Lenz seatpost stuck...any helpful hints?
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Thomson 410mm layback.jl said:
I used a ton of grease.
Apparently, according to Devin, some welds inside weren't cleaned up or something? He was willing to fix it or whatever but I didn't see the need..until now!
I'm "letting" the liquid wrench sit over night..but I sure hope there is light at the end of the tunnel...
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would cold on the post accomplish the same?
Tex Mannz OK I know this may sound extreme said:Maybe an ice pack wrapped around the exposed post while you heat the tube with a blow dryer...........it might work?!
You could always beat on it with a worthless old Sidi Shoe
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I believe TI is requires a special lubricant to avoid seizing. Though if the seatpost isn't TI, I wouldnt think it necessary. Go with the propane torch, at worst it will ruin your paint job. Paint is overrated anyway, and I am sure you have dings on it already. The framed is TI, your aren't going to melt it.
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I had a similar experience with a new bike. A small burr at the tt/st junction caught the post and basically stopped it moving. I jammed the post down a bit more to try and release the burr then twistwd it back and forward while yanking up on the saddle. It came out but the post was a mess. This happened on my test ride and the LBS (mtnhighcyclery.com) took care of the burr/s and post for me.
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If it's aluminum to aluminum bonding you can use ammonia to dissolve the corrosion. I had to do this with a stem/steerer tube once. It's toxic (obviously) and a pain in the ass to work with but it did the job.
But if you can get the post to spin I would say the likelihood of getting it out is pretty high. Does the seat tube feel bulged where the post in inserted into the frame ? This would indicate that the inside diameter of the seat tube is off (or the post is the wrong size)
But if you can get the post to spin I would say the likelihood of getting it out is pretty high. Does the seat tube feel bulged where the post in inserted into the frame ? This would indicate that the inside diameter of the seat tube is off (or the post is the wrong size)
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20.100 FR said:put the frame upside down and fill the seat tube with lubricant
heat gently the frame with an hair dryer
cool the seatpost with a co2 cartridge
use a coin to push on the skrew of the fast release so that it opens wide.[/QUOT
This method should work. I would use ammonia instead of lubricant, sounds like there has been some galling, and you need to dissolve this metal/metal bonding as much as posssible, not just lubricate it. Take out the crank and bottom bracket, get a 2' long piece of wood clothes closet bar, wrap tape around it to make it about the same diameter as the bottom bracket With the frame hanging upside down and the seat post end plugged, fill the seat post/seat tube up with ammonia so that the whole post/tube intersection is submerged. Put the closet bar in the BB shell in a "T" fashion, put an old seat on the post. Put some tape around the top of the seat tube so the ammonia doesn't leak out. Wait three or four hours and then try twisting them apart again, takes two people unless you have the closet bar secured to something solid. If it doesn't work, wait 24 hours and try again. If it still doesn't work, wait another 24 hours. If it is still stuck, go get some dry ice. Unplug the seat tube, drain the ammonia, and then stuff dry ice chunks three to four inches up the seat post. Heat the seat tube with the hair drier. Twist. If this doesn't work, then you have to cut the post off with one inch left out of the seat tube, get a brand new triangular file and file a groove in the thin side of the post, CAREFULLY, until you are a paper thin distance from the seat tube. Drill a 3/8" hole in the seat post and put a 3/8 x 6 carriage bolt through it as a "T" handle and twist and pull. It WILL come out.
I made a seat tube "hone" out of a wood dowel with 400 grit sand paper glued to it. Get a dowel that is smaller by 1/16" or more and wrap enough sand paper around it until it fits with minimal space, it needs to have little slop to keep from distorting the bore of the seat tube. Hone the seat tube once you have the post out.
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Park two cars rear bumper to rear bumper w/about 10 feet of space between the bumpers. Tie the bb junction to one bumber and the seat/post to the other bumper. Drive one car away slowly.
Nah, don't do that. It would probably pull a bumper off.
Nah, don't do that. It would probably pull a bumper off.
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lithiapark said:Call me lazy, but all this seems like too much work. FedEx that thing back to Devin it'll take about the same amount of time, save you grief and further aggravation, not to mention fixing the problem so it doesn't happen again.20.100 FR said:put the frame upside down and fill the seat tube with lubricant
heat gently the frame with an hair dryer
cool the seatpost with a co2 cartridge
use a coin to push on the skrew of the fast release so that it opens wide.[/QUOT
This method should work. I would use ammonia instead of lubricant, sounds like there has been some galling, and you need to dissolve this metal/metal bonding as much as posssible, not just lubricate it. Take out the crank and bottom bracket, get a 2' long piece of wood clothes closet bar, wrap tape around it to make it about the same diameter as the bottom bracket With the frame hanging upside down and the seat post end plugged, fill the seat post/seat tube up with ammonia so that the whole post/tube intersection is submerged. Put the closet bar in the BB shell in a "T" fashion, put an old seat on the post. Put some tape around the top of the seat tube so the ammonia doesn't leak out. Wait three or four hours and then try twisting them apart again, takes two people unless you have the closet bar secured to something solid. If it doesn't work, wait 24 hours and try again. If it still doesn't work, wait another 24 hours. If it is still stuck, go get some dry ice. Unplug the seat tube, drain the ammonia, and then stuff dry ice chunks three to four inches up the seat post. Heat the seat tube with the hair drier. Twist. If this doesn't work, then you have to cut the post off with one inch left out of the seat tube, get a brand new triangular file and file a groove in the thin side of the post, CAREFULLY, until you are a paper thin distance from the seat tube. Drill a 3/8" hole in the seat post and put a 3/8 x 6 carriage bolt through it as a "T" handle and twist and pull. It WILL come out.
I made a seat tube "hone" out of a wood dowel with 400 grit sand paper glued to it. Get a dowel that is smaller by 1/16" or more and wrap enough sand paper around it until it fits with minimal space, it needs to have little slop to keep from distorting the bore of the seat tube. Hone the seat tube once you have the post out.
e
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LOL!!! You're right, I just never thought of that. It strikes me as funny 'cause its true and I realize I never think about letting anyone else help me. Even if I don't know what I'm doing, I just charge ahead. Occaisionally when the problem is resolved, I recognize how much time I spent working on a problem instead of riding one of my other bikes and wish I'd made another choice (seems like there might be a metaphor for my life in here somewhere). But I learn a lot of interesting things along the way.escamillo said:
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