Help - Stuck Seatpost

JasonMad

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I have a Litespeed Titanium Frame with a Carbon Seatpost well and truely stuck.

Any tips?

Thank you.

McBain_v1

Saw through the seatpost, then you can get it out easier by inserting a small jemmy bar into the tube and hauling upwards!

Alternatively, have you tried some penetrating oil around the seat post / frame?

longer

Jason,

Before getting too brutal with the bike; try heating up the seattube with either a hair dryer or a hot air gun. Mind the paint if you use a full on hot air gun.

Longer

McBain_v1

Does CF heat up slower than Titanium? If not, this could just make the seat post expand inside the frame :shock:

JustRidecp

I think carbon fibre has a lower thermal expansion coefficient than metals so this shouldn't be a problem. Could be wrong, any engineers here?

OnTow

sheldonbrown.com has a good article on the removal of carbon posts.
When you do finally get it moving, apparently you should stop regularly, as the friction will cause it to heat up.
When refitting, obviously, stick some carbon post compatible grease round it - I read somewhere that you should wiggle it once a month to prevent seizure.

rhys_gibby

Get a couple of friends round - I managed to get a what was a stuck seatpost out. I was holding the seat tube in one hand and a hair dryer just below the seat clamp, one was holding the front of the bike, and the other was giving the saddle some grief and eventually got the thing out.

pigman

are stuck carbon seatposts a common thing. I know the old alloy pin / steel frame combo needed greasing, but I thought carbon was different. I've inserted my carbon seatpin dry about a year ago and not touched it since.. is it likely, i've I cocked up, or are the cases above just isolated instances?

JustRidecp

pigman wrote:

are stuck carbon seatposts a common thing. I know the old alloy pin / steel frame combo needed greasing, but I thought carbon was different. I've inserted my carbon seatpin dry about a year ago and not touched it since.. is it likely, i've I cocked up, or are the cases above just isolated instances?

I'm in a similar situation although mines sitting in a shim thats greased aganist the frame. I hope if it does seize then the shim should still slip out. Fingers crossed!

DavidBelcher

Pigman - far from it, sounds like you've done the right thing. Having spoken to a few bike shops and owners of carbon bikes, you've 2 options;

a) Special carbon-only assembly grease as made by Tacx
b) No grease (or indeed lube of any sort) at all

Ordinary grease (and stuff such as WD40) is a bad thing; it permeates unlacquered parts of the carbon and causes swelling (in much the same way as a Weetabix does once it's soaked all the milk up!), resulting in stuck seat pillar grief for all combos, whether metal frame/carbon post, carbon frame/metal post, or carbon frame & post - I've had personal experience of the first two.

David