Stuck seat post

[gazza19]

Hi everyone hope somebody can help me I’ve got a carrera mirage and the seat post is stuck any idea how to loosen it any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[egroover]

You could try WD40 spray down and leave for a few hours. Alternatively, I've read pouring boiling water from the kettle around the seat post frame will expand the metal and might allow it to be freed up

Good luck

 

[gazza19]

You could try WD40 spray down and leave for a few hours. Alternatively, I've read pouring boiling water from the kettle around the seat post frame will expand the metal and might allow it to be freed up

Good luck

Thank you will try that

 

[Nealh]

Hot air gun.

 

[soundwave]

 

[guerney]

Do you have plumber's sliding jaw pliers? If you're not too worried about deep scratches on the seatpost, you could try turning it using these:

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WD40, heat gun, hot water and the other suggestions as mentioned, also gentle tapping with a mallet.

 

[gazza19]

Hot air gun.

thank you neath

 

[Jodel]

There a few 'farmboy' type solutions too:

A 50/50 acetone and Auto Transmission Fluid mixture is a great penetrating fluid.
Clamp the seatpost in a vice and turn the frame
If you have access to a compressor, use an air-hammer to vibrate it loose - sounds like overkill, but I've never come across a stuck fastener which I couldn't remove with this method.

 

[Nealh]

Expanding the metal a little by heat should do the trick, one can always also try a bit of penetraing fluid. No naked flames though.
Once the seat tube is hot , tap the nose of the saddle from both side with a rubber mallet or wooden mallet to see if it will help brake the seal.

 

[Raboa]

Take the bottom bracket out and spray Plusgas down the seat tube.

 

[guerney]

Is that white residue aluminium oxide? If so, a weak acid solution such as citric acid or vinegar could dissolve or soften it, given time.

 

[AndyBike]

You need an engineers vice on a sturdy bench.
Method 1;
Strip bike.
Turn upside down and clamp the jaws around the seatpost, it will get very good grip, crush post if needed.
Turn entire frame to break the corrosion seal.
Waggle back and forth and use upward pressure to help pull it out the frame.
Throw post in bin.

Method 2;
Remove bottom bracket, and stuff up the tube blocking it. Plasticine works good here.
Saw off seatpost about 1/2" from top of frame.
Pour in a strong drain cleaner.
Do outside as the fumes coming off are lethal
Peek in and watch the alloy seatpost dissolving. DO NOT use this method if the frame is alloy too. because the frame will also dissolve.

Method 3;

Saw off seatpost 1" from top of frame, then using bi-metal saw blade held in a cloth or hacksaw handle(theres a type for broken blades- I'll post up an example)
Carefully saw through the seatpost lengthwise, its a tricky job, but for some the preferred method.
When you feel you are 99% through, use something like mole grips to crush the post, one side of the cut and turn it inwards to itself, its like curling one side. This breaks the corrosion grip and makes the post smaller

Over on RetroBike, we are the home of stuck seatpost removal, theres literally dozens of threads pertaining to this, the three above are examples. I've personally used 1 and 3.

Heat or flame is really the last resort as it either wrecks the paint, or can cause the frame seat tube to crack, especially if an alloy frame.

After removal it is expected that you wave freed seatpost above your head shouting Way-hey, got ye ya bast$%^

There is a 4th way, involving something called Gallium. But suitable if only the post is alloy.


Gallium results-

They also try it on an alloy bicycle.

 

[gazza19]

You need an engineers vice on a sturdy bench.
Method 1;
Strip bike.
Turn upside down and clamp the jaws around the seatpost, it will get very good grip, crush post if needed.
Turn entire frame to break the corrosion seal.
Waggle back and forth and use upward pressure to help pull it out the frame.
Throw post in bin.

Method 2;
Remove bottom bracket, and stuff up the tube blocking it. Plasticine works good here.
Saw off seatpost about 1/2" from top of frame.
Pour in a strong drain cleaner.
Do outside as the fumes coming off are lethal
Peek in and watch the alloy seatpost dissolving. DO NOT use this method if the frame is alloy too. because the frame will also dissolve.

Method 3;

Saw off seatpost 1" from top of frame, then using bi-metal saw blade held in a cloth or hacksaw handle(theres a type for broken blades- I'll post up an example)
Carefully saw through the seatpost lengthwise, its a tricky job, but for some the preferred method.
When you feel you are 99% through, use something like mole grips to crush the post, one side of the cut and turn it inwards to itself, its like curling one side. This breaks the corrosion grip and makes the post smaller

Over on RetroBike, we are the home of stuck seatpost removal, theres literally dozens of threads pertaining to this, the three above are examples. I've personally used 1 and 3.

Heat or flame is really the last resort as it either wrecks the paint, or can cause the frame seat tube to crack, especially if an alloy frame.

After removal it is expected that you wave freed seatpost above your head shouting Way-hey, got ye ya bast$%^

There is a 4th way, involving something called Gallium. But suitable if only the post is alloy.
View attachment 48606

Gallium results-

They also try it on an alloy bicycle.

thank you will give a them a try its good to be part of a forum to get help of other people

 

[gazza19]

Expanding the metal a little by heat should do the trick, one can always also try a bit of penetraing fluid. No naked flames though.
Once the seat tube is hot , tap the nose of the saddle from both side with a rubber mallet or wooden mallet to see if it will help brake the seal.

thanks neath will give that a try got to sort out my electric bike now gone to turn it on at the throttle and no power what are the tests i can do to determine what the problem could be

 

[Nealh]

Start a new thread/post to seperate the issues.

 

[guerney]

You could try a strong alkaline solution instead, which might soften or dissolve aluminium oxide: dissolve a lot of bicarbonate of soda in half a cup of hot water, to the point of saturation (when crystals no longer dissolve), and apply just the clear liquid, leave it to stand for a few minutes, apply more etc.

 

[AndyBike]

You could try a strong alkaline solution instead, which might soften or dissolve aluminium oxide: dissolve a lot of bicarbonate of soda in half a cup of hot water, to the point of saturation (when crystals no longer dissolve), and apply just the clear liquid, leave it to stand for a few minutes, apply more etc.

DONT USE HOT WATER Use cold water.
I forget the reason but it does something dangerous to the reaction. Someone on another bike forum who deals in chemicals warned everyone in a thread about this.

 

[guerney]

DONT USE HOT WATER Use cold water.
I forget the reason but it does something dangerous to the reaction. Someone on another bike forum who deals in chemicals warned everyone in a thread about this.

As far as I know, all hot water does is help dissolve it. Otherwise cakes would be far more dangerous.

 

[Jodel]

Over on RetroBike, we are the home of stuck seatpost removal, theres literally dozens of threads pertaining to this, the three above are examples. I've personally used 1 and 3.

AndyBike - thanks for mentioning the RetroBike site. I didn't know about it. I still have my 1980's Raleigh Clubman 12 and my 1993 DynaTech 755Ti race bike, they'd fit in well on that forum