Seat post fused into seat tube.

[jeltz]

I was chatting with a retired chap who has a road bike which he leant to his much taller son for a few years and now the seat post is fused into the seat tube, according to the LBS.

Apparently some kind of heat treatment may fix it, but no suggest was made as to who may be able to do this.

Can anyone explain this to me a little further? Or have other ideas? Is it financially viable etc. etc. the brand is "Argos" not the catalogue shop but an actual frame manufacturer called Argos

I think he would be quite keen to get out and about on it again if it was easily doable.

 

[Tharg2007]

chances are oxidation has occurred, i believe omonia can break this up but its unlikely you could get the omonia between the two metals. heating the alluminium until its soft then twisting it out might be the simplest way.

 

[Panter]

I have absolutely no experience of this myself but remembered reading this a while ago in reponse to a similar question.

Hope it helps.

 

[tyred]

If it's an alloy seat post in a steel frame, surely trying to "freeze" the aluminium rather than heating it would be more helpful. Aluminium expands faster than steel...

Pop the frame in the freezer and don't let the other half catch you!

 

[Amanda P]

You may wish to read this thread.

Having been through this, I can assure you that, if it's a steel frame and an alloy seat post, the ammonia solution you can buy for cleaning jewelery and the like won't help.

Patience, elbow grease, and caustic soda may do so.

Heat may well help - while it's true that the seat post will expand faster than the steel frame and make it more stuck while they're hot, the differential expansion and contraction of the two may break up the corrosiony gunge. When they're cool again, they may be looser.

Trouble is, to get it hot enough to do much good, you're probably going to end up damaging the paint, so try caustic soda first. As I mentioned towards the end of the other thread, I have most of a bottle of it which I'm willing to part with if it'll help someone. Or I'll send you enough to do the job in an envelope if you ask me nicely.

 

[dan_bo]

Have you actually tried gripping the seatpost in a vice and swinging on the frame?

I did this on an old pinarello frame the other week which had a presumably siezed seatpost, and it turned out that the seatpost was just very dry and very long.

 

[Davidc]

If it's steel in steel or alloy in alloy heating gently (rag and boiling water) will make the frame expand faster than the post.

Last time I had this to sort out I did roughly what the Sheldon Brown link (Panter's) suggests, and used an old saddle, well attached, as a tool. I put penetrating oil on the joint and slid the bit of steel gas pipe I use with allen keys along the saddle support.

It took several aplications of the oil and destroyed the saddle, but the post did come out.

 

[jeltz]

Hmmmm, it seems like its possible but as might be risky! I think I'm going to ask if he wants to sell it. If he only wants a few quid I'm more than happy to take the risk!

Anyone heard of Argos Bikes, are they worth spending time and money restoring?

 

[Radius]

Argos were a decent frame manufacturer I believe, not sure how valuable, but still probably worth restoring if you can do it without much bother...

 

[fossyant]

Argos are still in business !

 

[Radius]

Are they? Oh...I heard of them doing resprays and the like but didn't know they still made frames...

 

[tandemman]

I'd get Argos, Bristol I believe, to have a look at it they would probably use a brazing torch then the frame would need a respray, worth it if the frame is OK

 

[stewie griffin]

An aluminium alloy post in a steel frame as a last resort can be "dissolved" out with caustic soda. I've done it after trying everything & eventually twisting the post in half in a vise, ending with nothing stuck out from the frame.

Please be warned, know what your doing & find as much info as you can regarding safety, it's a messy proccess & will involve blocking off the hole into the BB shell. I ruined the paint when I did it (didn't matter), but it would be possible to do it without paint damage if you were very careful.

Good luck.

 

[Zippy]

I have this problem and my bike is at the lbs at present soaking overnight in a bath of penetrating oil. If a twist and a knock doesnt work next day, the technician tells me it will be a £65 bill to saw the seat tube down the length and roll it in to remove.

£65 the going rate? The bike is Specialised Hot Rock and probably £600 to replace like for like now. Need extra seat tube length as I changed to SPDs recently and the leg length needed has increased somewhat.

 

[02GF74]

my bike is at the lbs at present soaking overnight in a bath of penetrating oil.

I'll be surprised if that will work.

Have you tried yourself?

the technician tells me it will be a £65 bill to saw the seat tube down the length and roll it in to remove.

£65 the going rate? The bike is Specialised Hot Rock and probably £600 to replace like for like now.

hmmm, didn't know they could do that. what do they charge labour per hour? seems a bit steep, even if £ 30 then that is over 2 hours - if they have the right tool then it shoudl be 15 min job at most. dunno.