Getting seat clamp repaired

sicknote

Hi All ,

I have a old Specialized Epic with 105 Shimano through out and not in bad nick for the age but half the seat clamp is broken and now the seat will not stay up when riding it

I was hoping I might be able to get it repaired and hope I hear good news!

Some info on the frame
Its one of the first carbon bikes ( so I have been told ) but has Ali joints, which is part what has broken and here is a pic.

Thanks for any help as I need and want to save this if I can.

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Monty Dog

You might be able to find a local welder who can repair it, but I couldn't vouch for it in the long run. There's virtually no options either because of the design of the seat lug cluster. to save you from what could be a potential scrapper would be to glue an old post in with epoxy- no going back but you can still ride it.

Yossie

That there is 99.9999999999% fecked I'm afraid - the only thing you could do is to get a welder to fill it with weld and drill a new hole in: remeber that it has to be an ali welder as well. Perhaps worth a couple of calls to some frame builders - check "Ti frame broken" thread for listings I posted there.

Alternatively: get the seat to the correct height and central, drill hole right through frame and seat post, thread bolt through with nut on the other end - ugly as sin but will do the job and not as permanent as the epoxy route.

If you're not a porker you may even get away with not having a nut on the end - do it from behind the seat post and use a couple of M5 pan heads that will sit flush against the frame. Paint over screw heads to cover Heath Robinson repair.

If the hole you drill is tight enough they will hold themselves in place - drill an exact straight 5mm hole and you will either have to screw the pan head in (if so, unscrew it straight away - it will cut its own thread, throw it in next door's garden, get fresh pan head, bit of lock nut and screw in again - it should hold itself in) or smack it in with a lump hammer.

If you do have to use a nut I suggest that you use a fairly small flat nut and nut lock (Loctite red is perfect for this) the bolt in place, cut of excess bolt to make it all as small as possible.

If you clean it all up and do it tidily it may not even look too bad.

Altenatively pop rivet it in place - if you rivet it from behind and paint over the rivet heads you may get away with it. Use two or three, one below each other from behind the seat post. They will sit really flush and probably make a tidier job than the bolt/screw/nut route.

Options 2 & 3 above are a last resort but if it keeps the bike on the road I've seen worse.

Option 4 is as 2 but with a self tapper, but that's just horrible bodgery that would play on my conscience and make me feel soiled and dirty.

HTH

sicknote

Thanks for the ideas guy's as I dont have the money for a new frame yet but do have all the tools, plus the bolts to put in it.

I like the bike and would be a shame to bin it, so will have a a look into bolting it, plus it means I can still get out on it, as I am just starting to get fit again.

Dmak

Repair washer on the broken side. Slightly longer bolt with a pan head on the washer side. Couple with a suitable nut on or in the good side and you could be good to go. It looks like it might just make it but it is cutting it close.

sicknote

I have taken the quick release bolt off my hybrid and seeing how that goes and as Dmak says I think it might just work and would have found out today if i had not been knocked off the bike 2 minutes after getting on it.
Lucky I think its just the front wheel that needs replacing I hope and that he will pay for it

I was starting to get fit as well.

Dmak

Sicknote wrote:

I have taken the quick release bolt off my hybrid and seeing how that goes and as Dmak says I think it might just work and would have found out today if i had not been knocked off the bike 2 minutes after getting on it.
Lucky I think its just the front wheel that needs replacing I hope and that he will pay for it

I was starting to get fit as well.

Sorry to hear that. What happened?

sicknote

I was going back home as my bottom bracket was lose, to do it up and going round a mini round about, guy did not look and hit my front wheel.
Which is now very bend but looks like the bike is ok and the bolt from my hybrid works

Just got to get a price for the new wheel and go from there and using a spare from my other bike which is too small anyway.

pete.whelan

Try and get a new frsme from him as well

sicknote

He made a mistake and until now has been fair with me, so just going to do the wheel which is all that is needed