abundantgandhi

Please excuse my ignorance; I am new to bicycle mechanics but extremely enthusiastic. I recently bought an eighties Norco Monterey hybrid to take apart and rebuild as a project, but in my haste I removed the saddle and its bracket before checking if the seatpost was secure. I should have known it was not, as when I was riding it home the seat was shifting. Anyhow, as you have probably guessed, the seatpost shot right down inside the seattube. I have not been able to extract it... any advice? I have tried a mallet, and put some WD 40 in the seattube to help it slide out, but so far no luck.

Thanks in advance.

jgedwa

Damn. That is very frustrating.

But take heart, if it slide easily down into the seattube, there will be SOME way to get it to slide back out. But since its way down in there and is not easy to grab a hold of, it may take some creative ideas.

I might try this:

-dose the beejeebers out of with some kind of thin lubricant. Wd-40 would be fine.
-Now, how to get a grip on it? It won't take too much since it slid easily down in there. How about a large screw (maybe attached to the end of a dowel, if the screw itself is not long enough) that you can down there and bite into the seatpost? Even a cobbled together tool should be fine since it is not really attached there with corrosion.

j

illwafer

if you do a search there are other ideas and success stories regarding your situation. the worst case scenario is you just leave it in there. not a huge deal.

jgedwa

True. Maybe that takes the pressure off. I will admit to leaving one in a bike long ago. But it slid down in, it will slide back out.

j

neil0502

Aren't there some seatpost hones that can be expanded??

If so (not positive), then ... covering one with sandpaper, inserting it into the errant post, expanding the hone, and ... pulling ... might work.

Otherwise, you could rig up something comparable by using an appropriately sized rubber cork (think: piece of hockey puck), and driving a FAT bolt into it ... just a thread or two.

Stuck down the seat tube and into the MIA post, screwing the bolt into the plug farther (ratchet w/extension and socket) might create plenty o' friction.

Just some overly-caffeinated notions

tradtimbo

Take a spoke, insert in, hook bottom of post, pull.

If one spoke is not long enough, twist two together.

coat hanger may also work. Bend a hook into it.

neil0502

^ was thinking about that.

Hangers have LOTS of give.

Do spokes?? I genuinely don't know....

If it's /stuck/, then something like PB Blaster may make a big diff.

FBinNY 

Dropped posts stick because most frames have single butted seat tubes and the post jams in the taper at the bottom. If they fell in with any momentum it can take a decent amount of force to free them.

First try the easy way. If you have an old seatpost of the same diameter, install it into the frame, clamp it tight, and drop the frame (seatpost first) onto an anvil, (or the pavement). A good jolt will jar the inner post loose, and then keeping the frame upside down, you can remove the protective post, and shake out the first one. Note- This requires a decent jolt, which is why you need to protect the frame with a seatpost.

Next try the reliable way. Buy a toggle bolt and a length of threaded rod. Push the toggle through the dropped post so it expands behind it, then either draw both out with the rod, or use washers and nuts to jack it up off the bottom.

Last, give up. Buy and install a new post, and ride your "reinforced" frame as if nothing happened. Back when most bikes had plain seat "pins" and saddle clamps, many a post was dropped in and abandoned down there. Posts were a buck, and it simply wasn't worth the time to try to get them back if they were stuck pretty well.

jgedwa

Great ideas. All three, and in that order. j

abundantgandhi

Thanks a lot, everyone. I feel a bit more optimistic now. Those all seem like good ideas; I'll let you know if any work out. This is a really supportive forum!

abundantgandhi

SUCCESS! I tried the coat hanger idea before I took a trip to the hardware store to buy things for the other solutions, and the WD 40 allowed it to slide right out! Thanks again.

tradtimbo

Yay!!!

CliftonGK1

Late to the party, but I've had the same issue with a stuck post, too.

I clamped the post in a vise and used the entire frame for leverage to twist it and get it out.

Panthers007

Please - people - remember to grease the stuffing out of seatpost, except carbon, before installing them. Maybe then threads like this will be a novelty again!

tradtimbo

It wasn't a no-greasing issue. It fell inside the seat tube. Way different.

