Carbon Seatpost stuck in Carbon Frame....???

shane515

Hello all

I didnt think this was possible but even after what I thought was regular checking it happened......the carbon seatpost is stuck in the carbon frame

Does anyone know any ways of getting out, if the seatpost get wrecked so be it.....but I MUST NOT damage the frame

Any help would be greatly appreciated :oops:

Shane

ronthechef

I had this problem in the summer with a bike I bought on eBay,,,,,,,I tried everything,heating/cooling/coca cola/wd40/praying/vice/brute force, nothing moved it. I bought some plusgas let it soak in for a few days,,,,And finally the f@cker moved

shane515

I have tried another half can of GT85 around the collar but like you say nothing seems to be moving it......thanks for the Plusgas tip, will give it a try.

Really concerned that Im going to damage the frame

Shane

darren H

I know it doesnt help but I take my seat post out a few times a year and clean and lubricate. t does make a difference.

You could try a trick like heating the area of the frame were the seat post goes in with a hair dryer. It may expand the frame that little bit to get it out. ?

Ever since I got one stuck years ago ive always taken mine out on a reglar basis. Never had the carbon to carbon prolem as I wont own a carbon frame.

good luck mate

ronthechef

Which frame/seat post is it?

shane515

I usually take the post out regular (obviously not enough) as I was always fearful of getting it stuck......was away with my bike and tried to put into bag and ........bo110x it wouldnt come out!

The seatpost is a Campag Chorus and the frame is a Focus Cayo but having looked closely at the frame, Im not sure its Carbon over alu seat tube?????

confused........

mmacavity

Probably does have an aluminium tube/ sleeve at the top of seat tube.
If so then it might be possible use hot (warm) water to heat up / expand the aluminium enough to remove.
Remove the bottom bracket and if there is a hole through the BB shell to the seat tube then you could pour warm water into the seat tube to warm up the aluminium seat tube liner.
This will take a number of attempts gradually to warm things up (or you might get it first time) its just trial and error.
40 degrees C will probably be the hottest you can go to.

gundersen

Not quite sure of what to think about this one.

But I would imagine the problem is that either the frame or most likely the post has some paint/varnish on it. And its this that is causing the problem.

Personally I would take some soapy water and try and get some down between post and frame. try and twist/push/pull by hand to help and get the soap moving. (laying the frame upside down in a bath tub full of soapy water ?)

If it is as I suspect a paint problem then heat would surely only worsen the problem. Making the paint softer and making it stick more.

Old Tuggo

If it is metal to metal then try leaving it out in the cold this weather (say all night) and then having another try. I managed to move a stuck campag seatpost (which had been seized for a number of years) from a steel frame after it had been in the garage at -6C. Although I did make a mess of the saddle bashing it with a mallet.

godihatehills

have a look at this, hes pretty knowledgable, youve doen a lot of stuff but towards the end might be of use:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/10/ ... post_99640

shane515

Thanks all for advice and the website looks interesting, tried the CO2 cartridge thing and thought it moved by no, it was in my mind........have spoken to LBS who said bring it and will 'try' to remove it.

But once the seatpost is done for if it hasnt come out the bike is useless......big decision time

Thanks again all

Shane

Wappygixer

I've removed a few stuck seat posts over the years.
One way in which I've never been beaten is to cut the post just above the collar.
Then with a hacksaw blade cut down the length of the post as it goes into the frame.
Its a long drawn out job but works.
You must keep the hacksaw blade level so as not to cut the frame.
Once you have cut through then start again in a different place so as to remove a length.
The remaining post will now almost fall out.
Good luck and keep at it, its very rewarding when it does go.

shane515

thanks for the advice Wappygixer.......Im starting to think its my last option. If I go down this route was is the 'usual' state of the seatpost collar on the bike itself?

Thanks again
Shane

bexley5200

had the same problem on my scott used spray oil eventualy twisted it free ,twisting the sadell then put loads of grease,ps do not use lithium grease,as it drys to a powder.

tri-sexual

same advice as wappygixer, but will cut tube a few centimeters above the collar rather than close to it as this gives you something to grip onto (with a vice or pump pliers etc).
i will also make a few cuts at least 3 so that when the seat tube breaks then it is easier to get out. really long cr@ppy process but it will come out.
i will try others methods before having to cut though, use loads of wd40 (no other spray as in my experience they dont work) around the area and leave it to penetrate (dont rush it, give it a few hours or overnight), then twist the saddle back and forth, takes quite alot of force, if you can move it then use more wd40 as you go. i got a few out using this method, if seat tube breaks or it doesnt work then you will need to cut
normally caused by lacquer on post "sticking" on the frame seat tube, if you do get it out then lubricate the seat post (with grease) and dont overtighten
let us know how you get on

expatbore

I have been reading this thread a great deal over the last couple of months....it has kept my spirits up! Here's my story. I bought a Pinarello FP5 on ebay, which had a busted downtube, and had generally been bashed about a bit. I have some 'previous' on fixing bust carbon frames and so, bingo, managed to patch this one up nicely. Then, of course, I found the seatpost was stuck fast.

