Stuck Seatpost? PSA

[JohnClimber]

18 months after realising my Thompson Seat Post was stuck in my titanium Jones I've been worried about removing it from the frame.

I've tried a mallet/hammer and a "fast release penetrant" spray but nothing.

I didn't want to cut my £80 seat post down and drill/cut out the lower part but especially I didn't want to damage the titanium frame.

So, today I bit the bullet and with every finger crossed I took my bike over to John "The Seatpost Man" at his base near Rivington.



Of course John doesn't want anyone to know his unique way that he removes every type of seat post from carbon, aluminium, steel or titanium frames, so I left it with him and went to see some customers nearby.

2 hours later I got the phone call to come and collect my bike as it was ready.

The good news is that John got the seatpost out and both the frame and post wear 100% as good as new, so saving me not only £80 on a new seatpost but many frustrating hours trying to dig out a perfectly good Thompson seatpost.


Free at last


Up


And down

£59.99 of money well spent
And Copper slip used when re fitting the post tonight

[Justchris]

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

[Ian]

Half the battle of removing a stuck seat post is being able to hold both frame and seat post adequately to gain sufficient leverage and/or apply the requisite force to remove it.

But anyway, since when did Thomson seat posts cost eighty quid?

[Zippy]

Half the battle of removing a stuck seat post is being able to hold both frame and seat post adequately to gain sufficient leverage and/or apply the requisite force to remove it.

I've snapped a ratchet strap before when attaching bike to ratchet strap to the car, to the seatpost and anchoring frame to a large steel structure. Seatpost remained definitely stuck.
In the end, some heat (to the extent which burnt the paint so I needed to respray the frame) and a complex array of pulleys did the trick .

[Mart]

Leverage : Sometimes easier to clamp the seatpost and use the bike as the lever

[voodoo_simon]

But anyway, since when did Thomson seat posts cost eighty quid?

[life of Brian voice ] You've got to haggle... [/life of Brian voice]

[mountainbaker]

But anyway, since when did Thomson seat posts cost eighty quid?

They do if you're dumb enough to buy the 'masterpiece' version. Probably 5 grams lighter or something.

[mountainbaker]

I once removed an alu post from a steel frame, seatpost clamped in very very large vice, 3 people twisting frame back and forth. The frame go so hot, all the powdercoating melted!

Got the thing out though, only took 2 hours and a few beers. Not £59.

[Zippy]

2 hours and a few beers.

2 hours x 3 people = 6 man hours. Even at £59, that's £10/hr, which isn't unreasonable for such a neat removal that the OP is demonstrating.

I suspect with a Ti frame and Alu seatpost, some rather nice galvanic corrosion being (or part of) the issue - in which case I have a few ideas as to how this might have been fixed (It involves electricity)

[Scattamah]

They do if you're dumb enough to buy the 'masterpiece' version. Probably 5 grams lighter or something.

I guess that makes me dumb.

Love my Masterpiece...it's a lovely piece of engineering. As good now as the day I got it nearly 10 years ago.

Like the difference between a Fender Strat and a Parker Fly...both nice to play, but one is superb and the other is a touch pedestrian (one for the guitarists out there).

Greetz

S.

[Ian]

I suspect with a Ti frame and Alu seatpost, some rather nice galvanic corrosion being (or part of) the issue - in which case I have a few ideas as to how this might have been fixed (It involves electricity)

I just had an image of a big feck-off vice screwed to the floor and a large burly bloke giving the thing a big tug. Probably only took 5 mins, but it wouldn't look such good value for money for JC if he wasn't kept waiting for 2 hours

[Zippy]

Here's an example of electricity use...plus chemicals.!

https://twitter.com/MadBuggyOfDoom/stat ... 9797155840

Had a very quick look at his site, and it includes carbon seatposts and stuff too. To be fair, if you're willing to sacrifice a seatpost - it's pretty easy. I reckon depending on the type of binding (and he seems pretty aware of oxidisation process' and stuff), so I think he has a range of tools depending on the type of bind. I reckon they include stuff like gentle heaters and cold packs (like you'd use for industrial sized bearings, but on smaller stuff), some controlled hydraulic adaptors and clamps (and probs a slide hammer too), and maybe a few chemicals.

If it didn't cost to much, and I had a spare frame, i quite fancy setting a challenge - although welding seatpost to frames is a bit un-gentlemanly.

[fatbikephil]

Clamping the seat post and using the frame as a lever to unstick it is a recipe for a bent frame if its proper siezed! Freeze spray if its alloy in Ti or steel. Oxy on the seat pin works to - it melts before the frame does....

[firedfromthecircus]

It's funny how the seatpost guy seems to incite ire in the minds of bike freaks!
There was a thread on retrobike where the guys services were mentioned which kicked off. Maybe some people don't like the idea of having to pay someone to do something a simple as removing a seatpost when there are all sorts of half-baked ideas and dodgy chemistry on show on youtube or your local cycle forum!
Thing is, what he does he seems to do very well. I think he's in the unit next door or pals with the guy who builds windcheetas and I'm sure there is some engineering knowledge between them two!
Anyway, John got a fairly expensive seatpost removed from a very expensive frame for the cost of half a saddle (Johns faves anyway!) and no tears, swearing or skint knuckles. Jobs a good 'un.

[mountainbaker]

I guess that makes me dumb.

Well, you also chose to do TD twice.

[johnnystorm]

If I had a post stuck in a Jones Ti I don't think I'd trust myself not to wreck it, a post stuck in an old inbred, etc....different story!

[Scattamah]

I guess that makes me dumb.

Well, you also chose to do TD twice.

Third time will be the charm...when I can afford it. That said...I don't think you have to be dumb to ride that...just stubborn.

Greetz

S.

[Richard G]

This happening is pretty much the reason I take the post out every few rides and give it a clean / bit of grease.

[voodoo_simon]

Cheers John, I just passed on the details to a customer of mine