How to remove stuck seatpost?

[rudymexico]

I have a cromoly Kona bike and a Syncros seatpost (aluminium) has stuck inside.

How can I remove it? Cannot pull it an inch...

Gracias

 

[GV2013]

I had this same problem after my bike sat inside all winter and I solved it by removing the little lever bolt that tightens the tube around the seat post and jamming a butter knife into the little gap to pry it apart just enough for me to get it out. It was kind of a bad idea but it worked...

 

[rudymexico]

Thanx for the advice, i will give it a try

 

[Froze]

Thanx for the advice, i will give it a try

If you use a screwdriver to pry the "ears" open, do so gently, too much and you could break those ears, and you don't want that.

Safest way to remove the seat post is to use some ammonia. But this requires the removal of the bottom bracket, once you done that pour the Ammonia down the seat tube and let it set a couple of days. Make sure before you do this that the seat post binder bolt is completely out and don't inhale the fumes of the Ammonia.

Try this first before we go extreme with other measures.

 

[JM01]

I have a cromoly Kona bike and a Syncros seatpost (aluminium) has stuck inside.

How can I remove it? Cannot pull it an inch...

Gracias

Yep, you forgot to lube your seatpost and now it has become molecularly bonded to the seat tube.

Two things you can do...invert the frame/tube in penetrating oil for a few weeks, trying to turn the tube a bit until it releases. This takes time and patience, but doesn't destroy the post or frame.

Or...you can cut the seat post about 1" above the tube, make one cut down the post with a hacksaw, almost to the top of the tube, and then with some pliers start rolling the post into itself, sort of like a reverse can opener turning in the lid.

This works, but the post doesn't survive.

or...

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

15 Ways to Unstick a Seatpost

"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, I am free at last!" --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

 

[Froze]

Penetrating oil does not work as well, it at all, as Ammonia when your dealing with two different metals of Aluminum and Steel.

Go back and read the Sheldon Brown site more carefully before you make a comment. You got the molecularly bonded mumbo jumbo right but you failed to read about penetrating oil used in that same application.

And you don't need to take a drastic second step such as sawing the seat post, when you all you need to do is put the seat post, with the bike still connected to it obviously, in a bench mounted vise, then use the entire frame as leverage and twist it back and forth. But only do this after the Ammonia has set for 48 to even 72 hours and it didn't come out with more gentler persuasion.

In the future make sure you put a light coating of grease on both the outside of the aluminum seat post and inside the steel seat post tube, then insert and wipe off the excess grease.

 

[rudymexico]

Actually it did had grease on the seatpost, but maybe it was too old and it degraded over time. I will be checking the ingo and trying to make it move...

Gracias

 

[JM01]

Penetrating oil does not work as well, it at all, as Ammonia when your dealing with two different metals of Aluminum and Steel.

Go back and read the Sheldon Brown site more carefully before you make a comment. You got the molecularly bonded mumbo jumbo right but you failed to read about penetrating oil used in that same application.

And you don't need to take a drastic second step such as sawing the seat post, when you all you need to do is put the seat post, with the bike still connected to it obviously, in a bench mounted vise, then use the entire frame as leverage and twist it back and forth. But only do this after the Ammonia has set for 48 to even 72 hours and it didn't come out with more gentler persuasion.

In the future make sure you put a light coating of grease on both the outside of the aluminum seat post and inside the steel seat post tube, then insert and wipe off the excess grease.

Well...there are those that read and those that do...perhaps you need less mumbo jumbo...more brains that work.

I recently had an old Trek 730 with this problem and after 2 weeks in an oil bath, it came unstuck. This is my 3'rd experience doing this without a problem.

As far as lube...I've learned that a lithium gun grease works best, especially in the cold weather we get up here

Next time, listen to those that have been there...

 

[jhuskey]

A propane torch has always worked for me when oil and all else failed.
Heating the post and then turning it with vice grips or a pipe wrench.

 

[Froze]

Well...there are those that read and those that do...perhaps you need less mumbo jumbo...more brains that work.

I recently had an old Trek 730 with this problem and after 2 weeks in an oil bath, it came unstuck. This is my 3'rd experience doing this without a problem.

As far as lube...I've learned that a lithium gun grease works best, especially in the cold weather we get up here

Next time, listen to those that have been there...

Were you born ignorant or just stupid...I hope your just ignorant. I've worked on other's stuck seat posts back in the day when aluminum seat post and steel frames were common (and steel in steel but ammonia won't work for that), not todays aluminum post and frames or al post and carbon frames or cf post and cf frames, so I'm sure I've done more of these before your were born then you have in your life.

Oil bath might...notice the key word might, but it takes a very long time if it works at all, that's why it took 2 weeks instead of 1 or 2 days. However your method works great if your dealing with a carbon bike and an aluminum seat post or vice versa, or steel on steel, or aluminum on aluminum.

Reread point 13 from the VERY site you quoted: 15 Ways to Unstick a Seatpost

Scan down till you see the highlighted ALUMINUM word: My seat post is stuck in the bike frame?

There are of course a dozen forums talking about this same subject, some took the path down the road that you want the OP to take and it led to frustration until they did the ammonia thing, see: Ammonia and a stuck seatpost- questions [Archive] - Bike Forums

Here's another site: How to Remove a Stuck Seatpost - Bloom Bike Shop

Here's another: Dave Moulton's Blog - Dave Moulton's Bike Blog - Removing a stuck seat post or handlebar stem

But since you know more then I do (or anyone else)...RudyMexico do it JM01's way, then you can scream at him instead of me screaming at him for the extra work and possible seat post destruction you might have to do!

 

[Mojo Johnson]

I read that Coca-Cola does the trick when applied in a similar fashion to the Amonia method.

 

[Froze]

I read that Coca-Cola does the trick when applied in a similar fashion to the Amonia method.

That's true, but with Coke you will have to rinse the sugary and sticky residue out of the frame after your done. Windex usually is strong enough ammonia to work and no rinsing needed, just wipe off. Ammonia by the way can corrode aluminum if you leave it on too long, that's why 48 hours is the max you would want to leave it sit.

 

[Daytona81]

Could always do the the best method for things stuck in holes. Only problem is your paint. But could always take a bottle torch and heat up the seat tube. Heat would expand the hole and when it cools it will go back to size. Keep the torch at a distance without the flame directly on it and maybe it won't need to much heat to get the seat out

 

[schlipper]

I just had that same problem myself and found this post! Thanks for all the posts!!

 

[brianbarber]

I hesitate to resurrect dead threads, but this is one of the ones I read when trying to extract an extremely stuck aluminum seatpost from a 1995 Kona Lava Dome. I had to resort to sawing it out. Here is my success story: http://experimentalrunner.blogspot.ca/2015/02/the-straight-goods-on-removing-stuck.html. Thanks, everyone! Let the build begin...

 

[JoanMcWench]

A propane torch has always worked for me when oil and all else failed.
Heating the post and then turning it with vice grips or a pipe wrench.

That's exactly where I was going to go with the answer. No mess, little fuss. If you're prone to heat based accidents I would avoid it but otherwise it's the best way to get it done.

 

[egrocket]

This happened to me and I brought a blow dryer out there and heated up the steel around the seat. This made the metal shrink and therefore easier to remove. I would give this a try.