dvald001

I bought a Jamis Aurora Elite off CL and while I noticed it had a weird seat post clamp I didn't think too much about it. Turns out it's a pinhead lock that I can't remove without a special key! Does anyone have an idea how I can get the dang thing to unlock without the key? I already sent an email to the company with photos, but they haven't responded yet and riding the bike without with the saddle an inch too low is driving me nuts.

aramis

Can you just drill it out?

xtrajack

I would take a Dremel to it. I would grind the head off and then use a punch to drive out the bolt.
After you get it out, you could replace it with a standard seat post bolt. I think I have an extra seat post QR bolt. If you would like it PM me.

MK313

Is the pin specialized to your bike, or just to Jamis Auroras? If it's just a special bolt they use on all their Auroras, any local Jamis dealier should have one that you could use, or that they would unlock it with for a few $.

DX-MAN

Hacksaw a slot into the head, and unscrew it with a screwdriver. Replace, adjust saddle, and ride.

treebound 

Didn't the seller have the tool to remove it? Red flag if not.

post a pic of the bolt head if you can. I probably wouldn't chop the head off unless as a last resort.

eddubal

Without a pic of the bolt head, it's hard to figure out what's up. Likely it's a security bolt of some sort or other to dissuade thieves from stealing the seat & post that was installed by the PO. You can buy the "keys" for most security bolts at most online industrial hardware sites such as McMaster-Carr, Grainger or MSC Direct. I also believe that Harbor Freight Tools sells a kit of the most common security-head screw tips for a screw gun.

xtrajack

+1 Even better than my Dremel idea.

fietsbob

the dremel thing is OK, you could cut it in half most easily
going thru the slot in the frame it squeezes across, to grip the seat post.

tjspiel

Use a cutting wheel on the Dremel to make the slot for the screwdriver.

A Dremel is one of the most useful tools I've ever gotten.

bored117 

Contact the original seller. I get bad feeling about this.

biknbrian

Wait, I'm still curious why the previous owner can't be asked how to remove it.

edit: Also after 3 minutes of googling I know several different ways to remove it, none of which I quite feel like mentioning right now.

xenologer

You'll want to check the wheels for pinhead skewers as well, they usually come as a set.

Easy way to get the key would be the read the serial number off the bike, contact local law enforcement to find the original owner, see if he has the key.

kjmillig

Huh? What planet do you live on where police keep records of bicycle serial numbers, and even if they did would release said information to just anyone who asks for it?
Go to your locally owned hardware store and ask them first. Security screws are not uncommon and they likely have a driver to fit.

Tuc

Drill baby drill.

slcbob

^ How does it play out, hypothetically speaking, if your planet does have records with serial numbers, and your search leads you to a prior owner who states the bike was stolen?

You are now in possession of stolen property which I'd doubt you'd get in trouble for, but I'd be surprised if you got to keep it. And whether Craigslist guy goes to jail or not for moving stolen property is a separate thing, but he probably doesn't feel like giving you a refund either way so it's what, a civil suit?

How much does it hurt to do the right thing?

xenologer

They would have such information if the bike was reported stolen.

Epicus07

What is a Dremel? i've heard reference to them and it sounds like a useful tool.

Thanks

treebound 

Www.dremel.com

To the OP of this thread,
Not having a key or combination or special/proper tool for a lock or security component attached to a bicycle doesn't mean the bike is stolen, but it is an indication that it might be. Not sure where you're located, but what some are saying is to make at least some effort to contact the seller to get the story. It could very well be that the seller just forgot about the pitlock screw and has the tool sitting in his kitchen on top of the refrigerator hoping you check back about it. Easier to check now than having to deal with an irate victim on the street if it does turn out to be stolen.

Many years ago I bought a used canoe near Seattle and used it all summer for fishing. Then one evening I was visiting a relative in West Seattle and happed to have the canoe on top of the pickup when the police showed up. Turns out the previous owner of it lived two blocks away and was walking by and recognized it. I was able to give them the name and address of who I bought it from and who lived in Tukwilla and who had scratched his address into the paint of the canoe. The police called for their own truck and took the canoe from me, the previous owner had already settled with his insurance company so now the canoe belonged to the insurance company. Turns out it had been stolen two or three years before then. Bummer because I really liked that canoe, and I have no idea if the thief was ever charged, or if the guy I bought it from had bought it from someone else. Don't know, but I did learn to check things out a little if something doesn't seem right. YMMV

Banzai

This sounds like the OP bought a stolen bike. I'm betting that he will be unable to contact the seller at this point.

It seems doubtful to me that the seller "forgot" about the pitlock on the seatpost. If I were selling a bike, I would remove them and put in basic hex screws again...those pitlocks aren't cheap. If I were selling them with the bike, it would be mentioned as a feature for an added premium, with the key included.

I smell a rat.