Hello, I just thought that I would share my experience with a Giant dropper post being stuck in a Giant frame. I bought the frame second handed already knowing that the post was stuck. My thinking was "a stuck post, how hard could it be to get that out", boy would I regret that line of thinking.
(A bit long, my solution found in last two paragraphs)
It all started out so simple. I had a bike stand, WD40, a good pair of grip pliers (hint, don't use them unless you DO NOT intend on using the post again:nono
, an old inner tube (was supposed to help protect post from the dreaded grippies), a rubber mallet, and a lot of time and determination...so I thought:madman:.
I started by removing the seat clamp then tapping a very small screwdriver in between the post and the frame to get the WD40 some room to work. Let that sit for a few minutes then flipped the bike over and spayed the WD in through the bottom bracket. let sit. Flipped bike back around and gave the top of the post (seat removed) a few whacks with the mallet. I got this, no problem!
Wrapped the post with the inner tube, clamped on my trusty grippies:skep: and... two and half hours later, all that I had accomplished was to relieve myself of a lot more WD40, work up a sweat from hitting and "trying" to twist the damned thing, scrape up the dropper post, and totally neglect my children.
Did I mention the swearing??? Oh, there was lots and lots of swearing!
Decided that this thing is bigger than me, so I headed over to the local bike shop (LBS). After I explained my situation, the first thing that I got from the guy was a chuckle and a pitiful shake of the head. Some of the things that he suggested seemed like it would damage the frame but he did turn me on to something called PB Blaster. Off to Autozone for a can of PBB.
Spray,flip, spray,sit. Research. Whack, twist (with an old seat clamped in), spray, whack, twist, spray. More research. lemon juice, cola, whack, twist,spray.
(I know, research and LBS should have been first. Mind your own business, I'm doing this my way damn it!)
Day 4 and still no movement from this thing:
I didn't want to put the post in a vice and twist the frame, that just seemed like it would end in a bad outcome. The heat thing didn't seem right to me either.
I didn't have access to dry ice. Also, I didn't need anything else taking up space inside of the seat tube. But I did have a bag of ice in the deep freezer, what the heck!
I used isopropyl alcohol to clear all of the other stuff that I had been sending down the seat tube over the past few days. I wrapped a bag of ice around the frame seat tube then secured that in a large towel to keep insulated, let sit for 30mins. just before I unwrapped the towel I spayed the seat tube with some compressed air (the stuff that you clean off your keyboard with) just turn the can upside down and sprayed the already cold area... Super Freeze!!!
Gave the attached seat a couple of whack, and to my surprise, it moved a couple millimeters :eekster:. Gave it a few hits in the other direction, then back again. Each time the seat would turn just a little more. I then gave it a few upward whacks... yup, it moved. I was then able to twist it back & forth by hand and pull it up...Awesome!!!
I know that this is a bit long winded, but for those who have gone through it, you understand. And for the who will go through it, you will understand.
Now I have to go and reconnect with my children.
(A bit long, my solution found in last two paragraphs)
It all started out so simple. I had a bike stand, WD40, a good pair of grip pliers (hint, don't use them unless you DO NOT intend on using the post again:nono
, an old inner tube (was supposed to help protect post from the dreaded grippies), a rubber mallet, and a lot of time and determination...so I thought:madman:.I started by removing the seat clamp then tapping a very small screwdriver in between the post and the frame to get the WD40 some room to work. Let that sit for a few minutes then flipped the bike over and spayed the WD in through the bottom bracket. let sit. Flipped bike back around and gave the top of the post (seat removed) a few whacks with the mallet. I got this, no problem!
Wrapped the post with the inner tube, clamped on my trusty grippies:skep: and... two and half hours later, all that I had accomplished was to relieve myself of a lot more WD40, work up a sweat from hitting and "trying" to twist the damned thing, scrape up the dropper post, and totally neglect my children.
Did I mention the swearing??? Oh, there was lots and lots of swearing!
Decided that this thing is bigger than me, so I headed over to the local bike shop (LBS). After I explained my situation, the first thing that I got from the guy was a chuckle and a pitiful shake of the head. Some of the things that he suggested seemed like it would damage the frame but he did turn me on to something called PB Blaster. Off to Autozone for a can of PBB.
Spray,flip, spray,sit. Research. Whack, twist (with an old seat clamped in), spray, whack, twist, spray. More research. lemon juice, cola, whack, twist,spray.
(I know, research and LBS should have been first. Mind your own business, I'm doing this my way damn it!)
Day 4 and still no movement from this thing:
I didn't want to put the post in a vice and twist the frame, that just seemed like it would end in a bad outcome. The heat thing didn't seem right to me either.
I didn't have access to dry ice. Also, I didn't need anything else taking up space inside of the seat tube. But I did have a bag of ice in the deep freezer, what the heck!
I used isopropyl alcohol to clear all of the other stuff that I had been sending down the seat tube over the past few days. I wrapped a bag of ice around the frame seat tube then secured that in a large towel to keep insulated, let sit for 30mins. just before I unwrapped the towel I spayed the seat tube with some compressed air (the stuff that you clean off your keyboard with) just turn the can upside down and sprayed the already cold area... Super Freeze!!!
Gave the attached seat a couple of whack, and to my surprise, it moved a couple millimeters :eekster:. Gave it a few hits in the other direction, then back again. Each time the seat would turn just a little more. I then gave it a few upward whacks... yup, it moved. I was then able to twist it back & forth by hand and pull it up...Awesome!!!
I know that this is a bit long winded, but for those who have gone through it, you understand. And for the who will go through it, you will understand.
Now I have to go and reconnect with my children.
