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New Bike: Seatpost Fit

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New Bike: Seatpost Fit

Old 02-28-06, 09:08 AM
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New Bike: Seatpost Fit

I received my Rivendell Romulus yesterday and have it mostly put together. However, when I tried to attempt a dry fit of the seatpost I noticed that it was extremely tight. I don't want to mess up my new Nitto so I need to know what to do in order to get the fit to be snug but not so tight that it's scratched up when it's inserted. Little help here, please...
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Old 02-28-06, 10:34 AM
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You could gently smoothen (is that a word?) the edge of the seattube where the post enters it, but some scratching is unavoidable on a seatpost.
If you want to keep it nice and shiny, set your seat too high at first and lower it at small increments until you reach your desired height. (Measuring a previous bike, taking saddle, crank and pedal characteristics into account helps here). You will be uncomfortable as hell on a new bike with a high saddle, but that's what you get for being so picky. You could do the "pilot phase" with another post you may have lying around.

All that supposing the post is the right size for the frame, of course. You may gently pry the "flaps" apart if they seem too close together.
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Old 02-28-06, 10:38 AM
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My seatpost/seat tube fit is very tight on my road bike. Best way to do it is this I think:
- get an old alloy seatpost and mount your saddle on it, noting any difference in the way they accept saddles and any corresponding change in height as a result.
- mark on the alloy with a bit of marker pen where your ideal fit is.
- then, remove the alloy post, mount the saddle on your actual post, hold the alloy one next to it and job done, you have a perfectly adjusted saddle with no visible scratching.

This assumes you don't grow though...
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Old 02-28-06, 10:41 AM
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Just noticed you say "dry fit." Does that mean that the Nitto is alloy anyway? If so, whack a lod of grease on there and you should have very very minimal if any scratching.

If it's a CF Nitto, then dude, you don't wanna be fitting it anything other than dry. Grease eats CF for breakfast, especially when the lacquer is scratched off. Keep that seat tube DRY.
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Old 02-28-06, 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Matt Gaunt
Just noticed you say "dry fit." Does that mean that the Nitto is alloy anyway? If so, whack a lod of grease on there and you should have very very minimal if any scratching.
Matt - thanks for that info. Yes, the Nitto is alloy. I'll put a bunch of grease on it and be done. Thanks again...
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Old 02-28-06, 10:58 AM
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Originally Posted by LóFarkas
You could gently smoothen (is that a word?) the edge of the seattube where the post enters it, but some scratching is unavoidable on a seatpost. You may gently pry the "flaps" apart if they seem too close together.
LF - thanks for the info. I plan to gently widen the space a little bit and insert the post fully greased up. That should take care of things...
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Old 02-28-06, 11:08 AM
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Where exactly in Illinois do you live? I'm in the St Louis area and I have some ball hones that should smooth the inside of your bike's frame tube so that your new seatpost will fit smoothly.
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Old 02-28-06, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Retro Grouch
Where exactly in Illinois do you live? I'm in the St Louis area and I have some ball hones that should smooth the inside of your bike's frame tube so that your new seatpost will fit smoothly.
RG - I live near Aurora. My brother lives in Collinsville though. How much would a hone cost? I'd buy it and pay for shipping. Let me know and many thanks...
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Old 02-28-06, 12:24 PM
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Congrats on a fine new bike.........If it were me, and I was having trouble with ANYTHING during the assembly of a new Rivendell, I'd be on the phone with Rivendell asking them what's up with it. They could probably help best on something like this-
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Old 02-28-06, 12:26 PM
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Originally Posted by well biked
Congrats on a fine new bike.........If it were me, and I was having trouble with ANYTHING during the assembly of a new Rivendell, I'd be on the phone with Rivendell asking them what's up with it. They could probably help best on something like this-
I'd thought of doing that but it's really only the seatpost and it is, for all intents and purposes, very minor. The rest of the build was done by them and I was able to put the bike together in under 15 minutes.
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