On Thu, 30 Oct 2003, Maurizio wrote:
> "John Spellman" <
[email protected]> 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
[email protected] Thu Oct 30 10:04:31 2003 Date: 4 Apr 2003 12:04:50 -0800 From:
Mike <
[email protected]> 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
[email protected] (Mike) wrote in message
news:<
[email protected]>...
> 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
