Gthoro

will I be able to get this seat post out? I took a chance on this bike at a local police auction. It has been abused and neglected, but is still a nice looking bike. The frame and fork are chrome. Here is what I'm guessing is original to the bike: a shimano dropouts, a 3ttt stem, campagnolo cable guides, and a stronglight crank set. It was also set up with suntour barcons, shimano deore fd, and weinmann 605 brake calipers. The biggest clue is a "74" on the written on the fork. The serial # is 52052. Anyone have any idea on what I have?

A previous owner forced in (way in) an SR aluminum seat post. I've resorted to the last of the 15 ways recommended by Sheldon, and I cut a slit in the seat post but I haven't been able to "roll" the seat post up. I'm fearing that it is a very long seatpost. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

noglider 

I don't know what it is, but it's nice.

Do you think it's worth your trouble? Do you have enough parts on hand to build it up? If not, it won't be cost-effective to make it into a bike.

I imagine that you could ream the seatpost out, with enough reamers, until you hit the steel of the seat tube. Not sure if that's cost-effective, either.

Tom

Gthoro

Hi Tom,

I have bins of parts waiting for a frame such as this. I plan on removing the paint and riding with the chrome frame. Thanks for the reamers idea, I'll keep trying brute force for a while then I may resort to that.

cudak888 

The only way to get the remains out are with a reamer or with a tool that will send the appropriate sized bore down the hole, such as the Silva La Combianata; framebuilder Mike Terraferma has one.

-Kurt

curbtender

Try a reciprocal saw with the longest metal blade you can find and then colapse the sides with a channel lock.

toytech

slit the aluminum on both sides of the seat post, as long as it is not longer than the blade you should be fine. after you have both sides slit it will be easier to break the surface grip and get them out. when you get it out, if it is not too nice inside the tube you can always have it reamed out a size.

Ira B

I would find or make a slide hammer (like a dent puller) with a long hardened steel rod that is hooked at the end, then hook the bottom end of the seat post and smack away at it. Soaking it with 50/50 ATF Kerosene mix overnight may also help bust it lose.

shnibop 

I've used the following method with great success, just don't get any on the paint or yourself.

Plug one end of the seat tube thoroughly. Fill it with a strong solution of water and lye. It will eat away at the aluminum and leave the steel untouched. Thoroughly rinse the seat tube out with cold water. Deactivate the lye with vinegar. Rinse with water. Usually takes a good day to free the post or stem, a couple days to completely eat it away if it's reeeally stuck.

Lye is dangerous stuff. Pm me if you have any questions.

unworthy1

good luck with the post, it's going to be a struggle but you will win...eventually.
As for this bike: I have a feeling it's a high-end Lotus or similar Japanese make. There's a weld-seam on the BB shell. It would help to see a clear close-up of the headlugs and the forkcrown. Also the BB threading and seatpost size (if you get out any remnants with the markings intact!).

SJX426 

Are the chain stays damaged? Looks like it from the picture of the BB.

divineAndbright

Looks like it had a kickstand torqued a bit too much, should still be alright though.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

+1 to the above 2 posts, just make sure there's no cracks.

3speed

I'm guessing a handlebar stem won't fit into that seat post, correct? If so, you could put one in there just so that you could tighten it and have a hold on the seat post from the inside. It would also be the perfect shape to hold onto to pull the post out.

ColonelJLloyd 

Be advised that the chrome under the paint (if it is indeed fully chromed) is not polished and wasn't intended to be the "face" of the bike.

I like the idea of a penetrating solution and the slide hammer.

sjpitts 

I have had pretty good luck with dry ice. If the seat post is aluminum. My understanding is that the coefficient of thermal expansion for aluminum is much greater than that of steel. So cooling the seat post down will shrink it more than the seat tube will shrink. So I would spend a couple of days with penetrating oil and then pack that seat post with dry ice. Let it cool down and see if you can pull it out.

It probably won't work, but it might be worth the try. Dry ice is pretty cheap.

T-Mar

There's a very good chance that the 74 on the fork may represent the year, making it a 1974 or 1975 model. The total lack of brazed fittings does indicate a 1970s model and I don't believe that Shimano had their forged dropouts prior to Dura-Ace. The forged dropouts suggest at least a mid-range model. BTW, is that the LF model dropout, without the adjuster screw holes? It's hard to tell in the picture. If so, it suggests mid-range as opposed to high end.

The Shimano dropouts also suggest Japanese manufacture, given the timeframe. The hand stamped serial number suggests a small production brand. I've got a pretty good handle on Japanese serial numbers and it does not represent any of the larger Japanese manufactured brands that were importing into the US at the time (i.e. Apollo, Araya, Azuki, Bridgestone, Centurion, Fuji, Kabuki, Kuwahara, Maruishi, Miyata, Nishiki, Panasonic, Sekai, Sekine, Soma, Takara).

The proper seat post diameter may also give us a good indicator of the tubing grade. Unfortunately, removing the current post may distort the tube, making an accurate reading difficult.

tk1971

Looks like you have a little stub of the seat post sticking out. Can't you drill holes through the post, shove a screwdriver in there, and twist it out? If not, the holes make a good place to mount a slide hammer to. Good luck.

tk

cudak888 

Sounds as if you've never dealt with a stuck (read=chemically bonded) seatpost before.

-Kurt

Oldpeddaller

Never heard of that idea before 3speed, sounds promising! I take it you mean a quill stem with an angled steel wedge expander? Might try that on a couple of mine that still have STEEL seat posts firmly stuck in place.

noglider 

I doubt any stem is small enough to fit inside a seatpost. But it's food for thought. Maybe there is some sort of expander to use. I don't know what would fit AND exert enough force, though. Remember, the seatpost needs a ton of force.

JohnDThompson 

The dropouts look like Shimano SF:


We used them a lot at Trek in the early 80s.

Gthoro

The dropouts didn't have any SF markings, they have a larger font "SHIMANO" on the top and "Japan" on the bottom. I'll try and get some close ups posted later this week - I'm getting slammed at work this week.

Gthoro

Yeah, a previous owner really did a number on this bike. It had an x-mart kickstand torqued on it. I don't see any cracking, so it should be alright.

Gthoro

Thanks for the good leads T-mar. The dropouts do have adjuster screw holes (with one broken off inside grrrr...). I'll check the seat post diameter once I get it out.

Gthoro

Thanks to all for the great ideas on removing a stuck seatpost. This forum is a great resource! This is the first stuck seatpost I've come across, but with your help I feel like I'm up to the challenge. I plan on trying a longer blade for my reciprocating saw. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I likely won't get to it this weekend.