horatio 

It came with the Raleigh Pro. I removed the Origin 8 saddle and want to attach a Brooks B17, but I can't quite figure out how to adjust the bolts correctly. A forum search was not very helpful, and there are no YouTube videos. Any sage advice/tips from C&V?

Thanks in advance!

P!N20

It's tedious because the access to the bolts limits how much you can turn them, but essentially you want to tighten the rear bolt so it's snug then tighten up the front bolt to level the saddle. Neither of the bolts will be all that tight, but working together your saddle will not move anywhere ever.

SurferRosa

I only apply a ratcheting 10mm wrench to the rear bolt, not the front one. So you guess at the front one and use your bare hand to tighten or loosen it. Then do the same with the rear one. If you think you have it right, only then apply a ratcheting 10mm wrench to the rear bolt. Before the rear is all the way tight, look it over and see if that saddle level will work. If not, loosen the rear with the wrench, so you can fiddle with the front bolt by hand. Then try again.

merziac

These are fiddly to say the least.

Make sure the bolts will turn by hand, clean and lightly lube if necessary.

Loosen both quite a bit and get the rails in the lower cradles, from here on out you may have to stand on your head or hop on one foot and hold your mouth just right.

Tilt the saddle one way or the other and position the upper cradles over the rails, tilt the saddle back the other way to hold the other upper cradle in place while you tighten the loose cradle with your fingers, it takes some practice to end up close to level at this point.

From here a Gearwrench is my go to as I can usually get it to where the back bolt snugs it down tight. A combo box end works good to as it stays on the bolt for good tightening with the right angle. I reach in and hold the wrench in place while bearing down.

merziac

horatio 

Thanks for the tips. It is quite tedious. I need to buy a ratcheting wrench.

SurferRosa

Look in the middle of the road. I found two this way. Yes, two ratcheting 10mm wrenches in the road while out on a ride. Cra cra.

If that doesn't work, check ebay and Harbor Freight. You can get one for $7ish.

P!N20

While I'm not trying to talk you out of buying new tools, I just use a flat spanner that probably came with some flat pack furniture! A flat ring spanner is ideal as it offers two positions to engage with the bolt heads.

Fahrenheit531 

HA! I also found my ratcheting 10mm on the road while riding. Maybe they fall from the sky periodically. Cloudy with a chance of ratcheting wrenches.

And yes, these seat posts are hellish without one. But I don't think there's a seatpost out there that can be more finely adjusted.

cudak888 

Use an offset 10mm box wrench on the front bolt. If you so choose, it works fine on the rear as well, eliminating the need for the racheting box wrench.

Done right, it can be quicker than the rachet too. No more front clamp guesswork - just adjust each as necessary with the box wrench for perfect saddle positioning.

-Kurt

rhm

Dang. I too found two ratcheting wrenches on the road just like you said. Both Pittsburgh brand (harbor freight) but different versions of the same thing. Both in the same place, approx (same bridge anyway) but two years apart.
But in my case both were 8 mm ones, so off topic.

79pmooney

You could just get the real Campagnolo seat wrench made for exactly that job. Yes, they stopped making them 40 years ago, but every one ever made still works. No one ever broke one.

https://www.ebay.com/bhp/campagnolo-wrench (Apparently Park made one also)

Campagnolo 771 Tool Seat 10 Wrench Campy Very Free Shipping Nice 13 ppefhx1726-Vintage Bicycle Accessories - www.liveentertainmentworld.com (Scroll down to pic)

Ben

Charles Wahl

Vintage-style adjustment: a long-handled box-end wrench, 10 mm.
Mine is from Mac tools, though Snap-On is the C&V upgrade path. You turn both bolts with wrench handle held exiting the rear of the saddle, between the frame tubes: the front bolt is done with the wrench turned one way, and flipped over to turn the rear bolt -- to work with the offset bend on the box end -- one "notch" per bolt, alternating. It takes a bit of time, but the advantage is that you do things slowly, and don't tilt the saddle too fast, or make it really loose so that it moves back and forth. Of course, if you need to do that, then just loosen one of the bolts one or two notches in succession. My wrench is long, but not so long that it doesn't fit in a zip-pocket of my rear saddlebag; and doesn't weigh too much either. Of course, I have to remove the saddlebag to adjust the saddle.

3alarmer 

...you really, really want to do this step first. I take everything apart (bolts out of their scylinder nuts, outside rail clamps off their pivots), clean and relubricate everything with fresh grease (including the bolt threads), then reassemble with the saddle rails inserted in place last. I also lightly grease the rails where they contact the clamps. It makes the job a lot easier in the long run, as does a ratcheting 10 mm box end as mentioned several times. I actually had a Campy saddle wrench once, but it went somewhere over the years.

From what I remember, the ratcheting wrench works better.

SurferRosa

omg.

JohnDThompson 

Yeah, but the Campagnolo offset wrench and the various clones thereof are far from ideal.

The Campagnolo two-bolt post (and its various clones) is one of my favorites, but the preferred tool to adjust them is a 10mm flex-head ratchet wrench:

bikemig 

+ 1 on this. I just finished setting up my early 70s Moto Grand Record with a campy 2 bolt seatpost and a brooks pro using this tool.

Essthreetee

I used to have one...it wasn’t so bad. Once you get the front one set at the angle you want...then just tighten (lock into place) by using the rear.

horatio 

I actually tried this approach, briefly, but it was difficult to reach the front bolt this way because of the cheap, ancient flat wrench I have. Or, maybe because the front bolt was at an odd angle. I gave up in frustration. Time for a new wrench (or two!)

Thanks to all!

Edit: Update! May have worked it out. Tried again a few minutes ago and it seems satisfactory for now. Nothing like fresh eyes (and brain) for problem-solving. And good support from BF!

merziac

+1 exactly this, while the Campy wrench is a cool novelty, a ratcheting box end actually works much better in comparison, the Campy was not well thought out.

Manny66 

Those 2 bolt Campy Seatpost SUCK.

I have a few of them but only have 1 left on an actual bike I ride. The rest sit in a box. Struggling to adjust your seat on the side of the road is a test in patience.

qcpmsame 

+1, I was kind of bummed out when I finally found a Campy original, and it was no better than anything I had already tried. Got one of the jointed combination wrenches and have been happy since.

Bill

clubman 

At least one full metric set of these wrenchs are de rigeur for bike repairs. 2 bolt seatposts, mudguard nuts, rack mounts, lots of problem situations.

SamSpade1941 

This is so true, I bought one of these for my Grand Jubile and it was a bit of a process to get it set up but it seems to be rock solid ....

SamSpade1941 

I went to O'Reilly's and purchased one after doing it with a regular 10mm wrench... I agree with you that its a great seatpost , once it is adjusted it stays that way