Stuck seat post

10 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

My steel seat post is stuck in my steel frame. I keep immaculate care of my bike but brought to my LBS and they want $ to unstick it. They are telling my they have to open up the bottom bracket and spray WD-40 in. Anyone else have any suggestions?

Anonymous's picture
JHL (not verified)
nothing wrong w/ WD-40, oil of olay, mazola, jurly curls, &

I can't belive it's not butter.

Anonymous's picture
Matt (not verified)

"Suggestions for what? Your LBS is right. Step 1 is applying some sort of penetrating oil and hoping it works. It's going to take them time to pull your cranks and BB, apply the oil and wait for it to work. Why shouldn't they charge you?

If you take immaculate care of your bike, you should have a crank puller and some WD40 around. Why not do it yourself? If that doesn't work, here are tips: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html Good luck.

"

Anonymous's picture
Ron Thomson (not verified)
Anonymous's picture
Tony Rentschler (not verified)
Liquid Wrench

You can try dribbling Liquid Wrench from the top, where the seatpost is inserted into the frame. Let it work, try some more, etc. Gently tap the seat tube/seatpost with a wooden or plastic mallet or hammer. You can use a steel hammer, of course, but you might chip the paint. Then try to wiggle the seatpost free, using the saddle as leverage.

Anonymous's picture
Josh (not verified)
hell, leave it alone

I'd use a plumber's wrench, but turn it ever-so-carefully, and only after you've drenched the area around the seatpost that extends above the tube so that it can seep down into the tube. One bike shop recommended this, and to wait several days, keeping the bike in a warm place (as steel is brittle in cold weather).

I have two old bikes in this condition, but am too impatient to do this, so I just ride them. I mean, I'm not growing anymore and a new seatpost aint going to make beans of a difference in performance, esp. on the daily commute. Now a new saddle is another matter . . .

Anonymous's picture
DvB (not verified)

Whatever you do, once you get it unstuck, make sure you grease the seatpost before reinserting it. Pretty much every metal/metal contact point on a bicycle should be greased (or lubed in some way), with the possible exception of the crank/bb spindle union (though this is a matter of debate).

--DvB

Anonymous's picture
<a href="http://www.OhReallyOreilly.com">Peter O'Reilly</a> (not verified)
use Liquid Wrench penetrating oil

Another vote here for Liquid Wrench which may be found at your local hardware store. Follow Tony's good application advice. Good luck getting it free; patience always helps. In the future your immaculate care for your bicycle should also include liberal greasing of the unexposed portion of the seat post. Once a year is a good a rule of thumb to inspect and possibly re-grease the seatpost as needed.

Anonymous's picture
Richard Fernandez (not verified)
blow torch

"I remember reading somewhere years ago that your not supposed to use the same metals:steel/steel,ti/ti because the metals can ""weld together"",dont know if its true and certainly not in your case but once my bottom bracket got stuck in my steel frame and the bike shop had to take a blow torch to the bottom bracket area just enough to expand the frame to remove the BB, I dont remember if it damaged the paint.Oh yeah and taking ""immaculate"" as you call it care of your bike would require treating the inside with anti rust treatment probably once a year if you average riding 3 times a week all year around.Rich"

Anonymous's picture
Richard Fernandez (not verified)

Of course you will be wise to try the Liquid Wrench solution that has been mentioned in previous post.Rich

Anonymous's picture
Dennis Wiener (not verified)
Electrolytics

Actually dissimilar metals create an electrolytic reaction that will make them bond together

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