Panthers007

I know - my message is the same. We have at least 3 threads a week on seatposts in seat-tubes. The only proactive cure for most of these is for people to drill this into their heads - GREASE THEM. As stands, the OP will be putting the seatpost back in place in the seat-tube. I hope he will do so and grease the thing silly. This one was an easy fix. I'm only surprised that an easy-bend coat-hanger was successful.

Good job!

nfentis

OK everybody i registered to this forum for this one reason. I have the solution. Just for a quick heads up i did use the WD-40 method but i have some extra tips to make it a bit more easier. (Hint: this job is better when done outdoors or in a garage. This is because of the cooler air).
1. obtain these items:
-bike with seat post stuck in frame
-WD-40
-flashlight
-a small type wrench
-wire coat hanger
-someone to help
2. First shine the flashlight into the frame hole and spray WD-40 around the sides of the seat post
3. Wait about 5 minutes
4. again spray WD-40 around the edges of the lodged seat post in the frame
5. wait about 2-3 minutes
6. obtain the wire coat hanger and unravel it until it is straightened out
7.once the wire is straight, using the wrench, make a nice hook out of the wire. Kinda like this
l
l
l
--
8.Have someone pick up the bike and have it on its back wheel. Kinda like a standing wheely. Make sure they are standing on the opposite side of the hole. For example the bottom of the bike is facing them, while the top of the bike and seat hole is facing you.
9. Take your wire hook and slide it down into the tube and grab the bottom of the seat post with the wire. Pull the wire slowly and hard, don't do jab movements. While pulling have the someone pull the bike towards them so you both add in your strength. (Hint: This takes a lot of patience, don't get angry. Most of the time the hook will slide off and you will have to slide it down the hole again)
10. The rod will slide out far enough where you can grab and pull it out.
11. cheer and celebrate, you accomplished something.

Ok now a new lesson is learned here. Always tighten the seat onto the post first before placing the seat onto the bike. Also if you want to replace the seat of the bike, make sure you take the full seat and pipe out first, attach the new seat onto the rod outside of the bike, then place it into the frame.

Have a good day.

Panthers007

OK FOLKS! PLEASE TAKE NOTICE...

This thread is from 2009. The poster who re-opened it is a new member who did not check the date before posting. Please disregard.

Kimmo

We need a mod to edit BUMPED THREAD into the start of the OP when this happens...

But since the noob bumped it, that goes to show that the vast trove of old threads represents an ocean of poorly-organised but fairly searchable contributions that never die, they just get increasingly more obscure.

So my 2c for posterity is the first thing I'd look at would be the parallelism of the slot in the top of the seat tube; it often gets squashed together a bit and can be prised back open easily enough.

46blitz

Same thing happened to me. Hair dryer and long coat hanger type hook tool worked.

Gary2017

Use a narrow retractable tape measure - the hook on the end of the tap measure is bent edged - perfect for grabbing bottom of seat post and won't let go as long as you keep tension on the measure tape!!! After hours of fail ideas. Sprayed liquid grease (bike up side down) slid tape measure down hooked it Second try and pulled the post right out (fyi brand new frame and post) was very happy and felt like a fool for my hours of failed solutions - my young daughter had to have her beach cruiser for the weekend - so I push until I hit solution!!!
I tried hooks hangers wires plyers - don't waste your time - just a regular narrow retractable tape measure and some liquid grease. You don't even need to have steady hand - tape measures hold straight as long as you keep the retractor directly above the post tube (have nerve damaged hands that shake, still got it second try with little effort 😀😁

Gary - still RAD in Hermosa Beach CA

fietsbob

take BB out to access the underside to push it up..

rubber plug with a hole, and nozzle tip of air compressor.. ?

Post might launch suddenly ..






...

sch

New poster Gary2017 shows impressive search foo in dredging up this about a seat post
completely dropped down into the seat tube. At least he posted a decent writeup about
his experience.

dropit

put not very straight coathanger down inside, then put a curtain rod or some other rod down that is not a tight fit but not too loose when the wire is down, maybe 1 or 1/2 mm wiggle, wind the coathanger wire around the curtain rod once or half a turn and pull up on the curtain rod so it gets jammed with the wire. Tug. done. Maybe it worked because my seatpost got narrower at the end...

AnkleWork

Triple zombie!