will only
> take you half an hour to find out.
>
> Or just hand over the frame and the contents of your wallet to the local bike shop!

Or saw off the top and use a long saw to saw through the remainders of the seatpost - lengthwise, as
you'll understand. A tedious job but worth
it. After you've sawed through the seatpost it will come out quite easily.

--
Regards, Marten

In article <MPG.1a0b964884f794fe98a221@news.xs4all.nl>, Marten Hoffmann <mmhoff@xs4all.nl> wrote:

> ggg@hhh.net schreef ...
> > John Spellman wrote:
> >
> > > Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. LBS tried w
> > > pipe wrench, vice, and lubricants...all to no avail. Bike is mid 80's vintage road
> > > bike....Suntour, lugged steel, etc. Still looks and rides great, so I'd really like to salvage
> > > it. Don't care if I damage the seat post. Would prefer to keep frame damage to a minimum.
> > >
> > > How do I free it? Blowtorch? Who is best able/equipped to do it? bike shop? frame builder?
> > > machine shop?
> >
> > One fairly non-destructive and unmessy method, if you have a large chest freezer, is to leave
> > the whole frame in the freezer for half an hour, and get a towel ready in a bowl of very hot
> > water. Pull the frame out of the freezer (wear gloves!), wrap the towel around the seat tube and
> > twist with all your might. The temperature difference isn't massive so it may not work, but it
> > will only take you half an hour to find out.
> >
> > Or just hand over the frame and the contents of your wallet to the local bike shop!
>
> Or saw off the top and use a long saw to saw through the remainders of the seatpost - lengthwise,
> as you'll understand. A tedious job but worth
> it. After you've sawed through the seatpost it will come out quite easily.

Don't do anything until you read this:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

Dave in Minnesota

On 29 Oct 2003 20:27:57 -0800, spelly@ix.netcom.com (John Spellman) wrote:
>Frame is steel. Seat post is aluminum. Welded together from oxidation and rust. How do I free it?
>Blowtorch?

How about whacking it down, into the frame further? Once you break the oxide-connection, it'll pull
out. You can get a good amount of force with a hammer and a block of wood, or even better, a heavy
dead-blow mallet.

Or, you can drill a diametric hole in it, and stick a rod through it; then you'll have leverage
to twist it.

Maybe just keep applying penetrating oil, let it soak in, apply more, for a week.

>Thanks for the help.
--
Rick Onanian