Do seatposts have a short shelf life? Or wheel rims?

pianoman
pianoman Posts: 706
edited November 2010 in Workshop
For the last week or so, whenever I've been out on the bike I can't help but notice a lack of responsiveness round corners from the rear wheel, also it feels like vibrations from the back of the bike are noticebale than usual. I showed the rear wheel to my LBS and yet they're convinced it's nothing to do with the wheel trueness as it was spinning freely and straight. So I put the seatpost and saddle off an old bike in and from riding it up and down the road, most if not all the strange feedback appears to have gone.

So could my Campag Record seatpost be in need of just a new clamp? Or should I just junk it and get a new post? It was very difficult to squeeze into the seat tube at first yet my old Smica post that I tried today slid in with much less difficulty. Is the carbon giving off warning signs I wonder? Or should I check inside the wheel to see if something is wrong at, say, the hubs?

Comments

  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    I don't think seatposts "go off" unless they've been physically damaged. Sounds more like the hub to me. If the bearings aren't sealed you could give them a good clean, check for damage, regrease and see if that helps. If the bearings are slightly loose you may get the symptoms you describe?
    The Master
    The Moser
    The VN
  • pianoman
    pianoman Posts: 706
    Well, even on smooth roads the rear wheel is feeling a little "bumpy" and it also feels like it's understeering more than usual. And it's not like tyre degradation is a big issue with Panaracer Extreme Duro's. I'm thinking maybe the wheel has been vertically out of true ever since I hit a nasty pothole a week or so ago. It's not laterally out because it spins straight on its axle when you lift the back wheel up.
  • UpTheWall
    UpTheWall Posts: 207
    PianoMan wrote:
    So could my Campag Record seatpost be in need of just a new clamp? Or should I just junk it and get a new post? It was very difficult to squeeze into the seat tube at first yet my old Smica post that I tried today slid in with much less difficulty. Is the carbon giving off warning signs I wonder? Or should I check inside the wheel to see if something is wrong at, say, the hubs?

    Have you got some decent lube to put on the post - the stuff that increases the friction between the metals? i was getting a funny feel, and lots of creaking until I did that with my cf seatpost.
    (Get the stuff that's designed for CF so that you need less torque on your seat clap screw.)
    PianoMan wrote:
    For the last week or so, whenever I've been out on the bike I can't help but notice a lack of responsiveness round corners from the rear wheel, also it feels like vibrations from the back of the bike are noticebale than usual. I showed the rear wheel to my LBS and yet they're convinced it's nothing to do with the wheel trueness as it was spinning freely and straight. So I put the seatpost and saddle off an old bike in and from riding it up and down the road, most if not all the strange feedback appears to have gone.

    Worth checking over your frame for cracks. My front end was getting a bit twitchy on corners when descending on my alu allez, and it turned out I had a semi-circular crack half way round my downtube at the front!!!

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