So, I was cycling in this morning when all of a sudden......

gtvlusso
gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
edited April 2012 in Commuting chat
my seatpost started to 'self lower'.....I stopped and got off the bike, checked the bolt, that was set to 5Nm of torque when I built the bike, sure enough the bolt was tight, but the seatpost was still slipping.

Now, this is a carbon seatpost in a steel frame, so, setting a resonable torque to stop any damage to the carbon seatpost is a good thing to do. Anyhow, I am on the side of the road and only have a multi tool - so, I decide to very gradually tighten it up after resetting the correct height.

bolts spins after a little pressure; the threads in the braze on seat tube clamp have stripped......bugger

Getting a lift home tonight after cycling the rest of the way with the seat too low. back to Argos cycles tomorrow morning to have the clamp re-threaded.....

Comments

  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    Sounds like you need some anti-slip gunk
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • Twostage
    Twostage Posts: 987
    I've had a seat post bolt snap. Had to bike standing up for three miles. I carry a spare seat post bolt now.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    How the hell do you fcuk up that set up. I'd be looking at all the parts. You gorilla. LOL
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    fossyant wrote:
    How the hell do you fcuk up that set up. I'd be looking at all the parts. You gorilla. LOL

    I had the slot in the seat tube re-cut as it was pretty knackered and the whole seatube/seat stay connection area recently re-brazed. As such, the newly cut seat tube gap was allot more than the old one, so, it was going to take allot more force to close it up and grip the seatpost......the bike is quite old, so, in a way I am not surprised.....but it was annoying.
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    Twostage wrote:
    I've had a seat post bolt snap. Had to bike standing up for three miles. I carry a spare seat post bolt now.

    the seat angle on a campag seatpost went for me 13 miles home standing up... thank goodness it wasn't a fixed gear..
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • EKE_38BPM
    EKE_38BPM Posts: 5,821
    Clever Pun wrote:
    Twostage wrote:
    I've had a seat post bolt snap. Had to bike standing up for three miles. I carry a spare seat post bolt now.

    the seat angle on a campag seatpost went for me 13 miles home standing up... thank goodness it wasn't a fixed gear..
    My legs are hurting at the thought of riding 13 miles standing up on a fixie.
    The other day I gave my girlfriend a backie from one pub to another for about a mile through a park on my fixie. Really hard to get going and impossible to cruise. By the time I got to the second pub I was knackered and my thighs were shaking badly. I needed a couple of pints to regain my composure (and then I lost it again shortly after).
    FCN 3: Raleigh Record Ace fixie-to be resurrected sometime in the future
    FCN 4: Planet X Schmaffenschmack 2- workhorse
    FCN 9: B Twin Vitamin - winter commuter/loan bike for trainees

    I'm hungry. I'm always hungry!
  • walkingbootweather
    walkingbootweather Posts: 2,443
    Well if we are going to talk about knee tremblers we have had .....
    Nobody told me we had a communication problem
  • dav1
    dav1 Posts: 1,298
    I would be tempted to take the seat clamp off, removbe the bolt clean it up and regrease the bolt thread, this worked for my post when I had this issue. I also applied some grip paste at the same time to be sure.
    Giant TCR advanced 2 (Summer/race)
    Merlin single malt fixie (Commuter/winter/training)
    Trek superfly 7 (Summer XC)
    Giant Yukon singlespeed conversion (winter MTB/Ice/snow)

    Carrera virtuoso - RIP
  • Twostage
    Twostage Posts: 987
    walkingbootweather wrote:
    Well if we are going to talk about knee tremblers we have had .....
    I was thinking that. :D
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Dav1 wrote:
    I would be tempted to take the seat clamp off, removbe the bolt clean it up and regrease the bolt thread, this worked for my post when I had this issue. I also applied some grip paste at the same time to be sure.

    The clamp is a braze on. So, as the threads are pulled through I will need to get the threads re-cut. The bike is down at Argos cycles today for the work!
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,895
    Twostage wrote:
    walkingbootweather wrote:
    Well if we are going to talk about knee tremblers we have had .....
    I was thinking that. :D
    Knee trembler in the park. Reminds me of my youth. At least it was with the gf.
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • Levi_501
    Levi_501 Posts: 1,105
    Slip a second clamp on or (if they do the size) a double clamp. One part goes over the frame and tightens up, while the other part just clamps around the post itself.

    I found that carbon post slip, esp commuting.
  • madtam
    madtam Posts: 141
    Some time ago I had a seat post crack and simply fall off. I suspect it had cracked a while before and had been gradually getting worse. It was not funny for the 5 miles or so to get to work carrying the saddle because of course the broken bit was seized in the frame.
    Paid over the odds at the LBS to get is sorted for the return journey.
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Levi_501 wrote:
    Slip a second clamp on or (if they do the size) a double clamp. One part goes over the frame and tightens up, while the other part just clamps around the post itself.

    I found that carbon post slip, esp commuting.

    Thought about this, unfortunately - the top of the seat tube does not have enough material above the top tube for a clamp to fit. I can't even clamp below the top tube because of the braze on clamp and the seat stays are, very beautifully, brazed onto the seat tube and overlapped onto the top tube - it really is a beautiful frame, but a bugger when something goes bang.

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