Slambert

I just picked up a bike that I thought had a missing seat tube. I went to install the new one and it wouldn't go into the bike all the way. Turns out, the old one had slipped down into the frame. I can see it in there, about 3-4 inches down. How can I get the old seat post out of the frame?

Any ideas are appreciated.

Frustrated,

Steve

sydney

Tried truning the frame upside down and tapping on BB or seattube. Maybe a big magnet if the AWOL post is steel.

dafydd

coat hanger if that doesn't work

jsharr

maybe you could fabricate an expander like on a quill stem. Get a piece of wooden dowel that will just slide into the seat tube, about a foot long, so you have a handle left to grab onto, about 2 feet of all thread, and a nut and washer to fit on the all thread. Drill a hole through the middle, of the dowel lengthwise, large enoug for the all thread to fit into. Now cut the dowel into two pieces about an inch from the end at a 45 degree angle. Insert the all thread into the b oth pieces dowel rod, and place a washer and nut on each end. You have now made a two foot long wedge bolt sort of like a quill stem. Insert this in the seat post, turn the top nut until it is very snug and see if you can extract the seat post from the seat tube. Should be able to buy a foot of dowel, two feet of all thread, two washers and two nuts for a few dollars at a hardware store. good luck

Slambert

Just tried turning it upside down and rapping on it with a hammer. Didn't move. I think it's been in there for... I don't know how long, but the bike isn't that old and it isn't too rusty in there. I will try the coat hanger, then try to figure out that extractor idea...

If anyone else has ideas, please post 'em.

Thanks,

Steve

sydney

No workee...Dollars to donuts, that runaway post has a much smaller hole at the top than even the inner diameter of it's base which would still be smaller than the seattube diameter. Some of the straight ones don't even have a hole thru them.

sydney

Coat hanger or other stiff rod with a hook on the end is probably best bet if post has a hole all the way thru it.

Rev.Chuck

One other trick to try. We used this often to move bearings in cases(Not a bike thing ). Rap the frame against a board. That is swing the frame, at the seat tube, down on to a board like it was a hammer and the board was the nail. The post has inertia and it will try to keep moving when the frame stops on the board. This works surprising well.

Slambert

Mmmm, interesting. I now need to own up and tell you all that this bike is actually a weird trike/truck thing. Lifting the frame like a hammer would actually be kinda tricky. It looks like this:



That front loader tray is steel and pretty heavy. The whole thing is heavy in fact. Although, it's an option if this hook thing doesn't work out and I get desperate and take it apart.

Thanks!

Rev.Chuck

Go to the gym for a few months. Work on your upper body. Big weight, reps to failure, low sets, drop weight ten pecent per set, do til failure. You will be ready in no time.

Actually. You can do it with a freind pretty easy. turn it upside down and have a freind hold it by the front wheels. Then pick up the seat tube end and let it drop onto the board. Be sure to use a block of wood. you want a good solid stop of the frame but soft enough to not damage the tubing.

supcom

Maybe one of those toggles you stick through drywall to secure something to a wall. Get a small one and a long piece of threaded rod that will screw into it. Slip it down until it gets past the seatpost and expands against the inner wal of the seat tub. When you pull up, it will (hopefully) catch on the seat post and let you pull it up with more force. You might have to file the ends of the toggle so they catch against the bottom of the seat post. It's cheap to try anyway.

jur

Spray in WD40, let it sit. If the post stays stuck, you might consider hammering it down out of the way. Careful though that you don't wreck the BB shell. Also, hammering it down might just loosen it so it comes out anyway.

brokenrobot

GREAT idea - again assuming the post has a hole through it. I'd douse the seatpost with Liquid Wrench or other penetrant a couple of times first... you want it to be ready to slide once you get it hooked! I'd also imagine that hauling the post up and out will be MUCH easier if you can turn the whole bike upside down or at least get it tilted enough to make gravity your friend...

Rev.Chuck

If you can fit a drywall toggle you might even be able to use a body hammer on it to yank it out.

dafydd

not that this is a bad suggestion, but threads on stuck seatposts always make me start thinking of the Simpsons epidsode when lisa gets gum stuck in her hair... mayo! peanut butter! hammers!

demoncyclist

I have removed broken seatposts by putting a pair of spokes, j bend down, into the post and hooking the bottom. Then use vice grips to pull the works out. I can sometimes put a stick in ther too to keep the spoke heads from slipping.

pjordan

had this on another bike forum recently, provided there is a hole in the top, can u not just use a star fangled nut? then obv put a bolt in it and whip it out no worries at all

ofofhy

What's the minimum insertion length on the new seat post? Maybe you con't need to get the old one out. Heck, if you need more insertion of the new post, just hammer the old one down a bit more. Sure it will add a few more grams, but with the looks of that beast, you probably won't even notice the difference.

Slambert

Tried this one today. The spokes weren't long enough so I couldn't get to the bottom of the post without losing them in there...

I will be trying the other suggestions soon.

Steve