So, usual routine, tried LBS, and then PlusGas - not a peep. Today I started the 'hacksaw' method, and it has been going pretty badly...so grateful any further tips from Wappy and Tri,

So I hacked off the tube (it is also carbon wrapped around alu) and started with the cutting down the length of the tube. This proved tricky as, despite a special 'long' hacksaw I bought, the tube is still longer than the blade. Three cuts in and nothing much is moving/happening other than one of the sections bends in a bit! Harrumph.

Any advice? I have a radical suggestion - since the inside of the seattube measures c.27mm, I could just leave the damn thing there and buy a 26.8mm seatpost to go inside it, or a shim?

father_jack

I wonder if you have a accurate jig, hold the frame in grips then use a large drill bit, and cut along the seat post? Would have to be darn accurate..

expatbore

Nope, no jig...all by hand sadly..

father_jack

I had a stuck seatpost too :-( £500 MTB alu...stuck damaged the frame removing the seatpost :-(

Monty Dog

The only way you could safely 'drill' a frame IME is using a large drill press, jig-borer or milling machine and the frame accurately clamped / jigged to get the seattube dead-vertical. Likewise, you couldn't control any handtool well enough to prevent damage to the frame - besides, it's not as though they sell 25mm plus drill bits down B&Q either.
Most carbon frames have an aluminium insert for the seatpost and therein lies the problem - water accelerates galvanic corrosion with the carbon, leading to the formation of aluminium oxide which 'locks' the post in position. Something like Plusgas might help to penetrate the joint but it often comes down to brute force or mechanical means to break the joint. Fit an old saddle to the post, clamp upside down in a vice/workmate and use the frame as a lever to try and twist it free - otherwise hacksaw is your only option. FWIW I use a USE acetal shim and a narrower seatpost on all my carbon frames to eliminate this problem. I've seen people break frames trying to release a stuck post!

crankycrank

Another option. Google adjustable hand reamers for a tool supplier near you. The cheapest one you can find will be sufficient. Ream away until you have removed all traces of the seatpost. Not difficult but be very careful not to go too far and cut into the seat tube itself.

expatbore

Thanks MD. My solution in the end was to go down the 'seatpost-within-a-seatpost' option. So I hacked off the original Most post to the exact level of the top of the seat tube.

Luckily the original was an oversized (30mm +) tube so then I fitted a new, very cheap, alloy seatpost with a 26.8mm diameter (i.e. even smaller than the normal narrow seatpost option 27.2mm), which I found on Chain Reaction.

Took a bit of twisting/sandpapering, but I now have a fully functioning seatpost and bike.

This is obviously not the ideal option, as I now have a suspiciously thin looking seatpost, and the extra weight of another permanently stuck in the seat tube. That said, it's working and I can ride it, which I couldn't before as the last owner was quite a bit taller than me, so looking at it like that, I'm a bike up on the deal!!

expatbore

Oh and thanks CrankyCrank, just seen your post - may try that to get it back to 'normal' one day.....a very smart suggestion

chicken_leg

I know it doesnt help but I take my seat post out a few times a year and clean and lubricate. t does make a difference.

Catching this thread again has got me thinking. Having had my carbon frame/carbon post (alloy clamp I think) for six months, is it about time I fished it out for a polish. Question is, what 'lubricant' should be applied?? I would have thought something more 'anti-seize' would be preferable to actually slippy?

What does everyone else use?
cheers
G

rhnb

I use this (carbon seatpost / carbon frame)...

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... INILUBE364

Not had any issues and you don't have to overtighten to avoid slipping.

I take the post out a couple of times a year, give it a good clean, another smear of this stuff and back in it goes. Has always come out quite easily.

Cheeers... Allan

shaw8670

probably not very helpful at the moment, but when this experience is over, next time you have a crappy old saddle you are going to chuck, keep it with your toolkit for seatpost removing duty as in my experience this wrecks good saddles.