thanks, lou. Does anyone here live near Delray Beach, FL? Thanks, Julie Cleveland Delray Beach, FL, USA
On Aug 7, 2008, at 3:20 PM, loudeeter@aol.com wrote:
> Ask the list if anyone lkives near you who might help. Lou
> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Julie Cleveland <juliecleveland@mac.com>
>
> Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:17:41
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Cc: <david.r.stacey@gsk.com>
> Subject: [CR]Re: Frozen seat post
>
>
> Dear David:
> re seat post
> It's alloy, according to the specs I found online for this bike.
>
> Does that mean I am stuck with a bike in which I can't lower the
> seat? That stinks! (I didn't of course think to ask these questions,
> stuff that seemed pretty obvious, when corresponding with the guy I
> bought the bike from on ebay).
>
> I also don't have any of these chemicals, or a workshop, i'm just a
> pianist with a bike she wants to ride!
>
> Thinking after getting all these replies maybe I gotta not "do it
> myself" and bring it back to the shop.
>
> is this list for bike shop owners? I don't have any of the stuff
> people are mentioning, I'm just a humble, know-nothing newbie OTS
> rider, hope that's ok.
>
> --Julie Cleveland
Delray Beach, FL, USA
> On Aug 7, 2008, at 12:43 PM, david.r.stacey@gsk.com wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Dear Julie,
>>
>> Oh dear. This is a problem that often kills an old bike. Have a
>> look on Sheldon Browns website for full details, but basically If
>> you have a steel seat post, keep up the WD40 remove the seat bolt
>> completely, use a screwdriver to gently open the frame and get a
>> gorilla to twist the seat tube free.
>>
>> If however it is an alloy seat post, then the thermite reation has
>> occured and the aluminium has reacted and fused together with the
>> steel of the frame. It can be cut out, carefully, rolled up and
>> pulled out, though I have never found this works. I have heard of
>> someone using a threaded bolt as a puller braced against the frame
>> and winding the seat tube out, this is gentler.
>>
>> The last straw is to use 5M sodium hydroxide solution (caustic
>> soda). This will dissolve the aluminium alloy, but not the steel.
>> It also, if you are sloppy strips the paint off your frame and
>> dissolves skin and eyes (and dissolve rims and cranksets), but if
>> you are careful (or a chemist like me) it works where all else has
>> failed. You have to plug the base of the seat tube with clay or blu
>> tack and fill with sodium hydroxide solution 40g/200ml leave it
>> 24hours, flush it out with water and repeat until the metal is
>> paper thin and can be removed.
>>
>> All this is quite extreme and I would ask around for some help with
>> this if you are not familiar with using chemicals. Please be
>> careful and remember, if you want to put the tube down and it is a
>> plain tube type, ask an engineer to cut it shorter and reshape the
>> top (I've done that the other way round for a longer tube). A good
>> engineer can also drill/ream out an old seat post, but he'd have to
>> be a good one.
>>
>> Good luck and be careful!
>>
>> Regards
>> David Stacey
>> County Durham, UK